Twenty-five years after it was released, The Dark Crystal, by Jim Henson and Frank Oz of The Muppet clan, still manages to unleash a cult devotion from its die-hard fans. The puppets in the film were designed by well-known fantasy artist Brian Froud. The film begins in medias res, and is set post-apocalyptically on planet Thra, a thousand years after the ancient urSkeks race cracked the Crystal. When the urSkeks damaged the Crystal, they split into two opposing races – the good Mystics and the evil Skeksis – and the Crystal changed into the Dark Crystal. Jen seems to be the last elf-like Gelfling left on Thra, after his race was murdered off on command by the Skeksis. He was raised by the Mystics and it is revealed to him that he is destined to restore the Dark Crystal before the approaching conjunction of the three suns, or else the evil Skeksis will rule for ever.
There are so many things that appeal to me in The Dark Crystal. The puppets, puppetry, décor and set design is masterfully done for one. What I liked especially is that the film does not remotely rely on special effects. It is unashamedly and authentically a film with muppets, and one is contently conscious of this fact throughout. The film succeeds, however, in transposing the viewer to another magical realm where the muppets vanish and become characters. The struggle between good and evil is addressed and thus also serves as a great instructional inspiration to young, growing minds. The film might seem like child’s play, but there is much philosophy that underlie it. The urSkeks splits into the Mystics and the Skeksis, which ultimately have to combine to become one again, and thus denotes a triune harmony in the world which might be interpreted as religious or spiritual in nature. The idea of two opposing forces that transpose their dichotomy and dissolve into a unity of balance, originates from Chinese philosophy and is quite prevalent in Zen-Buddhism. The trinity doctrine is also very prevalent in Christian religions.
SPOILER WARNING: Jen and Kira, the last man and woman left of the Gelflings, reminds one of Adam and Eve, or even of Greek mythology where original humans were split into two by Zeus for fear of their power. Kira offers herself at the end of the film (reminiscent of Jesus in Christian religion), but is resurrected when order has been restored to the earth. She and Jen can now come together in union to give rise to a new population of Gelflings. SPOILERS END HERE.
If you do not have a child inside you, you might not be able to appreciate the contradictory simplicity and mastery of this film. This film is not for everyone, even though it was the highest grossing box-office release in France and Japan in 1983. If you are a fan, though, it is interesting to note the following: A sequel to the film entitled The Power of the Dark Crystal is set for production in 2008 and directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. If you want to read more about this, feel free. According to the Wikipedia, a manga prequel by the name Legends of the Dark Crystal, is also planned for publication by TokyoPop on November 13 of 2007. Together with The World of the Dark Crystal, the book created by Brian Froud during the release of the film, these works complete a pretty attractive package for the collector cult member of The Dark Crystal. And International Movies Database contends that Brian Froud and puppet designer Wendy Midener met on the set of the film and later married. All in all, fantasy turns to reality it seems.
Genre: Animation / Fantasy / Family / Adventure
Running time: 93 min
Country: USA / UK
Language: English
Directors: Jim Henson
Frank Oz
Gary Kurtz
Writing credits: Jim Henson (story)
David Odell (screenplay)
Producers: Jim Henson
David Lazer
Cinematographer: Oswarld Morris
Editor: Ralph Kemplen
Music: Trevor Jones
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Main Cast:
Jen, Gelfling – Jim Henson
Kira, Gelfling – Kathryn Mullen
Aughra, Keeper of Secrets – Frank Oz
For a complete list of puppeteers and voices, vist this address
embertime Said:
on April 23, 2010 at 10:47 am
Cool review.
I make some DC-inspired music on my blog, so looking forward to new movies. best wishes, embertime.