The Dark Crystal (1982)

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I'm ready for people to hate me - and based on other reviews I've got a feeling it'll happen soon enough. I do not love the Dark Crystal - sorry, but I'd rather watch paint dry or grass grow.The movie, in short, goes like this: on a distant fantasy world everything is going to end unless a crystal, THE crystal, which controls everything, can be fixed. A Gelfling, that could be a boy or a girl creature; embarks on a journey to do so. He's not the most appropriate creature to save the world but he's the one that is chosen based on an old dead prophecy, and because the mystics (or whatever) are to hippy to help out, despite their size and the potential ease in which they could get passed bad guys. Along the way he meets all manner of different creatures and beings. He turns his nose up at help based on appearance and reputation - the film could have ended sooner if he'd have taken the outcast bird thing on his word and gone to the castle sooner. Can he fix the crystal and save existence - I won't spoil it for you but I'm sure you can guess seeing as it's a kids/family puppet film. As I said, I do not love this film. I don't hate it, I don't like it either. Maybe I'm just the type of person it wasn't intended for. I can appreciate the puppetry skills; I can appreciate the effort that went into making things and making everything look the way it does. I just the story is softer than the material used to make the puppets, it doesn't have much substance or depth, I don't think there enough development in characters, and I don't think there enough of a pace to keep me interested. If I was to keep bad mouthing this I could say things like the story makes no sense, and it's annoying that it's a child in a wig in long shots and then close up shots it's a asexual puppet. I know this is aimed at kids rather than thirtysomething year olds - but believe me, I tried watching this as a kid and fell asleep. I watched it in my teens and got bored and turned it off. I watched it in my twenties and fell asleep again. I watched it this week again, in my thirties, and had to force eyes to stay open and kept refilling my coffee. It's obviously a good looking film, but it's bland. 7 days of the week I'd rather watch "Labyrinth" or any other Muppet film. I suspect it's for kids between the ages of 6 and 10. It's got scary bits in it probably not suitable for under the age of 6, but at the same time it's not free flowing and exciting enough for post 10 years old or me.Would I watch this again? Hopefully not, although if I've tried to understand it every century of my life, I may yet find some fun out of it when I'm in a nursing home dribbling into my dinner, amused at the pretty colours. Sorry, 2 out of 10 is the most generous I can be with this, and that's so I don't get lynched by the super fans - I wanted to give it 1 out of 10 but I'm sure my partner will leave me if I write that.

This movie may have great puppets and it may be well made and being scary was probably the point, but this movie is terrifying. I've seen it multiple times and its hard to sit through. I'm not saying that childrens' movies can't be scary, but this is nightmare fuel.

Magical, yes, but this is an almost unrelievedly grotesque world which will both frighten or bore the kiddies for whom the film seems intended. For a starter, there is far too much dialogue – and most it is very insipidly or flatly delivered. In fact, the film seems to be nothing more than a self-indulgent exercise for actor-director- producer-writer Jim Henson. Unfortunately, Henson's direction, although helped out by Frank Oz, is rather flat-footed, and the pace is undeniably slow. Despite all its imaginative touches and ideas, the effect is rather grotesquely pedestrian. Fizzgig, the "dog", is undoubtedly the most lively character. All told, I thought the movie worth seeing, but more than somewhat disappointing.

I had seen many images of this puppet filled movie, which was made three years after The Muppet Movie, and four years before Labyrith, it was one I had always wanted to see, and I'm glad when I finally did, directed by Jim Henson (The Great Muppet Caper) and Frank Oz (The Muppets Take Manhattan). Basically a thousand years ago on the planet Thra, the mysterious magical Crystal of Truth harnesses the forces of nature, especially the light of the three suns; the Great Sun, the Rose Sun and the Dying Sun. The crystal was cracked, turning into the Dark Crystal, creating two races of creatures, the hunchbacked, gentle beings known as Mystics, and the vulture-like, cruel beings known as Skeksis. The Mystics were driven away from the castle, where the shattered crystal resides, by the Skeksis, but a prophecy says a Gelfling, an elf-like being, will restore the crystal and bring peace to the world once again. Jen (puppeteered by Jim Henson, voiced by Stephen Garlick) is an Gelfling taken in by the Mystics after his clan was killed, his Mystic master, before dying, tells him he must find and restore the missing shard to heal the crystal before the aligning of the three suns, or the Skeksis will rule forever. While Jen sets out to find the astronomer Aughra (puppeteered by Frank Oz, voiced by The Omen's Billie Whitelaw), who holds the crystal shard, the Skeksis' emperor dies, following a duel, The Garthim Master (puppeteered by Dave Goelz, voiced by Michael Kilgarriff) takes power and the throne, and exiles his opponent the Chamberlain (puppeteered by Frank Oz, voiced by Barry Dennen), learning of Jen's existence the Skeksis send large crab- like creatures called Garthim to track him. Jen reaches Aughra, she has a box full of shards, Jen causes the correct shard to resonate playing music on his flute, the Garthim appear and destroy Aughra's home and take her prisoner, but Jen escapes with the shard. Jen meets another surviving Gelfling, Kira (puppeteered by Kathryn Mullen, voiced by Loose Women's Lisa Maxwell), and her pet Fizzgig, she can communicate with animals, they discover that they have a telepathic connection, and share their memories of what forced them away from their homes. Jen and Kira discover a ruined Gelfling city with ancient writing describing the prophecy, Chamberlain interrupts them and claims that the Skeksis want to make peace, but they mistrust him and refuse to give him the crystal shard, following a chase Jen is trapped and Kira is taken prisoner, but an imprisoned Aughra helps her work out how to free herself. The two Gelflings reach the Crystal's chamber as the three suns begin to align, and the Skeksis gather for the ritual that will grant them immortality, Jen leaps onto the Crystal, dropping the shard, but Kira throws it back, before being stabbed to death, Jen inserts the shard into the Crystal, it is unified and the castle's dark walls crumble away to reveal a structure of bright crystal. In the end the Mystics and Skeksis merge into tall glowing beings, known as urSkeks, they and the world Thra have been restored, and Kira is revived in gratitude, the urSkeks give the Crystal to the two Gelflings to continue the restoration of the world, they depart, leaving a now-rejuvenated land. Also starring Steve Whitmire as the Scientist and Jerry Nelson as the High Priest and the Dying Emperor. The story is nice and basic, a quest to restore a fractured magical crystal and save the world, full of swords and sorcery, light humour and dark thrills, and many imaginative and enchanting puppet creatures, a most enjoyable family fantasy adventure. It was nominated the BAFTA for Best Special Visual Effects. Very good!