It’s been 37 years since “The Dark Crystal” was initially released. It was a daring project from Jim Henson and Frank Oz that introduced moviegoers to Gelflings and the Skeksis. The story continues, or rather reflects, with “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” coming to Netflix on Aug. 30.
Since it’s been a while since the original “Dark Crystal” came out, here is a little review. Jen, the last of the Gelflings, a mystic and noble race of creatures, is tasked with finding a dark crystal, a shard of a powerful gem. His mission is to make the gem complete again and restore order to his world. The dark crystal is the missing piece to making his world complete and peaceful. The evil Skeksis want to keep the world in chaos and stay in power. Struggle for power and control ensues.
The latest trailer for “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” netflix.com/thedarkcrystal was recently released, giving viewers a glimpse of what to expect.
Here are three takeaways:
The characters. It looks like the producers of the new Dark Crystal were loyal to original image of Henson. The creator of The Muppets used puppet characters for the original Dark Crystal. The Gelflings and Skeksis and other creatures in the new version have the same look. There are some CGI elements, but it looks like the main characters will be puppets. Fans of the movie are already praising the choice to keep the puppets in the movie.
The cast: There are some heavy hitters in “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.” Mark Hamill from “Star Wars, Helena Bonham Carter from “Harry Potter,” Sigourney Weaver from the “Alien” movies and Andy Samberg from “Brooklyn Nine Nine” jump out. There are plenty of familiar voices from “Game of Thrones” and science fiction favorites in the new addition. It might have too many talented actors. This sometimes backfires. The cast of “Hook” was supposed to be amazing, but they all kind of overshadowed each other. Since this is more puppet and CGI driven, the actors might not be battling for screen time so much. This project has plenty of talent. How well they gel is anyone’s guess. But if the trailer is any indication, it looks like it is going to work.
The music. As in any fantasy movie, music plays a key role. It sets tone and plays a big part in the emotional development of the story. The trailer gives viewers a taste of the music in the movie. It stays true to the original “Dark Crystal.” It has an 80s feel combined with a mystic element. Fans are already excited about the music in the trailer.
Finally, “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” is a prequel. It is the story about the demise of the Gelflings. Jen was supposed to be the last of the Gelfings, so viewers already know how this story ends. But the new movie takes a stab at explaining The Darkening. This is taking a very Star Wars approach to telling the story. Darth Vader is the product of the dark side of the force. Star Wars fans know where Darth Vader comes from and how he rose to power without seeing the prequels. “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” will try to tell the story of The Darkening. One of the few complaints about the original “Dark Crystal” is that this part of the story was never told well. Now is the chance. The Darkening is shrouded in mystery. This addition will reveal some of those secrets.
