Dark Crystal is a fantastic background movie. That probably sounds like (and is meant as) a bit of a back-handed compliment. Visually, it's a marvel. The puppet-work is not only impressively seamless, but just plain cool. The gelflings, skeksis mystics, and their world are imaginative creations, filling the screen with imposing fantasy brilliance. The story, however, is...well, another story. Slow, familiar, and much too dense, I found myself having to reference the Henson-Wiki to keep up. Sure, I'm not that bright...but neither are the children this is aimed at.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a young gelfling is given the task to repair a magical crystal in order to restore balance to his world. Much like Star Wars, or any number of other fantasy films, it's a common hero's journey tale, with so much backstory and universe explaining it can easily get bogged down in convoluted exposition. Where those other stories are given longer runtimes or multiple movies to breathe, Dark Crystal tries to shove a bunch of stuff into a condense package of 90 minutes, making it hard to decipher. Nonetheless, the natural creepiness and complex lore are noble, and once understood, really work well.
But what really keeps this movie from being a near-disaster is the puppet creations themselves. Henson and co.'s ability to give believable life to his felted friends can't be overstated. All these Muppet productions really serve to prove the emotive power and reality of puppets in the film medium. Why we don't utilize them more in modern times is beyond me, so getting to revisit these early films is worth the wading through overly complicated storytelling to enjoy.
Review of The Dark Crystal
