This movie is Jim Henson's magnum opus. There isn't a fantasy movie out there that brings you to a whole different reality like The Dark Crystal does. The only movie that comes close is James Cameron's Avatar. Yes the movie is all performed entirely by puppets and yes there isn't a human being in site. That's the beauty of it. With a combination of an excellent story, innovative (for its time) animatronics, beautiful sets and cinematography you get a truly dazzling experience that any fantasy fan would be a fool not to miss.
The biggest aspect of Dark Crystal is the setting. They created a whole different world with its own animals, plants and terrain. The level of detail put into creating this new world is staggering and you get some good scenes to soak yourself up in it. From the rock caves of the Mystics to the jagged spires of the Skesis castle to Aughra's planetarium to every landscape in between. You will get drawn into this alien world. The beauty of the sets and location shots is only enhanced with some fantastic cinematography and conventional effects.
Since we are essentially talking about a puppet show brought to you as a feature film let's talk about the puppets. Granted they might seem a bit archaic by today's standards, they were nothing short of incredible back in 1982. To have puppets act and react in such an organic and lifelike fashion was never done on film before. This is the first movie where you get that sort of eye and mouth movements we have come so used to with current animatronics. Famed artist Brian Froud created all of the creatures and characters for Dark Crystal and if you're a fan of his work you will definitely see it. When you look at the majesty of the Mystics you forget they are just people covered in foam latex.
Of course having a truly creative setting and truly creative characters would not be enough to make a great movie. Lord knows fantasy fans have seen plenty of examples that prove that point. However this movie has a story that is as classic as any fable you have read before. By the time you finish this movie if will feel like you just read a grand fairy tale... only about wondrous and fantastic creatures never seen before. It's not deep storytelling. Then again it shouldn't be considering the mythical theme.
The soundtrack for this film is a perfect fit for the movie. The main themes are grand, dynamic and best of all memorable with a full orchestra giving the music vibrant life. Other pieces of the film work with what I can best describe as old western European instrumentation and themes, and again they work wonderfully. I can think of about a half dozen songs from the movie right now that would stick in my head in a good way if I let it. The music is that memorable. Okay... I do remember one song in the least useful scene (Skeksis banquet) in the movie that didn't impress me. But to be honest the music was fitting the scene, and the scene didn't impress me either.
The original release of this DVD had a host of wonderful extras that made it feel like the only DVD you would ever need. Then came the 25th Anniversary Edition, which gave an impressive upgrade to the visuals (I mean night and day difference) via a digital remaster, Dolby Digital Surround sound, a new commentary and some additional features. On a small note they took out the Spanish stereo track the original DVD had and included a surround track in Japanese.
Now we have the Blu-Ray. Even if you bought any of the previous releases (and all of them were worthy purchases at the time) you definitely want to make that double/triple dip. And I thought the Anniversary Edition was an amazing improvement. The details really, really stand out on the Blu-Ray. I see little details as plain as day that I never noticed before. It even gives new life to the aging puppets by bringing out even the subtlest of details. The sound is very much improved with Dolby TruHD in English, French and Portugese. A Dolby Digital surround Spanish track is finally included. Looks like they corrected the absence of the Spanish track on the Anniversary Edition, and then some. But then they take out the Japanese audio track. What's going on here? There are a few new extras on the Blu-Ray, but nothing that compares to the previous features. Here is a run down:
COMMENTARY BY BRIAN FROUD - Brian is the conceptual designer for the movie and essentially created the world for Jim Henson. He goes on about design techniques and how he came about the characters and inspirations for his work in The Dark Crystal.
WORLD OF THE DARK CRYSTAL - The most amazing "making of" documentary one can ever ask for. It details over an hour of footage regarding conceptual design, character creation, production, cinematography, the philosophy behind the creation of this movie and the world it is based on, and more. This documentary was made while the Dark Crystal was released so you get interviews with the man himself, Jim Henson, at the time of the movie along with scores of others involved in the movie. Most "making of" documentaries that come out with movies these days are little more than lip service to help promote the movie. I wish they would follow the model done on THIS documentary.
REFLECTIONS OF THE DARK CRYSTAL - Two-part featurette (Shard of Illusion [16 minutes] and Light on the Path of Creation [20 minutes]) with more recent interviews from writers, directors, and performers including co-writer David O'Dell, conceptual designer Brian Froud, and Jim Henson's son Brian. These featurettes also include newly discovered test footage from Jim Henson's home in England.
PICTURE-IN-PICTURE STORYBOARD TRACK - This is probably the best Blu-Ray exclusive feature in the set. As the titles describes you get a sizable window showing pre-production storyboards and conceptual drawings, each with descriptions of what you are seeing.
THE BOOK OF THRA: THE DARK CRYSTAL COLLECTOR - Hmm... is it a game? You click a button on the remote every time you see an icon appear. Not much of a game. Is it an in-movie encyclopedia? When you collect the entries in this Blu-Ray exclusive you get notes on various characters, places, and creatures in the film. Mostly the names and duties of the Skeksis and Urru (mystics). It's neat, but it would have been less cumbersome if they just made a data file type page instead of something you have to watch the movie to see. The details are sparse, and if you want to really get into this universe you're better off getting
The World of the Dark Crystal. Or better yet Wikipedia.
ORIGINAL SKEKSIS LANGUAGE: Test Scenes - The original concept of The Dark Crystal was to have many of the creatures speak their own language, which we would get subtitles for, in order to further put in that different world. I think that would have been a cool way to see the movie and with this footage you get an idea of Jim Henson's original concept. Keep in mind this is not fully produced footage and it's not the same as seeing the end product. Namely the character Augra is being dubbed with Frank Oz's Miss Piggy-esque voice over and of course there is no music or post-production. Still it's interesting to get a taste of what the movie could have been like.
DELETED FUNERAL SCENES - Just a deleted scene of the Skeksis funeral. You're really not missing much taking it out if you ask me. The funeral itself is boring. The scene has some footwate with Jen talking to one of the Mystics about his quest, which was nice. No remastering on the scene of course. It's pretty grainy.
SKEKTEK'S CRYSTAL CHALLENGE - Also a Blu-Ray Exclusive. It's a trivia game played throughout the movie. A question pops up and you have to answer or get some of your essence drained. Not as annoying as the Book of Thra feature, but I still don't see why they don't just put this separate from the film.
Every time I have reviewed a Dark Crystal disk I have been impressed. It seems they just keep getting better and better. The first one had the movie with a good array of language tracks and extra features that still top all that has been offered since. The second one ups the ante with an amazing digital remastering. Now the Blu-Ray gives and absolutely jaw dropping visual and audio presentation that even dwarfs the visual clarity of the second release; especially for a movie that was made back in 1982. If you have a Blu-Ray player and like The Dark Crystal you owe it to yourself to get this.
I will admit that some people might be put off of this movie due to the lack of human actors in front of you and the fact the puppet animatronics might feel dated (although I feel less so with the Blu-Ray presentation). It's a shame people would feel that way because The Dark Crystal is fantasy storytelling at its finest. If you are a fan of the genre this movie is an absolute must. If you're a Muppet fan... well these aren't Muppets so don't expect Fraggle Rock when you see it. Any fan of grand storytelling who wants to be whisked away to a strange faraway land will find what they are looking for in The Dark Crystal. Do yourself a favor and check this movie out.
