Flashback Friday Double Feature! The Princess Bride VS Labyrinth

08/06/2010 11:00 am by

Two movies rivaled each other as my favorite movie when I was a kid. With repeated viewings, one would often replace the other at the top, only to be unseated the following week. Now that I’m grown, critical reasoning skills fully developed, it’s time for them to duke it out. The two greatest fantasy movies of the 1980s: The Princess Bride and Labyrinth.

Round 1: Male Leads

Princess Bride has Cary Elwes, who is hot and English and quite the yummy swashbuckler. But Labyrinth has David Bowie, and David Bowie’s Crotch, so I think the winner here is clear.

Winner: Labyrinth (by a codpiece)

labyrinth jareth e1281069039880 Flashback Friday Double Feature! The Princess Bride VS Labyrinth

Round 2: The Damsel

Buttercup’s kind of a bitch and she does little more than get kidnapped and saved. Sarah solves a tricky labyrinth and manages to resist the proposition of being Jareth’s love slave.

Winner: Labyrinth

Round 3: Supporting Cast

Labyrinth has Ludo, Sir Didymus and Ambrosious, and Hoggle, all a bit hapless in one way or another and largely obnoxious. The Princess Bride’s supporting cast, on the other hand, carries the film. The Princess Bride would be completely forgettable without the banter between Wesley and Vizzini, Inigo, and Fezzik.

Winner: The Princess Bride

Round 4: Writing

Oh, that’s just a no-brainer. Jim Henson was a genius when it comes to puppetry, but the writing in Labyrinth is terrible. Don’t even get me started on the lyrics.

Winner: The Princess Bride

Princess Bride Flashback Friday Double Feature! The Princess Bride VS Labyrinth

Tally: Princess Bride – 2; Labyrinth – 2

Dammit! It looks like we have a tie. I better watch them both again just to make sure.

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About Snarky Amber

Snarky Amber pursued a degree in interdisciplinary studies in order to obtain a well-rounded perspective, which she now uses to make fun of people who make more money in a week than she stands to make in a lifetime.

Filed Under: Best Of Featured, Best Of MamaPop, Fantasy, Flashback Friday, Movies, Nostalgia Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,


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  • norm

    I think you need to give PB two points for dialogue and declare PB the winner. It’s one of the most quotable movies ever. To rank “Labyrinth” higher, is, well, inconthievable.

  • AmandaJo

    My eyes bugged out of my head when I saw the title of this post. I might have audibly squeed. Will you be my besty? We can braid each other’s hair, and paint our nails, and sneak nips out of the vodka bottle my mom hides behind the wait, what? Um. YAY MOVIES!

  • http://www.didactic-pirate.blogspot.com Didactic Pirate

    I sat down to watch Labyrinth with my 8-year-old daughter recently, thinking it would stand the test of time — you know, plucky girl hero, Wonderland-ish adventure… sadly, it just didn’t seem to hold up. I can live with that.

    I’m afraid to make her watch Princess Bride, though — if she says she doesn’t like it, I’ll have to sell her to gypsies. *Sigh.

  • http://www.mysuperkaduperlife.com/ rkmama

    I do not want to live in a world where David Bowie in hotpants outranks my sweet Wesley. Along with the Goonies these were my 2 favorite movies growing up and I refuse to compare the greats :).

  • Mike

    The music in Labyrinth counts for negative a million!

  • Keryn

    I think you made a mistake in Round 1: Male Leads.

    So now it’s Princess Bride – 3; Labyrinth – 1. Yaaaaay!

    Also, because I am the biggest Princess Bride fan EVER, it’s Westley, not Wesley. Ahem.

    • http://sleepymel.wordpress.com/ Mel

      I’m going to have to agree with Keryn. Carey Elwes as Westley is way better in my book. Totally hot and charming. David Bowie always just scared me a bit in Labyrinth, and in general.

      I did love both movies, but Princess Bride was better!

  • Lynne

    @Keryn – I never knew it was Westley and I’m a huge fan. I’ve been schooled.

    Princess Bride for the win. I can’t think of a single quote for Labyrinth but Deawly Bewoved…we are gaddered here today…LOL!

  • kateH

    Labyrinth scared the everlovin’ CRAP out of me. Little trolls that steal babies from their cribs in the middle of the night…shudder.

    Therefore, Princess Bride FTW!!!!

  • Kymm

    I LOVE Princess Bride. But what about The Dark Crystal? It was good too.

  • http://muirnait.blogspot.com Heather

    Oh my sweet Westley! PB definitely wins in my book ;-)

  • http://plasticsardine.livejournal.com Becca

    Heather, thank god you actually spelled it Westley! It was starting to make me twitchy.

    Never saw Labyrinth. Don’t know why.

  • Jennifer

    Those have to be my favorite movies from that time too, and I have to disagree that the music from Labyrinth is bad!

    You remind me of the babe
    (What babe?)
    The babe with the power
    (What power?)
    Power of Voodoo
    (Who do?)
    You do
    (Do what?)
    Remind me of the babe

  • diamondcait

    But how can you not give negative points for that cheesy mustache that Westley grew? And I lovelovelove BOTH of these movies with big hearts on my trapper keeper. But how is it that no one has mentioned a nice MLT sandwich?
    Also, we took our five year old to see Labyrinth at the local art theatre, and while the special effects may seem a bit dated, David Bowie’s bulge has withstood the test of time.

  • Queen Anne

    awwww the Dark Crystal… those gelflings and their gelfing essence… I could juice a few of those gelflings and lose these bags under my eyes….
    Oh, I mean, if they were real and stuff. Got all excited about that and now I’m sad. Not that i would ever ever harm a puppet. even to look hot. promise.