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Jim Henson's fantasy epic The Dark Crystal doesn't take place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but like Star Wars it takes the audience to a place that exists only in the imagination and, for an hour and a half, on the screen. Recalling the worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, Henson tells the story of a race of grotesque birdlike lizards called the Skeksis, gnomish dragons who rule their fantastic planet with an iron claw. A prophecy tells of a Gelfling (a small elfin being) who will topple their empire, so in their reign of terror they have exterminated the race, or so they think. The orphan Jen, raised in solitude by a race of peace-loving wizards called the Mystics, embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of the Dark Crystal (which gives the Skeksis their power) and restore the balance of the universe. Henson and codirector Frank Oz have pushed puppetry into a new direction: traditional puppets, marionettes, giant bodysuits, and mechanical constructions are mixed seamlessly in a fantasy world of towering castles, simple huts, dank caves, a giant clockwork observatory, and a magnificent landscape that seem to have leaped off the pages of a storybook. Muppet fans will recognize many of the voice actors--a few characters sound awfully close to familiar comic creations--but otherwise it's a completely alien world made familiar by a mythic quest that resonates through stories over the ages. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (196)

A underrated masterpiece of fantasy!
Jim Henson's 1982 Fantasy epic is set in another world and time, a elf-like being called " Jen" has a task that he must take. His task is to return an important Crystal shard back to a important universal source called " The Dark Crystal" before 3 suns line up, he joins up with a female Gelfling and must save the universe from the evil Skeckis before it's too late.

A magical movie that is one of the greatest fantasy epics of all time and also one of the best animated movies ever made, why is it animated you say? cause it's performed by Puppets that why. The DVD is impressive with excellent transfer and widescreen the way it was meant to be seen, the extras are phenomenal such as trailers, documentary, deleted scenes and more that adds to the value of the DVD. It's a must see movie if your into adventure, fantasy, sci-fi and animation, it's also a must see movie for your whole family and a guaranteed good time.

Movie Fairy Tale Told Right.
Jim Henson was one of the greatest artists and filmmakers of the 20th century. It took awhile for his genius to be appreciated in the United States, but over a decade since his death people are finally beginning to recognize the mastery of his creative mind. For example, THE DARK CRYSTAL. The film had a fairly decent run when it was originally released in theatres in 1982. However, the film wasn't acknowledged or heralded for the creative and complex masterpiece that it is until recently.

THE DARK CRYSTAL was a humongous undertaking. It is a film that takes place in a fantasy world, filled with frightening and mystical creatures; yet does not star one human being. The entire cast of the film consisted of nothing but puppets: some rather large and cumbersome, some that human performers were fitted in, some that were small, some that were animatronic; but all puppets nonetheless. Nothing like it had ever been attempted before and through the work on THE DARK CRYSTAL, Henson pushed puppetry and animatronics to a whole new level.

THE DARK CRYSTAL is about a young male Gelfling (think of an elf, but much smaller) named Jen and the journey he undertakes to save his world from an eternal dominion by a group of dragon-like creatures called Skesis. Jen's entire race was wiped out in a holocaust by the Skesis in an attempt to prevent a 1000 year old prophecy from being fulfilled. Jen is the last of his race, or so he believes. Jen leaves the race of Mystics who have raised the child since his parents' murder and sets forth on a journey to the great Palace to heal the Dark Crystal by inserting The Shard that had been broken from the crystal a millenium ago. Along the way he meets a variety of fantastical creatures from a one-eyed wise woman, the a race of miniture-round-headed people called Podlings, to a female Gelfling named Kira.

The plot of the movie is excellent and is told in the manner of such classic works as THE LORD OF THE RINGS, STAR WARS, and THE ODYSSEY. The world that Henson created is one of magic and fantasy, yet the story contains a great deal of Truth within it. It is a tale of adventure, love, sacrifice, and redemption; which speaks to the divinity in us all.

The movie is acceptible for an entire family to watch and contains several morals. However, children younger than five may find some of the creatures frightening. Nevertheless, THE DARK CRYSTAL is a fairy tale and like all true fairy tales, it does not gloss over the fact that evil is an ugly and nasty business. This movie is one of the best by one of the greatest.

Beautiful, but something missing...
Perhaps *beautiful* is the wrong word, for this movie is rarely aesthetically beautiful. Don't get me wrong on this point, beauty is not necessarily a good thing. What I mean to say is, atmospherically this is a triumph... but not beautiful. The 'characters' blend in perfectly(... beautifully?) to their world. The landscapes are... well... dark (which is fitting). It's aesthetically perfect, and in a movie like this, perfection demands there be little beauty.

The creatures are organic. 'Nuff said. They're wonderful. They're believable. They're just plain... wow.

So what's missing?

Terry Gilliam is quoted as saying a children's movie should be "Exciting enough for adults, and intelligent enough for kids" (Re: Time Bandits). The Dark Crystal is an imaginative masterpiece, but I couldn't help but feel the simplistic plot, 2-dimensional characters (I appreciate that making puppets' mental workings visible must be one of the hardest tasks in a movie with a fully puppet cast) patronizes the intelligence of all but the youngest children. They're a lot brighter than we treat them, and they're getting brighter by the day ;)

But, I suppose a great movie can do without great characters as long as the focus isn't on the characters, as long as it compensates atmospherically. And "The Dark Crystal" more than compensates.

So what's missing?

I'll relate this to another adventure movie: Dune. Dune was atmospherically beautiful, but it took itself too seriously. It was a massive undertaking, granted, but I can't remember laughing... or even smiling once. 137 minutes without smiling is a long time.

And it's the same with "The Dark Crystal". The only slightly comic break from the plot is the antics of a round-furry-dog-thing, but this isn't enough. "The Dark Crystal" Takes its battle-between-good-and-evil far too seriously, and unless one's awe at the world Jim Henson created can last one the full 90 minutes or so of the movie, one becomes impatient. Humour is an important tool with infinite potential - especially in a movie aimed at children, but it's a tool almost entirely overlooked in "The Dark Crystal". Even in a story as serious as Macbeth takes a moment to let its audience step back and chuckle towards the beginning. "The Dark Crystal" doesn't give us this opportunity.

In conclusion, "The Dark Crystal" is a... beautiful movie, but one that takes itself far too seriously. I became impatient with the simplistic plot, 2-dimensional characters (as 'beautiful' as they may be), and almost total lack of humour, but... clearly from the other reviews I've read, other's did not.

RE: the DVD
It's a lovely little package, but for the price you pay for it, it better be. I'm particularly fond of the little note-pad included. I would have liked to see more documentaries on the DVD, perhaps audio commentary, but alas - it shall not be.

Glorious!
I admit to being scared out of my wits by the Skeksis and the Garthim when I was little (reptiles combined with vultures and spiders combined with crabs are still terrifying to me), but I've come to really cherish this Tolkien-esque/ Froudian film. The gentle, nurturing Mystics, and cute little dog/ dust ball Fizzgig are among my favorite characters. The Podlings are simply adorable... the Gelflings are finely- featured and beautiful(Jen is very ponderous, if somewhat passive... Kira shows just how women can be, and are, just as strong as men!)... the Landstriders (which gracefully manage to combine the aspects of cats, moths, giraffes, camels, bats, rabbits, and who knows what else, into such beautiful creatures) are swift, courageous animals, and are very dear to me (for some odd reason). Possibly because I love animals(and I just have a thing for the underdog/unsung hero.) And there's the gentle Nebrie and many other creatures.

It's incredible to me that they were able to do this whole film without human actors! I seriously thought when I first saw it that they were real, flesh-and-blood creatures! Jim, Frank, Brian, and the rest of the crew really put their time and effort into making this film! Their hard work really paid off; the facial expressions and movements are impeccable! And the scenery is unbelievably lush, beautiful, and realistic. All of it looks so natural and earthy. It is as if they actually had real-live creatures acting, in my eyes... and they fact that they took the time to make up all of the history beind this story! That's just amazing!... and I could not get enough of "The Making of The Dark Crystal". How they all managed to sculpt, design, and perform these characters is mind-blowing for me, since I'm far from an artist like this crew. No matter...

This film, while impressive, is not for all people; there is a sizable mortality rate in this film that (the little ones) are likely to find very disturbing, including several struggles (Screaming Podlings being snatched up to be converted into slaves, Nebries being served to the Skeksis for dinner, and two Landstriders squealing as they fall to their deaths in a cliffside battle with the Garthim... I can't bear to watch (or hear) animals being harmed, and especially animals as gentle and benevolent as they are. Was showing these things really necessary?)

Apart from little things here and there, it is truely quite an accomplishment, if not earth-shattering, to watch!

22 Year Old Masterpiece of puppetry, still
When you think of Jim Henson you would sooner think of brightly colored animals with funny voices like dogs, bears, frogs and gonzos or fraggles. The Dark Crystal is something completely different however. It is scary, scary as hell.

It is a story of two races, Scepsis and Mystics who became seperated when the crystal cracked. To regain the balance in the universe the crystal must be whole again. In a prophecy it is said that a Gelfling will do this, allmost all of them are killed, except for one Gelfling called Jen...

Even though this movie is made 1982 it does not look dated at all. The puppets and body suits are amazing and really form their own world, much like Lord of the Rings. I'm surprised not more movies or stories in this fantasy world have been made.

This movie should not be watched by children under at least 12. The Scepsis are scary, vulture like creatures aided by an army of big bugs. Even the Gelflings look a little scary.

It's a masterpiece of puppetry, so definitely watch it. ... Read more

Description

DVDs featured include:

25th Birthday Zoe Dance Moves Kids Favorite Songs#2 Elmo's World Geat Outdoors Elmo's World Head To Toe Elmos World Springtime Fun The Best of Elmo Elmo's World Happy Holidays Elmo Visits The Firehouse Sesame Sings Karaoke Elmo World Three Bears and a New Baby Wake Up With Elmo Do The Alphabet Elmopalooza! Kids Favorite Songs Elmo Musical Adventure 1,2,3 Count With Me Elmo Saves Christmas Babies, Dogs and More Elmo World Singing, Drawing and More Kids Guide To Life Learning To Share CinderElmo Elmo Says Boo Elmo World Wild Wild West Christmas Eve On Sesame Street The Alphabet Jungle Game Elmo World Birthday Games and More Bert and Ernie World Play Get Up and Dance Elmo World Flowers, Bananas and More Dance Along The Great Numbers Game Computer Caper Kids Guide To Life, Big Bird Gets Lost Elmo's Sing-Along Guessing Game Let's Make Music The Adventure of Elmo in Grouchland Kids Guide To Telling The Truth We Sing Along Elmocize Quiet time Rock and Roll Put Down The Duckie Lets Eat!Funny Food Songs Fiesta! Sing, Hoot and How! Cookie Monster's Best Bites ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Children's viewing at it's best.
You cannot go wrong with this bundle. I grew up in the 70's and 80's watching Sesame Street. My son has been watching Sesame Street since he was 11 months old and has learnt so much from the shows. We are fortunate in Australia the show is aired weekdays, the only down side is we only have a few of the dvd's available to purchase. So I didn't hestitate in purchasing them from "AMAZON". You won't be disappointed, this is children's viewing at it's best, and you too will enjoy watching Elmo and friends on Sesame Street.

Elmo Overload
These DVDs are extremely educational and was a very good buy, however, there is too much Elmo. When I saw the 1969 in brackets, I was expecting actual episodes from that time onwards. You know, with Mr. Hooper and Bob etc. There are too few of these. The old introductory music wasn't there either. It was a kill joy for me who grew up on Sesame Street in the 70s in the Caribbean but all in all it was still an excellent buy because my children absolutley love them and they are the ones who they are really for. I would definitely recommend them to everyone, especially in the UK because they don't show Sesame Street here, only rubbish like Teletubbies where one learns to say, "Uh oh." And nothing else. So guys, buy this box set!! ... Read more