As someone who was born in 1982, I have a certain powerful nostalgia for the children's films of the 1980's. Most 80's fanatics lived their teen years through the decade and heavily relate to the teen movies of the time, whereas I'm non too keen, in-fact I'm more of a "Dawson's Creek" person than a "Breakfast Club" person when it comes to teen dramas that speak to my soul. But the kids films of the 80's I adore unconditionally for their imagination, their characters, their grand production values, and their strong values- "Return to Oz", "Tron", "Flight of the Navigator", "The Lady in White", "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". The rest of cinema in the 80's was becoming more violent, more mean spiriterd, more cynical, more banal, formulaic and shallow, and apart from New York indie cinema's notoriously cosmopolitan flicks, was generally becoming more oppressive and conformist too. But meanwhile the children's films clung hard to the right elements of filmmaking- heart and compassion and imagination and never let go of them.

I suppose it would be accurate to describe the late Jim Henson as the kingpin of the children's films and entertainment back in the 80's, before his sad and unexpected death in 1990. He did after all bring his most celebrated offspring, The Muppets to the big screen frequently throughout the decade, whilst launching spin-offs like Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street that really tickle my schoolyard nostalgia. Come on! Everyone sing it with me...."Down at fraggle rock (*clap!*clap!*) grab a fraggle by its.... anyway, he also collaborated with Frank Oz and made "The Dark Crystal" (1982) and "Labyrinth" (1986)- both films saw him drifting into the more sinister world of dark fantasy adventure. Both films are also available together in a Video double pack- which I'd recommend with a 4.5 star rating, easily rating "The Dark Crystal" 5 stars and rating "Labyrinth" 4 stars.

The Dark Crystal

"Another world, another time, in the age of wonder......." So runs the spoken introduction as we open on the sight of a desert world, as we learn of a crystal that was fragmented centuries ago and with it shattering the peace and utopian order that the civilisation once enjoyed. We learn of the arrival of a savage race- the Skeksis, and how they ravaged the land and killed all in their path, destroying entire villages and populations. And we learn of a Gelfling child named Jen who is sent on a quest, given to him by the dying leader of the Mystics tribe- his quest to return the broken fragment to the crystal -which lies deep within the Skeksi's lair. He has three days before the constellation reforms its allignment for the first time in a millenia, otherwise their world is doomed.

The first time I watched this film, I must admit I didn't want to watch it again. I was perhaps only 11 years old and found it all too dark and disturbing. The images of Skeksis pillaging their way through the Gelfling village, snatching Gelfling mothers away from their children, and even scenes of Skeksis enjoying a banquet of raw furry animals that are still alive and moving, really made me shudder. This was of course before I developed a taste for dark edged kid's stuff like Doctor Who. However I had watched the film from beginning to end and naturally a lot of the images of the film stayed with me. The same revisiting drive that had led me to re-watch the film "Biggles" persuaded me to give "The Dark Crystal" another viewing.

I am telling you, it is amazing how as a young adult who studies Media, you grow to appreciate all the elements of great filmmaking and presentation, and then re-watch a film like "The Dark Crystal" and are in awe of how it managed all this time to top all these essential elements. Holds no barred, it is the best fantasy film of the 80's. I mean its puppet animated in its entirety, with wonderful grace and gentileness that just aneisthetises the viewer. It's just like the Terry Gilliam film "Brazil" (1985), exploiting the fantasy world it is in to make sure that there is always something interesting happening on screen, contemplative but never static.

Another reviewer compared the models and puppets making of this film to the making of CGI driven films of today like "The Matrix" and "Lord of the Rings". Despite sounding like typical cynicism about modern entertainment, actually looking back at the film I had no idea how much difference it makes. Somehow despite them being both constructed and animated realities, it is the one made by human hand rather than computer which somehow feels far more like art, feels far more like experiencing a graceful and wide picture painting that is moving, flowing and alive.

I honestly believe that this is the pinnacle of childhood imagination painted in a perfect artist's portrait. Perfected on so many levels. It honestly feels like a whole world, because it's got so much scope and so many exotic creatures and corners, images of civilisation like giant iron astronomy models, dungeon drinking bars with live band music, walls of hieroglyphics, and dialogue of learning and education alien to our own, and unlike a cartoon it's three dimensional animation and feels so tangible and touchable, and feels alien to our own world in how there is not a human face about, we are around aliens. There is also a humid yellow blur always over the images, giving a sense of different atmospheric conditions on one hand, and in another brushing over us like a swirling dreamscape. Like being in the magic garden of song, marble and enchantment you read about in "The Snow Queen" as a child.

It's an immersing and sensory experience, where we can feel the heat in the air, feel the wind, feel the brush of a Mystic's warm breath, feel sand and hard rock beneath our feet, feel the weight of a heavy sword in our hands. On that point I will say that although I love the modern new age kids films like "Monsters Inc" (2002) and "Looney Tunes Back in Action" (2003) and wouldn't begin to fault them, I will say that one thing this film has over them is a sense of slow and proud contemplation, which is a dying art today in Western cinema.

The Skeksis are wonderful villains in their design and their whole sense of hierarchy traditions and xenophobia. Shrivelled, dark and burnt, reptilian with sharp edged beak and razor teeth. They are a perfect counterpart to the furry, cuddly, yet empathic good creatures. Their savagery is superbly realised, and even the old and weakening Skeksi Emperor spluttering on his death bed, clutching hard to his staff of authority is quick to snap and hiss at any of his backstabbing minions who try to take advantage and snatch the staff from him. Somehow they are savage and sharp in a way that doesn't at all upset the wonderful serenity of the movie. To a degree they remind me of the villains in that other dark children's fantasy "Watership Down", where beneath the savagery, beneath the barking of orders and enraged voices is an insecurity and panic behind the anger, that really speaks to me somehow in the realising of a frail human element to the evil.

The Skeksis are a realisation of a black and white world of good and evil. The Skeksis represent the cross section of sins so well- rage, gluttony, xenophobia, greed, bullying, decieving, entrapping and even a sense of parasiticness to the way they use witchcraft to drain their prisoners of their lifeforce to drink for themselves and grow stronger whilst their victim becomes a braindead slave. They co-exist with the wise and gentile Mystics race who are their total antithesis. Its rather like the hero side by side with his darker half, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Othello and Iago, except its not just individuals, but a whole race, a whole tribe eerily mirroring one another. When the Skeksi Emperor dies, it coincides with the death of the leader of the Mystics. There is a resonant moral message there that is simple for the children but reassuring too, since everyone has a good and evil side, and you can't kill evil without killing the good in someone at the same time.

This is a world that is so corrupt and divided that it not only needs a hero to save it, but to redeem it also. The quest is made all the more daunting since the innocent Jen is predominantly alone in his quest. He can't fight and all too often he crumbles at the guilt of how carrying his shard of crystal has attracted the evil Skeksis to follow him, getting the meek people he meets on his travels hurt, caught and even killed in the process. All too often he seems ready to give up. So we have great cinematography, well rounded characters, and a grand struggle across a vast land. What else can I say, this is a perfect 5-star-plus movie.

Recommended Parental Supervision when watched by young children due to some scary and distressing scenes.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older