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| The Dark Crystal,
Region 2 DVD |
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| DVD,
Richard Young,
20 January 1999 |
Rating: F5
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Way back in 1982, when the world was reeling from sci-fi blockbusters like Bladerunner, ET, Tron and Star Trek II, a real gem of a film was quietly doing the rounds. The Dark Crystal, directed by the late Muppet maestro Jim Henson and his right hand man Frank Oz, has more magic, mystery and charm than a lot of the high tech CGI-driven movies of today.
Using the same puppetry techniques that breathed life into Kermit and Miss Piggy, Henson and Oz created a menagerie of fantastic, yet believable creatures. The wise old Mystics, the evil Skesis, Augrah the one eyed astrologer, and of course the hero Jen-the last of the Gelfling. The mysterious Dark Crystal of the title has cracked, splitting the world asunder and creating two new races, one good, one evil. It becomes Jen’s mission to find the missing shard, heal the crystal and restore harmony to the universe. Now available on DVD for the first time, the format really does do justice to the stunning design and moody colours of a film that is actually leagues ahead of the later and more successful Labyrinth, another Henson production. The usual extras including a trailer and additional material only improve an already fine DVD release.
In one of the more memorable Russell Harty TV interviews of the Eighties, Henson and Oz freaked out the audience by letting a full size Garthim (a giant tank-like soldier beetle controlled by the Skeksis) run loose in the studio. "What we wanted to do was create an entire and believable world" explains Henson to Harty. So sit back, kick out your preconceptions and remind yourself what it can be like to enjoy imagination without boundaries
Columbia Tristar
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