Hello, night owls! I've found that when people complain about the fantasy genre, they sometimes look to films as examples, especially ones made in the 80's. And these films often have mixed reactions - some people like them and others outright hate them. Now some of this hatred comes out of some people's overall dislike of the 80's. However, we're going to ignore the generic 80's hate factor and look at what exactly it is that makes these films pull such opposite reactions by briefly examining Ladyhawke (1985), Legend (1985), and Labyrinth (1986).
NOTE: I will not be delving too deeply into the plots of these films, as all three will eventually receive their own separate posts on The Night Owl Review.
These 80's flicks have completely different tones in spite of the fact that they all fall under the fantasy genre. While you might not think sub-genres make much of a difference, you'd be surprised at how a story is affected by them. Just look at our three examples!
1. Ladyhawke - This is an example of low fantasy. While there is a supernatural curse that affects the lovers of the story (Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer), the movie takes place in the real world - France during the Crusades. No magic is used on screen and the only time you see its effects is when the lovers transform into animals at the rising or setting of the sun. The lack of magic emphasizes the already serious tone of this triumphant love story.
2. Legend - This is an example of high fantasy. For all we know, the story takes place in another world. Magic is everywhere, with unicorns, goblins, fairies, and Darkness himself (Tim Curry, although you wouldn't know it under all those prosthetics). There is also a dash of sword and sorcery as well, since the hero (Tom Cruise) has to make it his mission to save a unicorn and a princess (Mia Sara - yes, Ferris Bueller's girlfriend) from Darkness. The tone of the story is serious, though not quite as serious as Ladyhawke, and it hinges on motifs of innocence and purity.
3. Labyrinth - This is an example of comic fantasy. It's really no surprise, considering that the script was written by Terry Jones of Monty Python. This story pays homage and parodies the idea of a traditional fairy tale hero's quest. It begins in the real world, but as soon as Jareth the Goblin King (David Bowie) is summoned, we are transported into his magical realm filled with goblins and glitter. As the sub-genre suggests, the movie has a very light tone. However, considering it's something of a coming-of-age story as well, there are a few moments of seriousness...albeit they never last long.
Why does this whole sub-genre business matter? Because they will affect the audience's viewing experience. For example, when I think of the term fantasy, I tend to jump right to things like The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Chronicles of Prydain, all of which fall under high fantasy. That means that I generally expect lots of magic, sword fighting, fairies or other fantastical creatures, a fairly serious tone, and certain other tropes. So when I saw Labyrinth for the first time three years ago, I was shocked and honestly repulsed by what I saw. It spat all its fantasy elements in my face and I was not ready for the random craziness that it had (nor was I ready for Bowie as the Goblin King). For months, any time someone mentioned this movie, I would always groan and say it was the worst thing I'd ever experienced. I like it now (of course), but you can see that expectations of the genre can play a huge role in how audiences look at a film.
However, there are certain characteristics shared by all these films that probably play the bigger part in why people love or hate movies like these three.
1. The Acting - While I'm not going to say all the acting in these films were bad, I'm not going to say they were all good, either. In the 1980s, acting seemed to have three settings: good, bad, and cheesy. With the movies I picked, you get just an even enough blend of all three. There are some undoubtedly good performances in these films. John Wood is solid as the evil Bishop of Aquila, Tim Curry is wickedly majestic as Darkness, and David Bowie is surprisingly impressive as the Goblin King...in fact, all the main villains of these films are done rather well. As for our heroes? Generally, they're done fine, but there are some exceptions. Matthew Broderick, while not as bad as he is in other films, still sticks out like a sore thumb among Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer with his on-and-off accent and attempts at breaking the fourth wall. Tom Cruise is...oh gosh, what can I say? He has about two settings in Legend: either smiling creepily or looking dumbfounded (with an open mouth that's very reminiscent of Kirsten Stewart). However, the most noticeable of these not-so-good performances would be Jennifer Connelly as Sarah in Labyrinth. Her acting makes it impossible for some viewers to like her character in this movie. I will say in her defense that she does get better as the story goes on. Still, her acting will definitely get on your nerves for about a good third of the movie.
2. The Sets/Effects - In an age of evolving technology, of course there are going to be plenty of people who can't watch 80's films because of the sets and/or effects. As far as sets go, I'm not one of those people. In a world where almost all the fantasy worlds look like they were pulled out of video games (looking at you, Hobbit franchise!), it's quite refreshing to look at an actual set and it definitely helps viewers take the movie's world more seriously. Sure, there are cases where it's obviously a sound-stage and some set pieces look a little funny from time to time, but when they're practical, they feel real. The effects, on the other hand, are pretty hit and miss. The 80's did have its share of pretty good special effects, but boy, did it have some bad ones, too! The biggest example for this of the three films I picked would be in Labyrinth. While it has awkward blue-screen moments and "obvious-harness-is-obvious" scenes, the worst scene effects-wise would be when Sarah meets the Fire Gang in the forest. Because the Fireys are puppets that dance and even remove their arms and legs, a single puppet had to be maneuvered by several puppeteers. With multiple Fireys, it would have been difficult to have them dancing on the forest set, so instead they filmed the scene on a separate set covered in black velvet to hid the puppeteers. While the attempt was valiant, it definitely didn't pay off in the finished film. It's painfully obvious that the puppets and Jennifer Connelly have been edited against a background and it completely throws off the viewer.
3. The Stories - As trends rise and fall in popularity, so do the stories we like to see on screen. Nowadays, as far as fantasy goes, most people want something like The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones. They want sweeping epics of battles and conquests, long-winded and engaging character studies, and always, in some form or other, the right amount of magic. Anyone expecting this from Ladyhawke, Legend, or Labyrinth will be met with disappointment. None of these movies really dive into histories and characters and with the last two, magic is used frivolously and without much explanation. In fact, the last two lack a lot of exposition that modern audiences crave in order to understand and dive deeper into these fantasy worlds. Ladyhawke is the only one that bears any resemblance to the desired fantasy movie in mind and even then, there are some cheesy or underdeveloped elements that might throw audiences off (not to mention, the pacing is on the slow side). Crazily enough, none of these movies were well received by their 80's audiences, either. All three couldn't make back their budgets at the box office and they were received with mixed to negative reviews. Then again, this was also the decade of the Terminator, Freddy Krueger, Marty McFly, and Ferris Bueller, so sword and sorcery flicks weren't in high demand.
4. The Music - This is probably the biggest complaint I've heard made against 80's fantasy films. Some people can't stand hearing synths and guitars in sword fights or midnight pursuits. While I blame an additional dislike of 80's music for this most of the time, I can see the naysayers' point. Sometimes, that kind of music isn't appropriate for the film or the genre in general. I haven't heard the soundtrack for the theatrical cut of Legend, but I've heard lots of complaints of how that music just didn't fit with the film. I've seen the director's cut with the original orchestral score, so I'm not sure I could stand the theatrical release soundtrack myself.
So...why do some people like this stuff?
Well, it all goes back to that principle of cult films I talked about in my earlier post on cult films: they defy what's mainstream. If it's not mainstream, it's going to look different and therefore appeal to someone who wants different. All three of these films look different from anything else I've ever seen and in spite of the poor elements they have, they're still fun to watch. Ladyhawke is like the kind of legend you might hear when you're being taken on a tour through a castle, filled with daring and romance. Legend looks like the fairy tale we all imagined when we were younger and aesthetically speaking, it's a beautiful fantasy film with the perfect high fantasy atmosphere. And Labyrinth is just a crazy yet fun romp through a teenager's goblin-filled, Bowie-obsessed fantasy world that has you laughing and cringing in equal measure.
Ironically enough, all of these films have developed cult followings over the years and it's definitely not hard to see why. These films are creative, fun, and refreshing, even with the cheesy acting, cheesy effects, and cheesy music. If you can just let yourself go along for the ride, you'll find that all these elements, flawed as they are, come together and make it work in their own unique way. Whether or not these films are "good" or "bad", they are definitely something to be experienced.
I highly recommend checking out all three!
~Maud,
Official Night Owl
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