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Rating:  - Great classic
After watching this movie many times I wanted to have it on DVD. I was debating if I should get this version or the Limited Edition, but I read through another review that the limited edition didn't offer many extras, and for the price isn't worth it. This DVD is great, and at a cheap price, a must have for fans of this classic movie. Also there is a sequel coming out in a few years so it's a great time to refresh yourself on the world of the Dark Crystal.
Rating: - LOTR fan? Watch this movie
This movie is one of my all time favorites. Henson's masterpiece. It's inventive, its interesting, engaging and the world is quite wonderful. There are lessons learned and many parallels between the world Henson created and our own. It's a wonderful fantasty film that really breathes a life all its own. It's also a film that can be enjoyed by all, adults and children.
Rating:  - oppressive and unrewarding
It's hard for me to see how this movie is worth anybody's time these days.
"The Dark Crystal" may have been big news back when it came out (in 1982), but it's hard to see what it has to offer anybody in the age of CGI and complete digitization. It hasn't held up well.
Set in another world, the story concerns the quest of an innocent elf-like creature who must return a crystal shard to its proper resting place in order to save the land. There are no humans in this movie, only Muppet-like creatures. (In case you don't know, this film is considered the masterwork of the two masterminds behind the Muppets, Jim Henson and Frank Oz.)
Unfortunately for today's viewers, the technology available for breathing life into movie creatures has so comprehensively improved since this film was shot that the "Dark Crystal" cannot avoid showing its age at every turn. Fatally, for a fantasy, it's simply impossible to lose yourself in the world the film attempts to create, since in nearly every shot you cannot get it out of your head that you are essentially looking at a bunch of puppets, or, occasionally, some guy in a mechanized costume.
As for the story, I found it predictable and marvel at those who claim it is "imaginative." I award very low marks on originality: nearly every story element had been done to death long before this movie saw the light of day.
So who would like this movie? Children, I guess, -- or perhaps somebody who seems to have an unnatural admiration for all things Muppet.
But even then I have reservations. The film is so dark, photographically as well as thematically, that it will probably bum you out for the day. Even during those few moments when the sun in shining, the film still comes across as oppressively dark. True, the directors attempt to relieve the gloom in the final ten seconds or so, but by then it's too little, too late. So basically it's like muppets but without the fun.
Heck, this movie might be unsuitable even for kids. So unrelievedly grim and violent is it (stabbings, burnings, fallings to one's death) that it will probably give any kid under nine at least a couple of nightmares.
There are plenty of kids' movies out there these days that also have something to say to adults, but not this one. I cannot imagine anything appealing to adults in this movie, especially if you make the mistake of viewing the "making of" documentary, also on this DVD, which will completely breaks any spell the film had a chance at.
As for the story, I paid strict attention but was needled by crippling questions. The filmmakers seemed to do a terrible job explaining what's going on, where the crystal came from, how it works, how it got broken, or why anybody even needed it to begin with.
Rating: - Another World, Another Time, in the Age of Wonder...
So begins Jim Henson's 1982 masterpiece The Dark Crystal, an amazing fantasy film that primarily uses puppets as its main characters. The Dark Crystal is perhaps the Muppet creator's most thoughtful endeavor and is a must-see for all fans of fantasy films or for fans of Jim Henson. The level of detail and the precision of the artistry that went into this film is a testament to what a great filmmaker can do, and Jim Henson was (and still is) a great filmmaker.
The story concerns Jen, a Gelfling, who must save his planet by restoring the legendary Dark Crystal, which must be done before the three suns of his planet meet in the Great Conjunction. If he fails chaos and destruction shall reign eternal. He begins his mission after his mentor, the wisest of the Mystics, dies. To a young Gelfling like Jen, the world seems an enormous and strange place. He encounters numerous dangers but finally reaches the home of the ancient being known as Aughra. Aughra gives Jen the crystal shard that he seeks, but the forces of evil invade her home and Jen has to flee before she can tell him anymore about his task. Meanwhile the cruel Skeksis are hunting Jen, for it is prophesized that a Gelfling will bring about their doom. But Jen finds an ally in Kira, the only other living Gelfling to survive the Skeksis' slaughter of their race years before. Jen and Kira, along with her furry and ferocious pet Fizzgig, set out for the castle of the Skeksis. But can they survive the dangers of the journey and restore balance to their world?
Henson's film (I should also mention that it was co-directed by puppeteer Frank Oz) is a stunning achievement in pre-digital special effects and features a profound philosophical/spiritual undercurrent that has fascinated viewers for over 25 years. The film is exciting, stimulating and perhaps at times too intense for younger children. But overall it's one of the greatest fantasy films ever made!
The 25th Anniversary Edition DVD includes the following special features: a beautiful new high definition film transfer, a new commentary track with conceptual designer Brian Froud, The World of the Dark Crystal vintage documentary, deleted scenes, original work print scenes, character illustrations, the new Light on the Path of Creation & Shard of Illusion documentaries, and previews.
Also recommended:
Labyrinth
Jim Henson's the Storyteller: The Definitive Collection
The Witches
Jim Henson's Fantasy Film Collection
The Dark Crystal: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The World of the Dark Crystal by Brian Froud
Rating: - Cult classic
One of my favorite movies of all times. This movie is an inspiring example of what can be achieved when the mind is set free of conventional wisdom. An excellent movie for any age group, from toddlers to adults.
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