The Dark Crystal (1982)

Would have worked better as a cartoon

The Dark Cyrstal opens up with a fairly good start. By the serious and profound voice of the narrator you'll be thinking that this is going to be good. But as the film rolls on its many flaws and weaknesses begin to show through.
Jim Henson is talented and it's amazing the different kinds of puppetry and animatronics he blends together to create this other world, but I'm sorry to say it just isn't good enough. The mystics movements are so slow that it's a wonder they make it to the Skeksis castle even by the end of the film! I know they're old but come on! Then theirs our hero the gelfling. It's impossible for him to evoke any sympathy or emotion from the viewer because since he's a puppet he's not capable of facial expressions! The only way we know that he is sad or happy is by his voice. The puppet even with that still seems lifeless.
Another problem is the story. Though we are told that the Skesis are corrupt wizards and the mystics good wizards, we NEVER see ANY wizardry from either of them whatsoever. If you are hoping for a great wizard finale, look elsewhere. They don't ever cast any spells; they don't ever have magic objects with them or concoct amazing potions; they're just there really.
Again with the puppetry. There is a scene where the Skesis' Garthim come barging into the ugly wise old woman's laboratory to get the gelfling. This was intented to be an exciting sequence. The gelfling just misses a Garthim's clutches before he gets on the old hag's rotating planet thingy, but because of the cheap, crude, silly movements of the character it looks too fake and lackluster.
This film would have worked so much better if it was animated by some talented artists. Having more believable and smoother movments from the characters, facial expressions, and beautiful artwork and scenery would have turned this sad yarn into what it was intended to be: an enjoyable fantasy epic.
Also a pet peeve of mines is the chamberlain Skesis. Oh my Lord! Give me a ax to hack that thing with! I know Jim Henson is trying to give individuality to his characters; give them certain traits to make them memorable and distinct from the others, but come on! All his stupid whining and 'Hmmmmmm..." sounds happened pratically every time he comes in the scene.
You can't say that I'm juding this film unjustly because I am an adult. You can't say that if I was a child then I wouldn't have noticed these things and would have enjoyed it. Sorry wrong. I hated this film as a child and still do. I thought that now that I am older and more open minded about things I used to dislike that I might care for this. Nope. Still stupid. Still sucks.
You want a good fantasy? See the Neverending story, Willow, Castle in the Sky, The Secret of Nimh, or even Henson's Labyrinth. They all work much better and are better films. July 13, 2008

Great classic

After watching this movie many times I wanted to have it on DVD. I was debating if I should get this version or the Limited Edition, but I read through another review that the limited edition didn't offer many extras, and for the price isn't worth it. This DVD is great, and at a cheap price, a must have for fans of this classic movie. Also there is a sequel coming out in a few years so it's a great time to refresh yourself on the world of the Dark Crystal. June 12, 2008

LOTR fan? Watch this movie

This movie is one of my all time favorites. Henson's masterpiece. It's inventive, its interesting, engaging and the world is quite wonderful. There are lessons learned and many parallels between the world Henson created and our own. It's a wonderful fantasty film that really breathes a life all its own. It's also a film that can be enjoyed by all, adults and children. June 10, 2008

oppressive and unrewarding

It's hard for me to see how this movie is worth anybody's time these days.

"The Dark Crystal" may have been big news back when it came out (in 1982), but it's hard to see what it has to offer anybody in the age of CGI and complete digitization. It hasn't held up well.

Set in another world, the story concerns the quest of an innocent elf-like creature who must return a crystal shard to its proper resting place in order to save the land. There are no humans in this movie, only Muppet-like creatures. (In case you don't know, this film is considered the masterwork of the two masterminds behind the Muppets, Jim Henson and Frank Oz.)

Unfortunately for today's viewers, the technology available for breathing life into movie creatures has so comprehensively improved since this film was shot that the "Dark Crystal" cannot avoid showing its age at every turn. Fatally, for a fantasy, it's simply impossible to lose yourself in the world the film attempts to create, since in nearly every shot you cannot get it out of your head that you are essentially looking at a bunch of puppets, or, occasionally, some guy in a mechanized costume.

As for the story, I found it predictable and marvel at those who claim it is "imaginative." I award very low marks on originality: nearly every story element had been done to death long before this movie saw the light of day.

So who would like this movie? Children, I guess, -- or perhaps somebody who seems to have an unnatural admiration for all things Muppet.

But even then I have reservations. The film is so dark, photographically as well as thematically, that it will probably bum you out for the day. Even during those few moments when the sun in shining, the film still comes across as oppressively dark. True, the directors attempt to relieve the gloom in the final ten seconds or so, but by then it's too little, too late. So basically it's like muppets but without the fun.

Heck, this movie might be unsuitable even for kids. So unrelievedly grim and violent is it (stabbings, burnings, fallings to one's death) that it will probably give any kid under nine at least a couple of nightmares.

There are plenty of kids' movies out there these days that also have something to say to adults, but not this one. I cannot imagine anything appealing to adults in this movie, especially if you make the mistake of viewing the "making of" documentary, also on this DVD, which will completely breaks any spell the film had a chance at.

As for the story, I paid strict attention but was needled by crippling questions. The filmmakers seemed to do a terrible job explaining what's going on, where the crystal came from, how it works, how it got broken, or why anybody even needed it to begin with. June 7, 2008

Another world, another time, in the age of wonder...

So begins Jim Henson's masterpiece The Dark Crystal, an amazing fantasy film that primarily uses puppets as its main characters.

The film concerns Jen, a Gelfling, who must save his planet by restoring the legendary Dark Crystal, which must be done before the three suns of his planet meet in the Great Conjunction. If he fails chaos and destruction shall reign eternal. He begins his mission after his mentor, the wisest of the Mystics, dies. To a young Gelfling like Jen, the world seems an enormous and strange place. He encounters numerous dangers but finally reaches the home of the ancient being known as Aughra. Aughra gives Jen the crystal shard that he seeks, but the forces of evil invade her home and Jen has to flee before she can tell him anymore about his task. Meanwhile the cruel Skeksis are hunting Jen, for it is prophesized that a Gelfling will bring about their doom. But Jen finds an ally in Kira, the only other living Gelfling to survive the Skeksis' slaughter of their race years before. Jen and Kira, along with her furry and ferocious pet Fizzgig, set out for the castle of the Skeksis. But can they survive the dangers of the journey and restore balance to their world?

Henson's film (I should also mention that it was co-directed by puppeteer Frank Oz) is a stunning achievement in pre-digital special effects and features a profound philosophical/spiritual undercurrent that has fascinated viewers for over 25 years. The film is exciting, stimulating and perhaps at times too intense for younger children. But overall it's one of the greatest fantasy films ever made!

I also recommend the book The World of the Dark Crystal: The Collector's Edition, by Brian Froud. April 28, 2008

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