Growing up in the 80s watching Dark Crystal, The Neverending Story and Labyrinth were 3 movies i watched on a constant...im 39 now and im still in love with all 3.
Fun little factoid - the actor who played the Snail-Rider in The Never-Ending Story, also occasionally played Jen in The Dark Crystal, as well as Yoda in Empire and ROTJ. In shots, where they couldn't do the characters with pure puppetry and needed a diminutive actor to wear a costume, (as with the scene where you see Jen run during the storm, towards the chamber he shared with the Mystic leader and some climbing scenes (had a separate stunt actor for leaps and drops),Deep Roy was hired and he'd don the appropriate costume. So, in a way, even though he's often gotten stuck with character parts or portraying other-worldly ones, he's had a part in portraying some of the most iconic screen characters.
I'm 43 and I still love each of those three films after watching them repeatedly in the 80's, and have them in my collection. Jim Hensons's The Storyteller episodes also still hold up amazingly well.
@@johnathonhaney8291 Wow someone who understands the deeper meanings in this film. I'm fed up with all the people who love the film but didn't understand or even notice the deeper meanings.
My father showed me this movie when I was maybe about 5? And the emperor’s death scared me quite badly. So he stopped the movie. We talked about my feelings and what frightened me. He asked if we should not watch the rest. And after a few minutes steeling my little nerves, I said “no, turn it back on.” To this day, this remains in a handful of my top movies of all time.
i just wish they would apply a filter to add grittyness akin to the original movie.. CG adds too much polish for a prequel, regarding the era it was made. just a fine graininess to make it fit.
oh nice its a prequel. i missed dark crystal as a kid, so i've never wanted to watch it despite loving jim henson. no nostalgia for it, so maybe a prequel series could bloom some.
I'm only hearing good things about the prequel stuff.. which is weird since I haven't even seen trailers or any promotions...figures I hate millennial cancel culture hollyweird...no wonder they buried it. It sounds original like it's predecessor..I heard they did a great job...now I wanna see it😭
John Reremoana If you'd like to see more Jim Henson puppetry used in a dramatic fashion, seek out The Storyteller, a VERY short-lived TV series I was lucky enough to catch as a kid. It's how I first met John Hurt.
Thank you Johnathon Haney for your comment and advised. 'The Storyteller' was really a good TV series in it's 80's days, and it's still good to watch now, especially that story about that 'Soldier and his magic bag' that could magically catch anything from gesses, Demons, and even 'Death' himself, and even the 'Main Title' soundtrack sounded cool too, and meeting actor 'John Hurt', excellent Mate.
John Reremoana My personal fave will always be "The Luck Child", especially the scary/funny griffin that looked like he'd just dropped in from the set of The Dark Crystal.
Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is one of the best shows I've seen, and it makes the move even better with all the new lore and context it gives. Deet best character.
I watched this again a few weeks ago, after seeing it multiple times as a kid in the 80's. In the forest scene, where Jen is wandering through the forest area before he meets Kira, I love that pretty much everything he encounters is living and capable of movement, whether plant or animal based. I genuinely think in this scene both Henson and Oz created a world that with props and puppets that still feels more 'real' than the forest plant and animal life that James Cameron created in Avatar with CGI. Pandora is impressive on screen, but I never yearned to be able to explore Pandora like I did the world shown in the Dark Crystal.
I think another possible inspiration on this movie might've been the 1973 animated flick Fantastic Planet. Like DC it's another very dark and creepy story SET ENTIRELY on another planet and depicting a conflict between different alien races.
bRfc9QgjclrMlc There was an understated, Fae beauty about that world. Even the Garthins had a symmetrical majesty about them that people usually associate with cathedrals.
I had discovered this movie when I was around 5 years old at my cousin's house, and they had a whole bunch of un-labeled videotapes, while he was browsing through to label them I stopped him and asked If I could watch that one later, since the scene he stopped at with Jen walking across the forest just like creeped me out but it was so amazing, the fact that this thing looked human but wasn't, fairy looking thing, uncanny.
What I loved about the movie was their attention to even the smallest detail. Like the little creatures scurrying through the forest. Jim was the best in his field
I think it improves it. There are retcons, don’t get me wrong. The gelfling clans are a new thing as well as the darkening. But considering the film, I think the changes made make for an interesting story. There wasn’t much to our main characters in terms of personality in the movie, as much as I love it. The series gives more to the characters and the world they live in. We’ve only ever gotten comics that may or may not even be considered canon, and a sequel that ultimately never happened (in film, anyways). Basic point is: I respect your opinion, if you don’t want to watch it. I can understand not getting into something for how different it can be. But change can lead to interesting and good storytelling.
The film was actually released after the ET craze. It actually competed against Columbia’s “Tootsie”, which proved to be successful at the box office both critically and financially, knocking out not only “The Dark Crystal”, but also Columbia’s other film “The Toy”.
I fell asleep in the theater during E.T. It just didn't hold my interest. The Dark Crystal on the other hand I watched the whole thing, then stayed and watched a second screening. It was so different and wonderfully weird. So if it looks like Gelfling, smells like Gelfling, it must be Gelfling! Thanks Minty.
LambentLark Seems like ET has fallen largely down the memory hole now. Stuff like Stranger Things and Super 8 draw inspiration from it but as a cultural force, it feels spent. Oh and I watched The Dark Crystal over and over and over on VHS as a kid, so maybe I'm biased because I love that one more.
The Dark Crystal is way better than E.T. E.T was very hyped at the time, although it's a good movie, it's not thaaat good. What i most loved and still love about The Dark Crystal, is the way that it presents itself more as an "adult" fantasy film, for kids. I really loved everything about this movie at the time, the history, the Skeksis, the Gelflings, the Mystics (amazing), the incredible soundtrack and also, the somehow slow pace of the movie. I love movies which have more of a slow rhythm.
@@johnnymoraes23 I'm with you. I'd much rather watch _The Dark Crystal_ than _E.T._ The soundtrack is frequently my earworm (in fact, it's in my head now), while I have never had the _E.T._ soundtrack stuck in my head. Nostalgic adults (what? I'm not an adult! Trust me, I've been a kid for over forty years! No idea when I'll buck up the courage to finally grow up.) unite!
E.T. was a huge disappointment for me as a kid. Soo boring, Dark Crystal on the other hand had me enthralled. Once a ratlike creature was slurped down at a dinnertable, it became a lifetime classic.
I like both E.T. and The Dark Crystal, but The Dark Crystal was so unique, that I found it more entertaining. I was 14 years old when this film was in theaters, and there was nothing about it that scared me. Probably the fact that I was a teenager at the time had something to do with it. My favorite character in the film is Jen. Kira is a great character too, as is Fizzgig. The Dark Crystal is a great movie.
This was, and still is one of my favorite movies, ever. Me and my girls watched this together and now me and my granddaughter watch it together... awesome film
Love the puppets, different odd looking characters, and the beautiful, strange world of Thra, as a kid and now more appreciated as an adult. This is one of my Favorite movies as a kid and still at 34, along with the lineup of Willow, Legend, Krull, The NeverEnding Story, Witches, The Princess Bride, and Labryrith. Can't wait for the Netflix prequal this year.
When I first saw The Dark Crystal in a theater when it was first released, (I was born in 71'), it introduced me to the idea and concept that perfection was a balanced combination of good and evil, whereas before, goodness was perfection, and evil was the antithesis of perfection. When the Mystics and Skeksis combine into their perfect whole at the end, instead of the Mystics defeating the Skeksis, it was very Yin/Yang in that regard, as apposed to just being about good triumphing over evil, which of course was also a major part of the story. When I first saw it as a kid on that giant theater screen, that aspect of good combining with evil instead of defeating it, that whole idea and concept really kinda' blew my mind...
And my daughters when I watched it with them asked. How did they make those great CGI effects? I answered thats not CG . Thats pure movie magic. They were 10 and 8 when I first watched it with them . I rented it in a Video Avenue. Before streaming. Great times. Lovely memories.
I don't mind CGI but it's become an overused thing in movies and shows. One thing I loved watching and listening to growing up through the 80s and 90s was directors and others explaining and showing how the puppetry and animatronics were done and handled. I will honestly say that Henson mainly got me interested in making my own puppets. Especially for a Greek story play my 7th grade art class was asked to do for a local preschool. The best part the preschool asked my class if they could display the puppets and set.
@@Stathio I don't necessarily think cgi has aged badly, it's more of how it was used over the years. I believe that it really hasn't been used up to its full potential with the time and work taken to it. Just like practical effects
I did the same thing with my dad when I was little. We got it from Blockbuster. I didn't really remember it scaring me too much and I didn't get the plot, but I was fascinated by the puppets!
I was absolutely mesmerized by this film when I saw it as a kid! Sadly, my parents didn't take me or my sisters to the cinema, so I had to wait until it was available on home video (or played on TV). I must have watched it a hundred times. The entire look of the film was truly epic and it transported me to the fantasy world. The music was also stellar, and I have the soundtrack on vinyl - on my wall to my left as I type. Incredibly epic fantasy, and I still love it!!
Froud?! That's incredible! He and his wife are my favorite fairy artists. Does anyone remember their book where half of pages are good fairies and then you turn the book upside down and you get evil fairies? I still have both that one and the novelization of The Dark Crystal.
Thank you Jim Henson and company for leaving us this masterpiece and rest in peace sir! My grandmother took all the grandkids to see this when it came out we were in love with it and would play dark crystal at home unfortunately all I had in the way of merchandise was a board game. Funko knocked it out of the park a year or two ago with the 3.75 in scale action figures that I would have killed to have as a kid. Better late than never I guess.
dfnkjaws ...the netflix show is good...every scene captures your eyes...its amazing and came to this channel because i never saw the 80s movie...i had no idea that id be hooked!
I remember seeing this when it came out in 82. I was around 8 and was fascinated and totally freaked out. Jim Henson was kind of my generation’s Walt Disney. And I absolutely LOVED the Netflix prequel & hope it gets at least one more season.
2019 The Dark Crystal, Age of Resistance (the prequel is on Netflix and is pretty good) the Gelflings have a couple different skin colors. Also if they eat this glowing blue moss that grows underground they will glow blue. Looks like blue Gelflings actually are a thing.
Regarding #9 Jen, the first Gelfling in the film, went through the most iterations... Check out a behind the scenes on him and you'll see 20ish + different looks. Any regarding the hair, Jen does have several streaks of blue... Even Kira has green streaks. Look closer :) #7 The Crystal was only a pitch booklet, not quite a script, and I don't recall talking mountains in it, but moving and alive. #5 The Garthim we're actually created, not merely summoned, by the Skeksis. #3 The Marvel Super Special #24 was a single issue of the 68-pages adaptation, released in 1982. That one comic was later re-printed in two low-quality print issues in April and May of 1983. That pic final "beautifully illustrated" pic you have @ 10:42 isn't from the comics but rather from the children's hardback book entitles The Dark Crystal Tales by Cory Godbey. And the prequal Netflix series already got the green light and production and filming has been going for over a year. It will bring us 10 one hour episodes to fuel more nightmares! :D Unfortunately, I've found that some of the wikis don't have the most accurate information on The Dark Crystal. Other than those minor things, great video and I love your puppet :D
I'd argue that the Garthim were both created and summoned, since they were called out of what seemed to be a state of deactivation. Otherwise, thanks for pointing these out. Especially when he brought up the "talking mountains". I own all of the Dark Crystal supplementary material except for the Shadows of the Dark Crystal and Song of the Dark Crystal novels, and I don't think I saw any mentions of talking mountains either. I was very confused when he brought that up.
Virgin Podlings try to do a happy little Muppets-esque folk music scene in their Podling pub. Chad Garthim kick in the wall, throw them in baskets, and take them away to have their souls drained out through their eyes. Good times!
harbl99 One thing I eventually noticed: everytime Jin played his flute on his journey, something bad always happened right after. That included the party you mentioned.
For me this had more of an epic feel, like the people who first read the Odyssey must have felt. For those that want this but don't own it, get the Anniversary Edition blu ray. It includes an art book that has initial sketches, production notes, lore, and behind the scenes stills. Incredibly worth it.
Cheers for the advice mate as I've got to update my old but original VHS copy of it, I'm hoping that my daughter is going to get the same meaningfulness as I did myself. Regards, David from Manchester, England, UK.
It didn't actually traumatized me the first time me and dad saw it. If I only knew that there was a comic version,I'd surely buy the entire series.Actually, I was amazed how the puppets were moved.
I didn't expect a troll like you to have problems with me and it is quite ridiculous considering that I don't even know you. You think my grammar sucks? Better check your spelling idiot as no one could understand what you're saying.
@Kirby March Barcena, I read your comment and found nothing wrong with your grammar. As for the person who had to troll you. Yeah, I see some grammar errors, therefore the person cannot talk. Chalk it up to a troll who simply had nothing else better to do. Anyway, about Dark Crystal, I had seen the movie as child on cable, but did not watched it all the way through as I got easily did distracted. Now as adult, I would appreciate it should it ever come to Netflix.
2214diva "did not watched" says the person criticising my spelling. What did your parents even do while raising you? Meth? I'm guessing meth, you obviously got quite a bit of second hand meth smoke as an infant
kirby march Barcena my spellings spot on, save the one word, that should have been "example", but was a jumble do to this being typed on a phone, not having the largest of keyboards. There's the VALID excuse for my spelling. Now what's your reasoning for the Grammer? Meth related I'm sure
I loved this movie as a kid! My brother found it first on VHS then showed if to me, and we watched if almost every Friday night for like a month after. It was a little scary at first glance but I wouldn't say it was traumatizing. (If anything, that small dose of fear as a kid actually made it easier to cope with fear as I got older.)
I think another possible inspiration on this movie might've been the 1973 animated flick Fantastic Planet. Like DC it's another very dark and creepy story SET ENTIRELY on another planet and depicting a conflict between different alien races.
I absolutly LOOOOOVE this movie. It has such a deep imagination. And it has such a dark, deep and fascinating landscape and story. It's very much an adult child's movie, and actually i really miss fantasy movies like these, in today's cinema. Cinematography, character development, figurine, script.. all perfect... and not to mention the music which just takes us to another place, another world, a genious work. Jim Henson really put the totality of his skills and craft on this. It has such an amazing depth of character and creepy characters. It made me feel more "adult", when i was a child, whenever i saw it; cause it did approach some very important emotional points with a more adult standpoint. And that was a good feeling, in my childhood. The art and seriosness of this movie still inspires me to this day. It's kind of sad to see that today's kids movies have nothing even close to this (The Dark Crystal, The Neverending Story, The Secret of NIMH... all this incredible movies that defined the childhood of people who, like me, had their first childhood from 1978/79 till' 1985/1986; and all, child movies with lots of character deepness and dealed with adult emotional issues and points. Which is a very good thing for a child to develop emotional repertoire; yes, i agree with you Mr. Henson). Funny that some of my friends where afraid of this movie. I have always loved it sooo much. Have seen it countless times, and i'll still keep watching it, cause it inspires me as the wonderful piece of art it is (BTW, Devin Townsend agrees with me on that). It's totally an integral part of my childhood, since 1983 or 84, when i first saw it on VHS. Oh, and BTW, just my opinion, ok? The Netflix series suck, doesn't gets even closer to the original 1982 movie, in therms of character deepness, story, cinamatography, music... the puppets where good, but only that. However, i wonder what Jim Henson would do of this series, if he was still alive to this day.
Brian Froud is an absolute genius, I absolutely love his work and this movie is a beautiful example of his concept and Jim Hensons vision. It’s awesome
Thanks, Minty! Dark Crystal was a big part of my childhood. I'd never seen a depiction of good and evil quite like that before in its interconnectedness and I haven't since. And yeah, I was a little creeped out too but the ending more than made up for it. "Make your world in its light."
A movie ahead of its time in many different ways, the dark side & light side both part of the same being, very yin & yang. This movie has always stuck with me. Great review Minty. Any chance of Cats Eyes? Regards, David from Manchester, England, UK.
David Conreen Yeah, that aspect stayed with me, especially with its atypical ending. I've seen thoughtful comparisons between this movie and the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, with the Mystics representing the Pillar of Mercy and the Skeksis the Pillar of Severity.
Thanks for your reply , you know what they say about great minds thinking alike ? Perfect example there Johnathon. I think it was one of the 1st movies I watched as a child that made me question true deep meaning which gave me the open mind I've got today, I still remember crying in the same period of time at the movie ET, I watched it on a pirate VHS copy at my Nana's, I was fighting with all my mite not to show my soaking tear filled eyes in front of my family. A great decade to be a child in. Take care mate. Regards,David from Manchester,England , UK
OMG I loved this movie so much when I was a kid! Still do for the nostalgia and just beauty of it. My parents told me I used to have, when I was about 4 years old, a huge poster in my room of The Dark Crystal. The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and The Neverending Story were my childhood basically. I was never creeped out by this movie but more entranced I guess you can say. You just don't see things like this anymore. Its all CGI stuff, which is fine but there was much more creative hands-on approach with these movies. Though Tim Burton comes close with movies like Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. May Jim Henson continue to rest in peace. Such amazing worlds he left us to visit.
I remember my mother telling me the Dark Crystal was on HBO when it first came on. I remember not being sure what to make of a serious movie with puppets. It's definitely a movie you should watch! Though you have to be in a certain frame of mind to watch it. It's not at all a bad movie! It's actually very good...but very strange!
I still have this entire movie memorized. Just purchased the Vinyl Soundtrack. Trevor Jones is a mastermind composer that perfectly matched Henson’s world. Whenever I make a new friend they have to like Buffy and Dark Crystal otherwise I’m done.
the Gelflings as well as the Mystics were very odd colours in the early test shots too. i can;t paste a link here but google "gelfling test footage" and you will find test footage with different puppets from 1978
I remember my mum bringing this movie home from video easy one day and told my young self I should watch it. Mind you I was sich a wimp as a kid. Scared of everything. I remember sitting through the movie scared, but also fascinated, like watching a car crash. I remember avoiding it at all costs after that. It was so creepy. But as I grew up I came to appreciate it. I came to love movies using practical effects and ended up rewatching the film and absolutely loving it. I’m so happy it has a series now and has the attention it deserves.
Look at you go Minty!! I see that hair on your face!! Looks good man...like me you've got more hair on your face than head. I'm glad they didn't go with blue for the color of the gelflings, just wouldn't be right. Being born in 74, yes this DID scare me as a kid. A GOOD kind of scared. Thanks for the review! Roll on Minty!
Born in '99 saw this in 2004 as a 5 year old child. I watched with grandparents who then just bought their very first VCR so we went through movies that were given to them and this being one of them...I only watched maybe 30-45 minutes of this film I was so scared. This was the 2nd film to scare the shit out of me first being child's play at the age of 2.
Thanks to this movie, I was inspired to write a novel series that’s followed me since I was a child. Thank you, Jim Henson, for encouraging me to write a story that’s only becoming more relevant by the day.
Same here, I'm 59 and still watch The NeverEnding Story, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth occasionally. The messages that The NeverEnding Story has are timeless. I have 3 copies of The Dark Crystal to make sure I will always see it and I just happen to borrow Labyrinth from the library the day before David Bowie passed away. I always wondered why I wanted to watch it again that day. I was so sad to hear that. But then I remembered when I first saw the commercial(I said I was 59) for The Dark Crystal and Jared walking upside-down on the staircase, and then I smiled. P.S. Is it just me or doesn't Kermit look like Jim Henson and Fozzy Bear looks like Frank Oz!
This movie will always take me back to being a 10 year old kid. I feel *blessed* to have seen this in the theater. Only a few short years after seeing Star Wars!!!
Too intense? Too scary? Bah! My parents bought this movie for me when I was 5 (in fact, it was the first movie I ever personally owned), and I LOVED IT! No nightmares. In fact, I plan to have a party when the new series is released on Netflix and bake a cake in the shape of a garthim.
Same the skesis remind me of my drunk uncles especially the eating scene.lol it didnt scare me at all.. i was just amazed by this.. This and krull were my 1st fantasy movies when i came from the pacific
saw the restored version in the theatre a few months back and the colors were so rich you could see every detailed pattern on the skeksis burgundy textiles and all their charms and jewelry had incredible sparkle. The last scene you can much more clearly see all the color tones removed from Kira and she looks much more ghostly than before. Something to experience. The new 4K transfer was just released on bluray very worth experiencing.
You have to remember how little memory our computers had back in 1984. I still own my Commodore 64 computer. Most of the games were text still back then so any graphics were cool.
Love this flick and your channel. But I was surprised at something that was not mentioned about this movie. I understand that shots of Jen (the male gelfling) which were made of him in the distance, was actually Jim Henson playing the character himself. Such as one scene where we see Jen from behind, climbing a mountain or something. He is a little distant, and seen from behind, with his legs clearly being used to climb. It definitely was not a puppet, but an actor. I hear that actor was Jim Henson himself.
That’s interesting! However I saw the dark crystal documentary, and also have been to comic con and asked this question before. The actor was Kiran shah who did the far away shots of Jen when he is walking and running apparently... they needed someone small enough to look the same as the puppet onscreen. Good theory though, as I know Henson was looking through the film in Jen’s eyes, which I find very endearing.
I think it was Brian Henson that said it himself that he will only use CGI as little as possible but will keep in tradition of how Jim Henson did things by using puppetry mostly on built sets.
I was 10 when I saw this, loved it but it was terrifying, especially the Skeksis and Garthem. Something about real effects vs CGI that adds a level of creepiness to it.
I remember standing in Kmart and reading the entire Dune movie comic when it was released after the 1980's version came out. I seen the movie twice in the theater and was pleased at how it followed the script. I also read the comic version of Secret of NIMH. Great stuff.
