In preparation for the new Netflix spinoff now released, I
thought I’d take a look back at a rather unique eighties cult fantasy flick—imagine
the Muppets as seen through Tolkein, Sesame Street as seen through psychedelia,
it’s Jim Henson’s very own The Dark Crystal.
The early eighties saw a slew of fantasy flicks of varying quality,
probably both inspired in the wake of Star Wars and with the rising popularity
of Dungeons and Dragons. Some were of pretty decent technical accomplishment
with impressive effects and sets, like Krull. Some also felt like they were
written by a rather clueless DND game master spending too much time staring
into the bottom of an empty Pepsi bottle—also like Krull. Then there were the
many exploitation films laden with gore and boobs, like Beastmaster, and the somewhat
less exploitative ones like Conan…then there was this one. It stood out by
having no human characters at all, and a wild menagerie only the puppeteering
talents of Jim Henson could produce.
The background of the film is given in a somewhat lengthy,
almost documentary-like narration at the start—there’s a crystal powering the world
of Thra, corrupted by these wicked bird-like creatures called the Skeksis, who
want to kill these pixie-like race of beings called the Gelflings, and also the
Skeksis are intertwined with these camel-like Mystics and…look, I’ll be upfront,
the script itself isn’t the strongest point of this film. You’ll have to pay
close attention on what’s implied and given of the setting, some of which was
more explained in the notes and novelizations, and the dialogue itself is…a
little clunky.
But that’s not the selling point. The selling point is
seeing Henson take his work to a completely fantastical world—every facet of Thra’s
ecosystem, every set and every matte painting, all of it is very artistically
made. By far the most memorable aspect are the villainous Skeksis, clad in
ridiculously ornate robes, each with their own distinct motif and face (indeed, the puppets are so elaborate the operators had to at one point substitute an actual sword fight for a...stone chopping contest). Always
squabbling and plotting, they make for very fun bad guys, and if you’ll pardon
the term, are beautifully hideous. Can you think of another film where the antagonists
are such awesomely looking, perfidious and pimpalicious, bird monsters?
I’ll ad another thing—thank god I didn’t actually see
this one when I was a kid. There’s some fairly gruesome scenes for what was a
family fantasy flick, and some of the Skeksis themselves can be pretty damn, uhm,
unnerving…
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| Yikes. |
But then we have to get to the protagonists themselves, Jen
and Kira, last of the Gelflings. Who are even creepier, in my opinion. Their puppets
have rather smooth and flat faces, but aren’t very expressive, which creates a
kind of doll-like uncanny valley look. With Yoda, also made from the Henson school of puppeteering,
you have a very wrinkly face that is easy to express with using the technology
of the time, and has a more naturalistic texture with the rubber and plastic available.
Here, it didn’t turn out quite so well. That’s not to say it’s terrible, but
some might find it slightly off putting.
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| Yikes!! |
The story overall isn’t exactly groundbreaking—there’s some
typical things of ancient prophecies, evil overlords, and eventually a damsel
in distress—but everything in between is visibly writhe with artistic effort,
and the somewhat dark tone gives things a good sense of weight. You have
ancient mentor characters like Aughra, who is basically a more abrasive female
version of Yoda—but the performance and the puppets are enjoyable and exuberant
that you can get drawn into it regardless. Gary Kurtz, the producer of the
early Star Wars films, also worked on this, and like in Star Wars, it’s in many
ways the texture of this film that makes it work than the words on the script
page themselves, if that makes any sense.
Overall, while Dark Crystal isn’t a perfect film, it’s
definitely one of a kind—alongside eighties fantasy cult flicks like Ridley
Scott’s Legend, Willow, and Labyrinth, it unquestionably stands out, and there’s
genuine beauty in the craft and talent on display. If you want an old-school dark
family flick you won’t forget, this one qualifies. With all the creatures,
monsters, and the worldbuilding meant to convey a setting alien yet just rooted
enough to be familiar, there’s no wonder it garnered a fanbase over the decades—one
that saw it finally return almost forty years later.
And this time, the
Gelflings actually look only slightly less creepy!
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