The Dark Crystal
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Movie Reviews of The Dark Crystal
Movie Review: DVD Heaven
Summary: 5 Stars
Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal is a visual muppet masterpiece. Taking three years to make and going way over budget, the Dark Crystal hit theaters with mixed reviews. As time moved on The Dark Crystal became a cult sleeper and is now loved by many people. The story is the classic mythological journey story of growth and healing. A gelfling, Jen, is one of the last of his kind to go out into the land of the dark crystal to find the shard that will heal the power source that tore its planet apart. Besides healing the crystal, Jen learns much about who he really is and the kind of people the gelfings use to be. The cruel Skeksis and gentle Mystics are beautifully crafted each in their own image to match their personality. The pod people are an uplifting event admist the stress that is placed upon the main character. The beauty of the planet, the wonder of the characters, and the story itself will take a person away for close to an hour and a half.Aside from the movie, this DVD is special because it offers a completely instrumental track by composer Trevor Jones. Since the soundtrack is no longer readily available, this little instrumental addition to the DVD allows the listener to feel the wonder of the film through the music alone. Along with the documentary and deleted scenes, this DVD is worth every penny. Jim Henson's crew spared no expense for the viewer to take the fantasy home.
Movie Review: The Dark Crystal is a work of art
Summary: 5 Stars
Filmed entirely using puppets from the late Jim Henson's own workshop, the movie is steeped in fantastical lore in which no human appears. It centers around a young Gelfling named Jen, who believes he is the last of his kind. He soon discovers he is not alone when he meets another Gelfling named Kira who has been hidden away. In the process he learns that he is the one prophesized to save his planet by restoring a mystical crystal to its original state before the aligning of planets brings about the rule of the Skeksis (vulture-like feral creatures who have no qualms about destroying one another to stay in power.) So begins his quest to search for the legendary Dark Crystal.The late Jim Henson (along with his now famous Creature Shop) created a mythical visual masterpiece, helped along by Brian Froud's breathtaking conceptual designs.
This DVD re-release is presented in Widescreen anamorphic format and features such treats as character drawings, two deleted scenes, and a wonderful Documentary: The World Of The Dark Crystal filled with interviews and trivia (did you know that Jim Henson orginally created an entire language for the series but abandoned the concept believing that children would not want to read subtitles.)
A neccessary edition to your DVD collection, especialy for Henson fans.
Movie Review: childhood gem
Summary: 5 Stars
By far this is the star of my DVD collection. I was exposed to this film as a child by my mother. She often managed to find the most magical, fascinating, interesting stuff to show me. "The Dark Crystal" was no exception. It's a magical journey that is bound to make you forget that it's actually a punch of puppets you are watching parading across the screen. The viewer is grabbed into the world of the Dark Crystal. It's a funny and exciting journey. The DVD offers a chance to rediscover this childhood gem. The new transfer is nothing short of breath takingly amazing. I only saw the film on TV. I remeber it being dark and grainy. The new transfer is brilliant, vibrant and clear. Some wonderful extras can be found on the DVD which help to enrich your viewing experience. The deleted sequences offer some insight into new aspects of the film. The Skesis funeral sequence juxtaposes interestingly against the laid back acceptance of death by the Ur'ru. The featurette although dated offers some wonderful insight into the development of the film. Overall this DVD offers almost a new experience when viewing the film despite having seen the film countless times before. It has been, is and will always be a classic for all children and adults who are seeking a little magic in their lives.Movie Review: The Dark Crystal: A feast for the eyes and ears.
Summary: 5 Stars
All I can say about this DVD is WOW!!!! This DVD FINALLY has everything we've been asking for, the cut footage and the work print footage, as well as an isolated audio track. Oh, and to get the audio track to work, click on the Isolated Audio track option on the menu, then click the Start Movie option in the main menu to start the film. I remember seeing The Dark Crystal on HBO WAAAAAYYYY back in the early 1980s and it blew me away. Over 10 years later, I rediscovered The Dark Crystal on VHS and was once amazed at the world Jim Henson and Brian Froud created. Now, after years of begging The Jim Henson Company to re-release the rare 1990 Image Laserdisc edition of the Dark Crystal (Rumor has it that Jim Henson himself personnaly supervised the Laserdisc edition before he died), we finally have the Dark Crystal on DVD. Now I know some people out there are crying over the colors and audio on the film. Yes, I admit it could be improved some what......but who cares. To me, this editon has better quality than the old Disney version that was released back in 1994. Anyway this is THE definative edition of the Dark Crystal I will cherish forever. Now if only we could know if that Dark Crystal prequel rumor is Review: A deliciously Tolkienesque fantasySummary: 5 Stars "The Dark Crystal" was a Jim Henson masterpiece, a skilful marriage of technology and art, a dark, unique creative vision that I believe is superior to "Labyrinth." The characters are non-human puppets and animatronics, one reason why audiences found it hard to relate to the protagonists Jen and Kira. It has been called "a flawed masterpiece," but in my eyes it is one of the best fantasy movies ever made. I tried to read all of the Tolkien novels, but this kept my attention far longer and shared some of the same elements (good versus evil, mythical beings, power struggles between ruling clans).
Still as fresh and unique as when it was released in 1982, this DVD edition features fantastic extras that enhance the viewing experience, such as a 50 minute documentary of the making of "The Dark Crystal," an isolated soundtrack (Trevor Jones' score is gorgeous...this way you get a soundtrack and a DVD at the same time (the original soundtrack is now out-of-print). There are two deleted scenes and original language working prints of the Skeksis. This is the ultimate version of the ultimate fantasy tale. Ten stars.