"When single shines the triple sun
What was sundered and undone
Shall be whole, the two made one
By gelfling hand or else by none."
In 1982 Jim Henson and Frank Oz took a sharp left turn from the Muppets that had made them household names and created The Dark Crystal, a fantasy epic brought to life through some of the most audacious and daring puppetry work that had ever been attempted before. Henson wanted to make a fairy tale that emulated and paid homage to works of The Brothers Grimm. He felt that children inherently wanted to be slightly scared and that it was good for them to experience and deal with fear in a story like a fairy tale. Fortunately he partnered with fantasy artist Brian Froud, whose character designs and world building would give us something that felt archetypal, familiar and strikingly new.
I saw The Dark Crystal when it made its way to television, most likely on HBO. I remember clearly that the evil Skeksis were particularly terrifying. Their withering, bird-like, forms, hidden by mounds and mounds of gaudy robes and jewelry were a far cry away from Kermit and Miss Piggy for most kids. Parents probably felt the same way. Thinking that they were taking their children to see the next fun frolic from the Muppet guy were treated to something much darker and, at times, frightening. Along with other movies like Gremlins and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Dark Crystal and its "G" rating would give voice to parental concerns that the rating system needed to be adjusted, and thus the "PG-13" rating was born.
For the uninitiated, the original film introduces us to the world of Thra, a dying land ruled for over a thousand years by the aforementioned Skeksis. They rule through their control of the Crystal of Truth, a larger-than-life jewel that is connected to the lifeforce of the planet. The emperor, leader of the Skeksis, lies dying and a new leader must be chosen. We are also introduced to The Chamberlain, a devious and conniving Skeksis who meek façade and high pitched musings (hmmmmmmm) made him the most frightening to 7-year-old Jay, who's plan to be the new leader is foiled and he is cast out by his brethren.
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| The deceptive Chamberlain was one of my favorite villains from the original Dark Crystal and he is up to his same tricks in the new Netflix prequel. |
The plot of the film centers on the quest of the last 2 survivors of an extinct race, native to Thra, called the Gelfling. These 2 elf-like heroes, Jen and Kira, are sent on a mission to take the Shard, a piece of the Crystal that came off when it cracked all those years ago, and return it to the castle of the Crystal and heal it.
Now, almost 40 years later, Netflix has just released a prequel series that takes 50 years prior to the events of the 1982 film. Called, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistence, the plot concerns how the Gelfling race, who are actually ruled in a way by the Skeksis, discover their masters true evil intentions and unite to fight back.
Directed by Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk, The Transporter) this new vision of the land of Thra does a fantastic job of both staying true to the practical effects of the original (yes, this show mostly stars puppets), while the expanding where it can with some CGI where it makes sense. The results are undeniably effective. Now, I know there are going to be younger viewers who didn't grow up seeing the 1982 Henson/Oz film who are going to be put off at first by the look of the puppets and how their mouths move while speaking. Well, honestly if you get an episode or two into this series you'll be so dazzled by this world and the tons of hard work that went into creating it tht you won't even notice anymore.
Without giving too much away, Age of Resistance takes place during a time when Gelfling and Skeksis lived together in a sort of understood hierarchy. The Skeksis, being lords of the Crystal, rule but, for the most part stay out of the affairs of the elf-like race. For the first time we get a look at how Gelfling society was organized. Essentially, there are seven clans that all have a leader called the Maudra. There is one leader who they all pay may homage to, the All-Maudra (Helena Bonham-Carter) but for the most part these plans are fractured and don't really get along. In some cases they outright despise or look down on each other.
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| The Hunter (Ralph Ineson) is one of my favorite new characters in this prequel. A Skeksis that is a total badass and terrifyingly effective at killing everything in his path. |
And this is where the major themes of this series come into focus. Seemingly a pretty obvious allegory for our current times the Gelfling are easily controlled by the Skeksis because they are easily pitted against each other. While each clan wastes their time hating their cousins in the other clan the malicious lords of the Crystal are able to use its power to give them immortality while causing a "Darkening" that begins to infect the entire planet. The richer, more affluent Gelfling are easily manipulated through gifts and jewels the Skeksis give them, while the lower classes are kept low and powerless.
Suddenly though, a young Gelfling guard named Rian (Taron Edgerton) discovers the Skeksis newly discovered way to stay young a healthy, and he escapes with the intent of warning the other clans of their masters' true motives. Along the way he befriends Deet (Nathalie Emmanuel) from the cave-dwelling clan and Brea (Anya Taylor-Joy) the daughter of the All-Maudra. Together the begin a quest to learn the truth behind the Skeksis and unite the Gelfling to all band together to take the Crystal back.
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| Gelflings, Rian (Taron Edgerton) and Deet (Nathalie Emmanuel) are the first to learn truth behind their masters, the evil Skeksis. |
The voice cast for this show is filled with well-known names doing some great work. Jason Issacs, Mark Hamill, Benedict Wong, Lena Headey, Awkwafina, Andy Samberg, Toby Jones, and Mark Strong, just to name a few. But I have to give a special shout-out to Simon Pegg who does damn fine job voicing the aforementioned Chamberlain. It is nearlyimpossible to find any difference between his performance and the original voice actor, Barry Dennen.
With 10 episodes in total, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance speeds by for the dedicated binger. You don't need to have seen the original movie but there are certain plot points and easter eggs that will certainly go over your head if you haven't.
If you are a fan of Jim Henson's dark fantasy, though, this is a series you cannot miss. It's an amazing, epic achievement and so wonderful to watch.
