The Dark Crystal
by Henson, Jim, Oz, Frank
List Price:
Our Price: $7.99
You Save: $6.95 (47%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $3.19 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Jean-Pierre Amiel, Malcolm Dixon, Mike Edmonds, Peter Burroughs, Robbie BarnettDirector: Henson, Jim, Oz, Frank
Brand: Sony
Primary Contributor: Henson, Jim
Primary Contributor: Mullen, Kathryn
DVD: 2 Layers, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.35:1
Running Time: 93 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-10-05
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Movie Reviews of The Dark Crystal
Movie Review: Holds up surprisingly well; fun for the whole family
Summary: 4 Stars
Dark Crystal / B000R8YC1I
Having missed out on the majority of the 1980's fantasy flicks, for various reasons, I've been backfilling my knowledge in this area, with mixed results. I definitely enjoyed Conan - The Complete Quest and Red Sonja was fun, but Willow (Special Edition) was, in my opinion, a bit campy. I wasn't sure what to expect from a "kid's movie" like Dark Crystal, but I love the Muppets, so I was willing to give it a go.
Dark Crystal is, in my opinion, a surprisingly good film, even watched 'for the first time' nearly thirty years after its debut. The plot is easy enough for a child to follow, but engaging enough to maintain an adult's interest. The idea that extreme good and extreme evil are two sides of the same coin is not a new one, but it is fascinating to explore the implications here.
The characters are vibrant and imaginative; I was thoroughly sucked in by the quiet and kind Mystics, the bickering and vicious Skeksis, and the plucky and hopeful Gelflings. The puppet-work here is truly superb and really makes the viewer reminiscent for the old days - they just don't do puppet work like this anymore. (And though I love CGI-Yoda battles as much as the next person, there's just something more `real' about the puppets, somehow. But I'm showing my age now, I suppose.) Most appreciated of all, I was pleased and delighted to see that the heroine is - in many ways - even more capable and just as crucial to the fulfillment of the prophecy as our sweet Gelfling hero is. It is very nice to see a role for women in a fantasy movie that extends beyond "needs rescuing" or "looks great in a chainmail bikini".
I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone looking for a good fantasy film, particularly one that is child-friendly and fairly non-violent. There is some scary material here - such as the crystal that removes the "life essence" of the captives - but everything is put right in the end. I actually enjoyed Dark Crystal more than the more recent City of Ember, and for a movie that is past its twenty-fifth anniversary mark, that's saying something.
This movie provides captions for the hearing impaired.
Summary of The Dark Crystal
The Dark Crystal is a masterful live - action fantasy starring some of Jim Henson s most imaginative creatures ever! Directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz and produced by Gary Kurtz the Dark Crystal brilliantly weaves a timeless myth of Good and Evil!In another time The Dark Crystal - a source of Balance and Truth in the Universe - was shattered dividing the world into two factions: the wicked Skeksis and the peaceful Mystics. Now as the convergence of the three suns approaches the Crystal must be healed or darkness will reign forevermore!It s up to Jen - the last of his race - to fulfill the prophecy that a Gelfling will return the missing shard to the Crystal and destroy the Skeksis evil Empire. But will young Jen s courage be any match for the unknown dangers that await him?System Requirements:Directed By: Frank Oz and Jim Hensen. Running Time: 94 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 1999 Columbia TriStar Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:?SCI-FI/FANTASY Rating:?PG UPC:?043396028494 Manufacturer No:?02849Jim Henson's fantasy epic The Dark Crystal doesn't take place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but like Star Wars it takes the audience to a place that exists only in the imagination and, for an hour and a half, on the screen. Recalling the worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, Henson tells the story of a race of grotesque birdlike lizards called the Skeksis, gnomish dragons who rule their fantastic planet with an iron claw. A prophecy tells of a Gelfling (a small elfin being) who will topple their empire, so in their reign of terror they have exterminated the race, or so they think. The orphan Jen, raised in solitude by a race of peace-loving wizards called the Mystics, embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of the Dark Crystal (which gives the Skeksis their power) and restore the balance of the universe. Henson and codirector Frank Oz have pushed puppetry into a new direction: traditional puppets, marionettes, giant bodysuits, and mechanical constructions are mixed seamlessly in a fantasy world of towering castles, simple huts, dank caves, a giant clockwork observatory, and a magnificent landscape that seem to have leaped off the pages of a storybook. Muppet fans will recognize many of the voice actors--a few characters sound awfully close to familiar comic creations--but otherwise it's a completely alien world made familiar by a mythic quest that resonates through stories over the ages. --Sean Axmaker
Action & Adventure DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in Flashback movies for children of the 80's
The Care Bears MovieTWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2007-03-20; DVD
Best price: $6.00
Price in other shops:
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (Widescreen Special Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2005-06-21; DVD
Best price: $9.78
Price in other shops:
Annie (Special Anniversary Edition)Sony; Release date: 2004-01-13; DVD
Best price: $6.13
Price in other shops:
E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial (Widescreen Edition)Universal; Release date: 2005-08-23; DVD
Best price: $11.06
Price in other shops:
Three Men and a Baby / Three Men and a Little LadyBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2008-02-10; DVD
Best price: $13.27
Price in other shops:
Troop Beverly HillsSony; Release date: 2003-03-25; DVD
Best price: $4.52
Price in other shops:
The WizardUniversal; Release date: 2006-08-22; DVD
Best price: $6.77
Price in other shops:
Cloak & DaggerUniversal; Release date: 2004-11-23; DVD
Best price: $3.80
Price in other shops:
Adventures in BabysittingSHUE,ELISABETH; Release date: 2000-01-18; DVD
Best price: $3.94
Price in other shops:
Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy (Widescreen Edition)UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.; Release date: 2005-01-25; DVD
Best price: $54.99
Similar DVD Movies
The GooniesWarner Brothers; Release date: 2007-05-15; DVD
Best price: $4.90
Price in other shops:
MirrormaskSony; Release date: 2006-02-14; DVD
Best price: $5.94
Price in other shops:
The Secret of NIMH (2-Disc Family Fun Edition)TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2007-06-19; DVD
Best price: $12.27
Price in other shops:
The NeverEnding Story / The NeverEnding Story IIWarner Brothers; Release date: 2006-01-31; DVD
Best price: $4.57
Price in other shops:
The Princess Bride (20th Anniversary Edition)Princess; Release date: 2007-11-13; DVD
Best price: $6.22
Price in other shops:
The Last UnicornLION'S GATE ENTERTAINMENT; Release date: 2007-02-06; DVD
Best price: $6.36
Price in other shops:
The NeverEnding StoryHATHAWAY,NOAH; Release date: 2001-09-04; DVD
Best price: $3.85
Price in other shops:
Legend (Ultimate Edition)Universal; Release date: 2002-05-21; DVD
Best price: $7.94
Price in other shops:
Willow (Special Edition)Release date: 2001-11-27; DVD
Best price: $6.49
Price in other shops:
LabyrinthBOWIE,DAVID; Release date: 1999-10-12; DVD
Best price: $5.46
Price in other shops: