In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Friday 14 June 2013

THE DARK CRYSTAL [1982]

There really is nothing like Jim Henson & Frank Oz's morbid children's fantasy puppet extravaganza The Dark Crystal.
Heavily influenced by Tolkien and the spirituality of Seth Material, Henson & Oz based their story around Brian Froud's artwork and resulted in a stunning visual masterpiece with groundbreaking animatronic effects.  Unfortunately it's the story and characters that lack any real memorable personality and that's where it really hurts the film.  Regardless of it's heavy faults, the film remains a childhood favorite and is something I hold dear to my heart.

3½ podling slaves out of 5

1 comment:

Dr Faustus said...

Good work. I agree 100%.
A better story would have helped the revisit from an adult perspective but nostalgia helps ease over that.

As a kid the impact of the imagery was astonishing, and the danger level terrifying. I had Skeksis nightmares.

Same score.