The Dark Crystal

My older brother is 11 years my senior, so he grew up in the 80’s. He loved Transformers and wearing lime green shorts to school, but he also looks back fondly on the film The Dark Crystal. I remember him watching it when I was younger and thinking that I should watch it someday, especially since I have adored the movie Labyrinth practically all my life, but I never got around to watching it until now. It was definitely a film that required more concentration than others, which I think would have been easier the looming deadline of the FAFSA and other financial aid forms hadn’t been hovering in my mind while I was watching this film. But over all I was impressed.

While some people may scoff at the puppetry and special effects of the film, I can actually admit that I kind of prefer it to all the clearly animated computer graphics of today. No one would make a film like this today with so many hand crafted artistic detail, and that is definitely something I miss in films today (I was really disappointed when Yoda became computer animated).

Anyway, Dark Crystal is a fantasy tale of Jen, who lives in a different world that has been misplaced by the destruction of the dark Crystal, which for so long kept peace and balance in the land. Thinking that he is the last of his race, the Gelflings, Jen is raised by a benevolent mystic, who, on his deathbed, gives the young adventurer the assignment of finding a shard of the crystal to restore order in the world.

Jen eventually fins the shard and meets another Gelfling, conveniently the beautiful Kira, who joins him on his journey as they battle the evil Skeksis race in order to reinstate order with the return of the crystal shard. After several trials and an epic battle, Jen returns the shard to its rightful place and peace and beauty is restored to the land.

The Dark Crystal is a unique film with a complex plot and intriguing and creative cast of characters. This is definitely a film for Jim Henson fans as well as anyone who appreciates the theatricality of 80’s film.