Okay, this isn't exactly the typical song-and-dance, slapstick muppet fare we have come to expect from Jim Henson. But what "The Dark Crystal" lacks in comedy, it makes up for in sheer beauty. The tale takes place on a far-off planet in an undisclosed time. This world enjoyed lush years of peace and prosperity until the fateful day, one thousand years before the time in which the movie takes place, that the Dark Crystal cracked. With this cataclysmic event, two new races of beings emerged. The Skeksis are our villains, cruel warlike beings who look like a cross between a vulture and a lizard. The Mystics are huge and shaggy, presenting the appearance of being ancient wizards on all fours with no distinguishable species characterization.
The movie begins with the death of both the Skeksis emperor and the wisest of the Mystics. Because the two races are part of the same whole, what happens to a Skeksis must happen to a Mystic, and vice versa. Jen, a Gelfling who has been raised by the Mystics, is summoned by their dying leader and told that he must put an end to the Skeksis reign by seeking a Crystal shard from someone by the name of Augra. This the humanoid creature does nervously, and his master's ambiguous directions bring him directly to the home of Augra, an ogre of a woman whose tough exterior belies a soft heart. No sooner does she help Jen to find the shard than her hut is attacked by enormous beetle-like robotic thugs working for the Skeksis. Jen makes a run for it, leaving Augra to fend for herself.
It is after wandering for a time in the wildly imaginative swamp filled with creepy crawly critters that Jen is "attacked" by a dog-like furball named Fizzgig and comes to discover that he is not the only Gelfling left in the world. Fizzgig's master, Kira, is a lovely Gelfling Jen's age with the ability to call all the creatures of the wild. Her lilting singing voice is also perfectly matched to Jen's pipe. She takes him to the home of her "people," the gnome-like Podlings. All are enjoying a lively party until it is broken up by the giant Skeksis robots, seeking the Podlings as slaves. They will serve a dual purpose, because their life's essence will be drained from them so that the emperor can drink it and be young again.
Two narrow escapes later, the Gelflings stand a little-used entrance to the Skeksis castle. The Great Conjunction, in which the world's three suns are perfectly lined up, is coming very soon, and if the shard is not returned to the Crystal by then, the Skeksis will rule the land forever. It takes all the courage that the Gelflings can muster to complete this all-important task, and the loud-mouthed Fizzgig doesn't help. But as the Mystics journey slowly towards the castle in order to be there in time for the Great Conjunction, they trust in the inexperienced youngster that they raised from infancy. They trust him, because they have no other choice.
This is a very dark and serious movie, but it is also contains the most creative array of creatures of any Henson movie. The swamp scene is simply incredible, and you have to be constantly alert because creatures are scuttling all over the screen in very unexpected ways. My favorite part there is when a tree gets up out of the water and walks ashore. The other creatures are no less creative. The Land Striders, gigantic rabbit-like creatures which run like the wind, are eerie and majestic, and Fizzgig's mouth is comical in its enormity. The Mystics are chilling as each one lifts its head and holds a different note. Each creature is finely crafted and is representative of hours of work by Henson and his team.
While the ending of the movie is hinted at in various places, the way in which it was executed astounded me. It was ethereal, brilliant, spine-tingling. If you are a lover of fantasy or a muppet fan interested in seeing a new dimension of Henson's work, check out this inventive movie. You won't have to clutch your sides from laughing so hard, but you may well walk away from it wide-eyed.
One thousand years ago, a mighty convulsion shook the universe. The great Crystal, glowing with the power of the world s Three Suns, cracked and darke...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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