I’ve always been an admirer of Jim Henson’s work. The artistic substance of his material is often enchanting and his vision and creativity are immense. But I’ve never called myself a fan of Jim Henson. While I do have admiration for the aesthetic he is able to create and envision, the bigger picture and the whole product he turns out is often less than enthralling. Perhaps there is no greater example of this than with 1982’s The Dark Crystal.
Artistically, The Dark Crystal is a spectacle. Through the use of groundbreaking animatronics and puppetry, Henson’s world of Thra comes to life. There are no human beings visible on screen during the film and the settings, creatures, and special effects are quite impressive considering the time. In fact, at the time of the movie’s release it was dubbed as the first live-action film without any human beings on screen.
The story is a complicated one, with a lot of legends and myths behind it. Essentially, there is a dominant race on Thra called the UrSkeks. They are the guardians of the Crystal of Truth, which harnesses the forces of nature for the benefit of everyone on the planet Thra. Unfortunately, the UrSkeks cracked the Crystal and were split into two races: the mystics or UrRu and the Skeksis. The Crystal of Truth became the Dark Crystal because, frankly, nobody likes damaged crystal.
Fast forward a thousand years and Henson’s film begins. We meet Jen, a male Gelfling who believes that he is the last of his kind. He comes into the picture as we learn that the Skeksis have driven the UrRu from the land and have ruled with terror over the land. They eliminated what they believed to be all of the Gelflings, but Jen was protected by UrRu. He embarks on a quest to heal the Dark Crystal by finding a shard of it and restoring it with the rest of the piece. Why they hadn’t thought of this earlier or sent someone else to do it is beyond me.
The Dark Crystal follows the quest of Jen as he moves through Thra, dodges brutal enemies, meets some new friends, and discovers that he is not alone as a Gelfling after all. It is an enchanting-looking story and there are many moments of beauty. For those who love creativity and the magic of art design, the creatures, beings, and land of The Dark Crystal will be pleasing. There’s no question that a lot of imagination and creativity went into the process.
However, at its core the film feels rather hollow and quite bland. Once one gets past the effects and the creatures, the world of Henson’s film is simply not overly interesting. The lead character, Jen, lacks any characteristics of interest. A Fraggle is more interesting. And the villains don’t come across as very villainous, either. Instead, we are told of their history via the narration and assume the worst based on their appearance and their animalistic ways of solving disputes. It’s kind of a bore. A more convincing central villain would have helped things, I think.
The creatures and basic design of The Dark Crystal comes from English fantasy illustrator Brian Froud. His work is enchanting, as his visual artistry is really worth a look. The creature design here is fascinating and many of them look downright amazing, even when compared to the more advanced creature designs from Jackson’s Lord of the Rings series or the Narnia pictures. But the ambitious design doesn’t save the film.
What we’re left with is a rather bland, distant experience. Henson and Frank Oz direct the picture, but there is little connection to the audience, little humour, and little legitimate excitement. I suppose part of the problem with transplanting the audience into a human-less world is that humanity would be non-existent. While that may work in some situations, the lack of social connection with The Dark Crystal just harms the film, visually impressive though it is.
3.6/10
Trailer:
