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The Dark Crystal (1982)
Directors: Jim Henson, Frank Oz
Writers: David Odell (screenplay by), Jim Henson (story by)
Cast: Jim Henson, Kathryn Mullen, Frank Oz
Genre: Fantasy
I believe it helps to have grown up with The Dark Crystal. For myself, I'd never seen it until now and wasn't a fan.
While I was amazed at the sheer amount of intricate detail and artistry that went into the production, I just couldn't buy into the story. It was clear to me that a lot of the film was based on the puppetry creative skills of Jim Henson, whilst the storytelling itself was threadbare.
The first scene where the narrator explains the world of the dark crystal, went on and on. I found myself thinking, yes we get it, please start the damn movie...I had to laugh at the bad guys, the Skesis, when the two would-be emperors battled for the control of their evil clan. They had these nasty looking swords but what did they do with them? They fought a large rock! But then the defeated Skesis had to pay the price. Surly I thought he was to be killed but no, they merely undressed him and sent him outside...BUT I then reminded myself that this was made for children and so judging it by adult movie standards wasn't fair. And in that vein I could see how children and teens could've loved this film back in the day.
I did enjoy the film once the Gelfing Jen went on his adventure. I dug the house with the one eyed goat lady and the big planetarium device, very cool set. And I flat out loved the forest sets and the swamp too! My eyes darted around trying to capture all the uniqueness of the fauna and life that was there. That scene did environmental world building so well, what a joy to see...and that's where Jim Henson's talent truly shined.
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The Dark Crystal (1982)
Writers: David Odell (screenplay by), Jim Henson (story by)
Cast: Jim Henson, Kathryn Mullen, Frank Oz
Genre: Fantasy
I believe it helps to have grown up with The Dark Crystal. For myself, I'd never seen it until now and wasn't a fan.
While I was amazed at the sheer amount of intricate detail and artistry that went into the production, I just couldn't buy into the story. It was clear to me that a lot of the film was based on the puppetry creative skills of Jim Henson, whilst the storytelling itself was threadbare.
The first scene where the narrator explains the world of the dark crystal, went on and on. I found myself thinking, yes we get it, please start the damn movie...I had to laugh at the bad guys, the Skesis, when the two would-be emperors battled for the control of their evil clan. They had these nasty looking swords but what did they do with them? They fought a large rock! But then the defeated Skesis had to pay the price. Surly I thought he was to be killed but no, they merely undressed him and sent him outside...BUT I then reminded myself that this was made for children and so judging it by adult movie standards wasn't fair. And in that vein I could see how children and teens could've loved this film back in the day.
I did enjoy the film once the Gelfing Jen went on his adventure. I dug the house with the one eyed goat lady and the big planetarium device, very cool set. And I flat out loved the forest sets and the swamp too! My eyes darted around trying to capture all the uniqueness of the fauna and life that was there. That scene did environmental world building so well, what a joy to see...and that's where Jim Henson's talent truly shined.
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