Reading all the comments here I have only seen very few who dared to criticise this "brilliant masterpiece and epic story about the battle of good against evil".
So I'll try to point out the positive side of this movie first. It's the puppetry that makes this movie worth a look. Jim Henson created a whole world here, and everything from the actors and the animals down to the smallest critters and plants are fluffy animated puppets. My favourite was the dog creature, although or maybe just because it was a rip off of Animal from the Muppet Show. Oh, and the Mystics are cute, too.
Now on the flip side, the story was just shallow. The evil is truly evil and repugnant in every way and the good Mystics are a dying race of indigenous shamans. Very new agey. The black and white moral here made me angry actually. A main character who lacks any depth gets sent on a mission to repair the dark crystal and **SPOILERS** succeeds in doing so. No character development or twist whatsoever. Hey, a film can have levels and still be understood by children.
The simpleness of the story and the beauty of animation makes it in fact ideal for small children to watch BUT I can see how some of the scenes are very scary. Getting your life energy sucked out? Stabbing? A horse-bunny eaten by gargantuan roaches? I wouldn't recommend Dark Crystal for children under 5. Children older than 14 might find it boring again. (Obviously some don't as the rave reviews here on the board suggest)
So I'll try to point out the positive side of this movie first. It's the puppetry that makes this movie worth a look. Jim Henson created a whole world here, and everything from the actors and the animals down to the smallest critters and plants are fluffy animated puppets. My favourite was the dog creature, although or maybe just because it was a rip off of Animal from the Muppet Show. Oh, and the Mystics are cute, too.
Now on the flip side, the story was just shallow. The evil is truly evil and repugnant in every way and the good Mystics are a dying race of indigenous shamans. Very new agey. The black and white moral here made me angry actually. A main character who lacks any depth gets sent on a mission to repair the dark crystal and **SPOILERS** succeeds in doing so. No character development or twist whatsoever. Hey, a film can have levels and still be understood by children.
The simpleness of the story and the beauty of animation makes it in fact ideal for small children to watch BUT I can see how some of the scenes are very scary. Getting your life energy sucked out? Stabbing? A horse-bunny eaten by gargantuan roaches? I wouldn't recommend Dark Crystal for children under 5. Children older than 14 might find it boring again. (Obviously some don't as the rave reviews here on the board suggest)