For my first movie review, I decided to dig into the 80s DVD collection and watch a film I haven’t seen in very long time. With the recent release of the Nextflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, I’ve been wanting to refresh myself on the original movie storyline before watching this prequel. I was surprised at how long it had actually been since I watched this movie since I loved it so much as a child. Would it stand the test of time? Let’s find out.
I probably should preface the review by saying that I love Muppets, of all kinds, with very few exceptions (Elmo, some of the Fraggle Rock characters, and Elmo. Yes I said Elmo twice because I really don’t like Elmo). I grew up watching Muppet Babies on Saturday mornings and was heavily influenced by one Muppet in particular, Gonzo the Great (Gonzo was never afraid to be himself, no matter how weird he was). So in all fairness, this review might be a little bit biased.
The opening sequence immediately brought a smile to my nostalgic face. The first five minutes of the movie are spent setting the stage of good and evil, providing the history of the Skeksies and urRu (Mystics). Halfway through the well-written exposition, the title appears next to the ominous, glowing, purple crystal.
This is one of the first movies that I can remember with such a dramatic opening. The deep narrator voice, the foreboding orchestral music, the dark undertones. You could really feel the evil in the Skeksies.
This was also a time when true darkness, death, and horrifying villains were still permitted in “kids” movies. Family movies today seem to lack the true feeling of dread that could lead to nightmares, but that represents the evil part of human nature. Movies like Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Black Hole, and even The Wizard of Oz had horrifying moments that terrified me as a child, but taught me what can happen if you lead an unethical life where “darkness” controls your selfish decisions. The first two movies were even Disney movies, showing even the Mouse can have a dark side.
The Dark Crystal highlights all of these traits and packages them into an incredibly entertaining story. I can’t believe how quickly I forget that I’m watching puppets and not live actors. The voice actors do an incredible job of providing individual personalities to each character. The screenplay flows well, and at no point do I feel that the movie drags or leaves me feeling confused and craving additional details.
There are a few complaints I have with the movie as an adult that were probably less noticeable as a child. We’ll start with Fizzgig.
This fuzzy creature serves as a sort of pet for Kira. I’m not entirely sure it is a pet. but I am entirely sure it is extremely annoying and causes far more trouble than it is worth. I have been trying to decide if this creature is worse than Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars or Wesley Crusher in Star Trek. The video below sums it all up perfectly.
The beginning of this video also brings up my second issue. Jen has some of the worst lines and acting in the entire movie. “Ok, alone then.” “Ok, together then.” As an adult, I have trouble connecting with this character. Luckily, it doesn’t bother me enough to completely pull me out of the story.
Finally, there is the Chamberlain, skekSil’s whimpers. After watching this as an adult, I feel so, so, bad for my parents. I loved this character as a kid and went around whimpering for what must have felt like an eternity to them. In order to understand how utterly horrible this must have been, watch the video below. Mom and Dad, I am truly sorry.
The end of the movie is one of the most climactic, triumphant moments from my childhood. In case you didn’t read my About page, I have white knight syndrome, and when Jen heals the crystal, it continues to give me chills. I absolutely love it! In fact, I watched it three times. If you want to see it, you will have to watch the movie.
Did the movie hold up over time? For me, it’s an emphatic yes. It is an amazing battle of good and evil that also tells the larger story of human nature. Still, it isn’t entirely without flaws. For that reason, I am going to give it 4 1/2 stars instead of five.
If you’ve never seen this movie, you owe it to yourself to give it a chance. Just writing about it makes me want to watch it again.
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As always, thanks for visiting and keep on adventuring.