The Dark Crystal (1982)
Muppet mastermind Jim Henson (The Great Muppet Caper, Labyrinth) conceives of this darkly imagined fantasy story that utilizes his vast imagination and wizardry within the world of puppetry. Regardless of what one might perceive of the story itself, The Dark Crystal is a masterful technical achievement in live-action cinema, crafting an entire world of fantasy represented by a complex variety of puppets, without the need for human actors to appear on the screen. Teaming with Gary Kurtz, who produced the first two Star Wars films, Henson, along with co-director (his first of many theatrical efforts) and longtime collaborator Frank Oz (Little Shop of Horrors) and “Muppet Show” writer Dave Odell (Masters of the Universe), The Dark Crystal had been conceived of as a game-changer in the realm of screen fantasy that never quite took root in the way it rightfully should.
Dipping into the thirst for fantasy-adventures in the early 1980s, Henson’s Tolkienesque tale, scripted by David Odell, tells of a wondrous land on a planet called Thra (a mix of the letters in ‘Earth’) in which the giant Crystal of Truth of the title provides a sort of balance for the mystical world (the tagline says the film takes place on another planet). However, a millennium ago, an imbalance occurs during the Great Conjunction when the Crystal cracks, allowing the evil Skeksis to take control of power, which they maintain by sucking the life energy from the peaceful Gelflings and putting many other local species into slavery or living in fear.
However, not all the Gelflings have been wiped out, as we meet Jen, the perceived last of his kind, having been sheltered and raised by the kindly counterparts to the Skeksis, the wise and gentle Mystics, the urRu. Now the aging Emperor of the Skeksis is on his death bed, along with the Mystic that raised the goodly Jen, as there appears to be a symbiotic link between the two polar opposites. We later discover another sheltered Gelfling has survives, Kira, who had been taken in and raised by Podlings that inhabit the swamp area of the land. Jen and Kira are targeted by the Skeksis due to the age-old prophecy. Seeking to possess the missing shard that would make the dark crystal complete, and bring harmony back to the ancient land before it turns dark forever at the moment of the Second Great Conjunction of the planet’s three suns, it’s up to Jen and Kira to save the realm from its darkest time under the Skeksis.
Starting with the premise that so much has been lost, and there is so much more to lose, the feudal world of Thra is indeed just hanging on to decency by the thinnest of threads. The decadent Skeksis are a corrupt and power-hungry lot who aren’t even happy or civil with one another except by tradition, as contrasted to the mild-mannered Mystics, who seemingly have little power other than through themselves. The Gelflings only have two survivors of their entire species, who we learn happen to be closely related, and whose entire culture has been lost, a glimpse of a past we only see within the ruins, as Jen and Kira were raised entirely from the cultures of other species, the Mystics and Podlings respectively.
From a thematic standpoint, the film can be interpreted as a rationalization for balance within our own world between the beliefs of science and that of religion. The Skeksis represent the scientific side; though they have knowledge of the magic within their world, they choose to ignore the tenets that most of our own known religions, while they make elaborate contraptions and doodads in order to harness that power for their own purposes, often to drain that power and youthfulness away from lesser creatures around them. Meanwhile, the Mystics are a representative of ancient religious beliefs, who use the power within themselves and their shared community to effect change, calling upon higher spirituality, rather than modern technology, to deliver a modicum of healing power that the Skeksis have long since forgotten how to tap into.
Further contrasting the two species, the Skeksis are a race that fights and would kill even each other for power, whereas the Mystics represent a belief in equality, both within their society and within themselves. The end of the film suggests that harmony and unity necessitates that we balance these contrasting aspects of ourselves, humans being the predominant species over all others on our own planet. We should continue to seek to explore science and technology, but not at the expense of forgetting the spirituality and philosophy of the past that unite us all into being a complete, soulful being. It’s the yin and yang theory of Chinese philosophy, of how opposite sides can be complementary to one another, and necessary to form a seamless whole. Becoming whole is the goal to achieve balance, as the Crystal needs its missing shard, and the forces of Darwinian survival and spiritual guidance must unite in order to paint a complete picture. Only once that balance has been achieved can we progress to a higher plane, something the film metaphorically depicts toward the end in the transcendence portions.
The puppet designs are truly breathtaking, from the vulture-esque Skeksis, the sloth-like Mystics, the agile elfin Gelflings, the swift and stilted Landstriders, Kira’s spry and free-moving pet, Fizzgig, to the dangerously crablike minions of the Skeksis, the Garthim, each character is crafted with loving detail, from the individually distinct designs (no two characters of any species or race are identical) to their intricate movements and fully expressive facial expressions. Full body suits that took multiple people to operate are breathtaking to behold in their effective intricacy, including some groundbreaking use of remote control technology to bring each character to life. Even the plants and trees in the film are re-imagined as come from another planet entirely.
Along with the amazing puppetry and character models, The Dark Crystal also greatly benefits from stellar artwork and set design. Despite all of the amazing technical achievements, and a respectable box office take (#16 for 1982, beating out fantasy films like Conan the Barbarian and The Sword and the Sorceror) The Dark Crystal hasn’t developed beyond its cult following the way that Henson’s much less financially successful movie, Labyrinth (which also has creatures based on the gorgeous designs of English fantasy illustrator Brian Froud), has in becoming an upper echelon fan-favorite film of the 1980s. It’s perhaps too darkly violent and nightmare-inducing at times for impressionable children, contains no musical numbers the way other Henson projects tend to, and it does feature a strange story set in an alien realm, with no human characters with which to readily identify. An artistic oddity that never found the wider audience Henson had been hoping to attract is still championed by those who respect the vision of the overall spectacle, even if it comes at the expense of the story contained within. Nevertheless, this labor of love deserves its due, thanks to the timeless tale spun within, and the wonderful wizardry to bring Henson’s seemingly boundless imagination to life.
Qwipster’s rating: A-
MPAA Rated: PG for fantasy violence and some scary moments
Running Time: 93 min.
Cast (voices/puppetry): Jim Henson, Kathryn Mullen, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire
Director: Jim Henson, Frank Oz
Screenplay: Dave Odell