Showing @ Filmhouse, Edinburgh,  Fri 22 Mar only

Jim Henson / UK/USA / 1986 / 101 min

Mention this 1986 Jim Henson film to any Eighties survivor and it’s likely to raise a knowing titter. One of a handful of movies screened to celebrate David Bowie’s first album in ten years, Labyrinth is a hot ticket on this dreich Friday night. Sadly, Bowie’s enormous codpiece has overshadowed his central performance as Jareth the Goblin King but look beyond the eye-wateringly tight trousers and you’ll find a deserving classic of the fantasy genre.

There’re some families in evidence but most of the audience, it appears, remember this film from its original release. Fantasy was a major genre in the 80s but not all those films have aged this well. Labyrinth’s reliance on puppetry means the ropey special effects are fairly minimal. The Henson characters are enchanting, the dialogue wittily subversive and there’re some catchy tunes but the real star is the world the Henson studios created. From the famous Escher-inspired set of the denouement to the carefully chosen clutter of Jennifer Connelly’s teenage bedroom, everywhere one looks there’re rich details, optical illusions and visual jokes. Hardly surprising then, that so many older fans have leaped at the opportunity to view this again on the big screen. After nearly 30 years, does it live up to expectations? The spontaneous applause as the credits roll would certainly suggest so.