The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)

14 September 2019

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019) is a Netflix prequel we didn't know we'd expect or want. I wrote about the original 1982 film in the past (https://www.facebook.com/spelchec/posts/10104576535248528 - 6/10) and how I thought the world-building was great but the presentation was ultimately boring. It's funny that 37 years later we have something that looks back into that universe.

I think this revival is a pretty strong tale, and I hope Netflix plans to also retell the original story as well... it feels that way. This preserves a lot of the imagination of the world while maintaining the wonder originally introduced. The Skeksis characters are reapplied, and major roles like The Chamberlain and The Scientist get voice actors like Simon Pegg and Mark Hamill behind them. The Gelfling side also gets the voice talents of Taron Egerton, Andy Samberg, and Helena Bonham Carter, among others. In other words, it seems a lot was invested into this work.

If you had interest in any of the Jim Henson's Creature Shop stories, or if the fantasy-adventure genre is your style, I'd recommend it. Though I should warn you this is a dark series: the original film was PG and the series is TV-PG, and I feel both are nearly dark enough to almost be PG-13. It's grim, but this is a fresh new world to explore in, and I think it's a solid show to add - and better than the original as technology has changed to support these ideas better. 8/10