SummaryThe prequel to the 1982 movie The Dark Crystal follows Gelflings Rian (voiced by Taron Egerton), Brea (voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy) and Deet (voiced by Nathalie Emmanuel) as they set out to to save the world after learning the secret to Skeksis’ power.
SummaryThe prequel to the 1982 movie The Dark Crystal follows Gelflings Rian (voiced by Taron Egerton), Brea (voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy) and Deet (voiced by Nathalie Emmanuel) as they set out to to save the world after learning the secret to Skeksis’ power.
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance isn’t just a masterwork of practical puppeteering, production design, and CGI artistry. .... This return to the planet Thra exceeds any and all nostalgia-tinged expectations, delivering a multi-strand quest that’s exciting, funny, charming, and mythic—and sure to satisfy newbies and die-hards alike. ... It’s the rare prequel (or sequel, for that matter) that not only justifies its own existence but proves to be an immediate genre classic in its own right.
One of the most ambitious and immersive TV events of the year. ... The level of detail in the puppets and their surroundings is, to be blunt, astonishing. Still, “Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” would’ve been nothing more than a technical feat without a story and characters to match, so it’s to the writers’ credit (not to mention the voice actors’ and impressive puppeteers’) that the interwoven stories are equally compelling.
In the early 80's, when I was a naive teenager, The Dark Crystal hit theaters. Of course I had to see this film and I was just thrilled at the time! Jim Henson and Frank Oz had delivered a real masterpiece here. But now to the series. When I read on the internet that a series was planned, I couldn't wait to watch it. The series was finally available from the provider. All episodes were absorbed by me and I was not disappointed at all! I was blown away by the wonderful, catchy soundtrack, the beautiful structures and of course the perfect puppetry! At some point I even forgot that the actors were puppets. The really well thought-out story, the great colors, everything is impressive and calls for another season, but unfortunately the provider has discontinued this really great series here, to my deepest regret. Too bad. Anyway, full marks! Awesome!
Thanks to Jeffrey Addiss, Will Matthews, and Javier Grillo-Marxuach’s outstanding script, Age of Resistance is surprising, funny, sad, and heartwarming all in turn. The pacing is swift but metered. ... For those who dare to let Age of Resistance overwhelm you, there will be nothing better this year.
It’s dense going, until the outlines of the heroes’ journey snaps into focus. ... Age Of Resistance is the best type of YA fantasy fiction, engrossing and escapist and full of hidden depths, ideal for viewers weaned on Harry Potter and The Legend Of Zelda but not quite ready for George R.R. Martin.
Political metaphors and messages about the environment abound, but it’s not as if we’re being lectured. “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” is primarily a screen-popping plunge into pure escapist fantasy, filled with trippy imagery and gorgeous landscapes. It’s a series of memorable dreams punctuated by the occasional nightmare.
Those invested in this world will lap up every nuance, meaning that, for better or worse, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is unabashedly a fans-only thing.
Much of the series is beautiful to look at conceptually, but there's no getting around the sameness of the character design (Gelflings tend to look alike), the lack of expression in those big, soulless American-doll-style eyes, and the lifeless storytelling, which certainly isn't helped by the generic characters and some of the irritating Jar Jar Binks-type dialogue.
+Superb visuals +Excellent voice talent
+Great storytelling
-some cliche fantasy maguffins
Thus far exceeded my expectations. I am so sad there is no season 2
Pros: + the creators did an excellent job expanding on the fictional world of Thra + fantastic creature design and voice acting for most characters + well written dialogue + well written plot (except for the last 3 episodes) + pacing was good (except for the last 3 episodes) + surprisingly good soundtrack (though nothing compares to Trevor Jones!) Cons: - not enough character development (I know this is a very tricky balancing act with so many characters) - not enough time spent with the Gelfling resolving their petty prejudices/biogtry and finding ways to build alliances - too many scenes with oozing/spraying of body fluids, and even a scene with a Skeksis pissing in public (WTF?!) - the collector character was gross with super annoying voice acting - the last three episodes (8-10) were a nonsensical mess - nitpick the Gelfling named Rian looked too much like a young Mark Hamil, I had to remind myself that no this is not Luke Skywalker! LOL! Synopsis:
As a big fan of the original movie (I saw The Dark Crystal a few times as a 11 year old) I was excited to hear about this series though when I found out it was a prequel I was concerned. I was curious how a war between the Skeksis and the Gelfling would play out and how the eventual genocide would occur. I thought that this addition to the story would almost certainly deserve an R rating (since it would have to be truly dark and horrible) but to my **** PG? This was a mistake. To be honest if it wasn't for the last three episodes I would have given the series (miniseries? continuing series?) a 10/10. I will elaborate below...SPOILER WARNING! Didn't the emperor say that the Ascendancy was banished from the basement of the Crystal Castle and that allowing them in would have led to their corruption due to the darkening energy emitting from the rift in the ground? Would that not have been a better way for the Arathim to be transformed into the Garthim (vs the disgusting and ludicrous frankenstein like fusion of a dead Gruenak to a dead Arathim)? But really the down hill slide started with the idea of the super weapon the Dual Glaive when the real super weapon was the cooperation of the Gelfling clans into a fighting force?! (Was it not Eisenhower the one who stated that "cooperation wins wars"?) Why wasn't the importance of the Gelfling putting aside their petty differences to fight a common foe elaborated on more fully (though the shared dream fast hosted by Aughra was amazing!)? The General character looked off from the beginning (silly overbite) and if it wasn't for the Chamberlain killing him at the end I never would have guessed that he wasn't the same General as presented in The Dark **** do this guys? The end battle was ludicrious the Skeksis are a cowardly people who never would have engaged in battle let alone in melee combat. As far as battles are concerned the action was disjointed and absurd (what is it with Hollywood's fascination with swords?) not to mention too tame. If your going to show war, show all of the horrors not some goofy dance with no substance. The Jim Henson Company please note: The place to make major missteps is NOT the ending! Episodes 8-10 ruined the whole experience. Too bad because otherwise The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance was brilliant!
Visually beautiful, well voice acted, but poorly written and a mess of plot holes. As a fan of the original, I was looking forward to getting answers...instead I got far more questions. While I will give it credit for trying to establish a rational for the original, I also have to point out the movie felt like they came up with too many intertwining stories and left several unfinished. Critics calling this a masterpiece are wearing beer goggles, but just for the fun of **** is worth watching once.
"Fine for parents and kids, not so for the rest of us"
Dark Crystal: A of R is entertainment right out of the late 70s, just a notch or so better than Fraggle Rock. Do not be mistaken and don't be fooled, this muppet show is for young pre-teen kids and their parents; it's simply not interesting to anyone else. It would've helped a bit if the production were fully animated and not muppet-based, but the real barrier to general acceptance/popularity is that the story, values, and characters are really aimed at pre-teens, it's just too simplistic overall. I found "Niko and the Sword of LIght" and "3Below" to be more engaging for all, not just pre-teens. (originally posted IMDB 10/2/19)
The puppets did not look convincing to accurately portray this story in a way where it looked believable. The out of sync and stiff puppets don’t match with the voices and direction of the scene. This was terrible and showcases why CG and animation was favored over puppets. It looks so bad. I don’t understand the hype over this film. It was so weird and the story was terribly cliche.