★★★
The Dark Crystal is such a triumph of special effects and puppetry that it’s easy to ignore some of the weaknesses in its plot. Jim Henson dazzles with his creations and his imagination, but the bigger task of leading a large crew to bring his characters to life must have been exhausting. He exceeds all expectations. There is such a wide variety of creatures present here that he surpasses every other production in which has been involved. The worlds of the Muppets and Fraggles don’t compare to The Dark Crystal in terms of puppet execution.
For 1000 years, the Skeksis, a vulture-like race, have controlled the Dark Crystal, a giant object that is missing a single shard. With the shard missing, the Skeksis can gain permanent control of the crystal at the Great Conjunction, when three suns will align. According to prophesy, a Gelfling, a race of creatures that resemble elves, will heal the crystal by returning the shard, and in doing so break the Skeksis’s hold on the crystal. To prevent this, the Skeksis massacred the Gelflings. They missed one, Jen, who was subsequently raised by the gentle Mystics, another race that emerged 1000 years ago when the crystal cracked.
When Jen grows up, he takes on the task of repairing the Dark Crystal. His quest takes him across a land filled with eerie creatures, many of which took large crews to operate. He meets an astronomer, Aughra, who has a box full of shards, one of which is the missing piece from the Dark Crystal. He also meets Kira, a female Gelfling who managed to elude capture and learned to talk to animals. Together, Jen and Kira travel to the Skeksis’s castle. On their trail is Chamberlain, an exiled Skeksis who offers help but who may have hidden motives. The search for the shard, the journey to the castle and the showdown between the Gelflings and Skeksis comprise the movie’s second and third acts.
Watching this movie unfold is an opportunity to study just how many different creatures appear. Rather than a Muppet movie featuring hand puppets and performers in large costumes, The Dark Crystal offers some of the most elaborate puppetry ever seen on film. There are no human characters present, and everything was accomplished using practical methods instead of C.G.I. The result is a labor of love, a movie that is visually dazzling in every way. Everything from facial expressions to arm movements required intricate coordination among crew members.
With so much attention and money spent on the special effects, one has to wonder why the story doesn’t measure up. The prophesy’s details are extremely murky, to the point that we wonder why the chosen Gelfling doesn’t start the quest until time has nearly run out. The story opens after almost 1000 years have passed after the Crystal’s shattering. We don’t get a sense of how long the plot plays out in the movie’s runtime, whether it’s a few days or a week or two weeks. Whatever the elapsed time is, it’s a very small window for Jen to complete his quest. By the time he makes it to the castle, the Great Conjunction has nearly begun. While the story was likely written that way to create suspense, it comes across as phony given what’s at stake. If a prophesy doesn’t come true after 900 years, maybe it’s time to show some initiative and do something about it.
It’s important to raise this point because a movie needs to be a complete experience. I like seeing things that I’ve never seen before, but I need more than that to convince me that a trip to the theater was worth it. A few years after The Dark Crystal’s release came Labyrinth, another attempt to venture outside the world of Kermit the Frog and Gobo Fraggle. This second effort turned out to be a huge misfire, for reasons that I will discuss elsewhere. The Dark Crystal has an interesting concept, one that could have been more interesting if more attention had been dedicated to it. Nevertheless, the plot we do get to observe moves along well and isn’t too complicated for children to understand. I like it, but I would rather revisit Henson’s classic Muppet creations. At least Kermit never faced a convoluted prophesy to muddy the waters.
© 2018 Silver Screen Reviews
For 1000 years, the Skeksis, a vulture-like race, have controlled the Dark Crystal, a giant object that is missing a single shard. With the shard missing, the Skeksis can gain permanent control of the crystal at the Great Conjunction, when three suns will align. According to prophesy, a Gelfling, a race of creatures that resemble elves, will heal the crystal by returning the shard, and in doing so break the Skeksis’s hold on the crystal. To prevent this, the Skeksis massacred the Gelflings. They missed one, Jen, who was subsequently raised by the gentle Mystics, another race that emerged 1000 years ago when the crystal cracked.
When Jen grows up, he takes on the task of repairing the Dark Crystal. His quest takes him across a land filled with eerie creatures, many of which took large crews to operate. He meets an astronomer, Aughra, who has a box full of shards, one of which is the missing piece from the Dark Crystal. He also meets Kira, a female Gelfling who managed to elude capture and learned to talk to animals. Together, Jen and Kira travel to the Skeksis’s castle. On their trail is Chamberlain, an exiled Skeksis who offers help but who may have hidden motives. The search for the shard, the journey to the castle and the showdown between the Gelflings and Skeksis comprise the movie’s second and third acts.
Watching this movie unfold is an opportunity to study just how many different creatures appear. Rather than a Muppet movie featuring hand puppets and performers in large costumes, The Dark Crystal offers some of the most elaborate puppetry ever seen on film. There are no human characters present, and everything was accomplished using practical methods instead of C.G.I. The result is a labor of love, a movie that is visually dazzling in every way. Everything from facial expressions to arm movements required intricate coordination among crew members.
With so much attention and money spent on the special effects, one has to wonder why the story doesn’t measure up. The prophesy’s details are extremely murky, to the point that we wonder why the chosen Gelfling doesn’t start the quest until time has nearly run out. The story opens after almost 1000 years have passed after the Crystal’s shattering. We don’t get a sense of how long the plot plays out in the movie’s runtime, whether it’s a few days or a week or two weeks. Whatever the elapsed time is, it’s a very small window for Jen to complete his quest. By the time he makes it to the castle, the Great Conjunction has nearly begun. While the story was likely written that way to create suspense, it comes across as phony given what’s at stake. If a prophesy doesn’t come true after 900 years, maybe it’s time to show some initiative and do something about it.
It’s important to raise this point because a movie needs to be a complete experience. I like seeing things that I’ve never seen before, but I need more than that to convince me that a trip to the theater was worth it. A few years after The Dark Crystal’s release came Labyrinth, another attempt to venture outside the world of Kermit the Frog and Gobo Fraggle. This second effort turned out to be a huge misfire, for reasons that I will discuss elsewhere. The Dark Crystal has an interesting concept, one that could have been more interesting if more attention had been dedicated to it. Nevertheless, the plot we do get to observe moves along well and isn’t too complicated for children to understand. I like it, but I would rather revisit Henson’s classic Muppet creations. At least Kermit never faced a convoluted prophesy to muddy the waters.
© 2018 Silver Screen Reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment