The Dark Crystal (1982), any fans?

[EmmanuelZorg]

Highly underrated and unique one-of-a-kind fantasy epic from Jim Henson and Frank Oz is their biggest triumph yet. The film took five years in the making to make the film as it was envisioned, It gained mixed reviews and did bad at the box-office in december of 1982, yet it has gained a huge following to this day and was a success in the video rentals, video sales, cable and TV Showings and of course DVD sales with an upcoming special edition Blu-Ray coming this september.

The film was designed by Brian Froud and the puppetry is still amazing to this day with a unique storyline in a world unlike people have seen before. I also like how it is a smart and fascinating movie about life and the universe including a very biblical-esque metaphor on it.

Of course anothe Henson film came four years later called "Labyrinth" which steals some of the limelight this brilliant film deserved. The film used a couple of human actors along with puppets to make it more acceptable to people and more commercial due to the commercial failure of "The Dark Crystal". I still think this movie deserves a bigger following and more audience then "Labyrinth" which i still think TDC is a major accomplishment and a better movie.

Now there's new merchandise in stores including a Chamerblin action firgure which i shall get, a manga and of course a sequel coming out in 2011. Been a fan of it since i was a young boy in the 80's!

 

[JediKnightButler]

Loved it as a kid and bought it and watched it again quite recently. It was every bit as good as I remembered it and it helped being an adult to understand it better than I did as a kid.

 

[Vanyel]

I loved it.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

One of the few movies I saw in theaters as a kid. Liked it then. Haven't revisited it many years though.

 

[Anwar]

Wonderful movie, but rather freaky at times. The scene where the Skesis Emperor dies is nightmare-rific.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I remember going to see this in the theater and being so freaked out by it that my mother had to take me out of the theater and leave early. Of course, I've seen it many, many times since and it's a thoroughly captivating (if not entirely original) story. What makes it all work is the design -- from Froud to Henson, the world of The Dark Crystal is much more compelling than most fantasy films.

Can't wait for the aforementioned upcoming film which, from what I've read, is being directed by Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars Clone Wars, Powerpuff Girls).

It's a bit like awaiting what Guillermo del Toro will do with the LOTR franchise.

 

[Manticore]

I watched it last christmas and while I wasn't expecting true greatness, I was expecting a fun, enjoyable yet epic romp about saving the world.

Instead, I found it boring and blegh. Possible I let the nerd-hype overrate it for me, but I just couldn't get into it. YMMV.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

My younger brothers and sisters absolutely HATE this movie only because when I was younger I watched it every chance I got. Which, by extension, means they watched it every chance I got.

LOVED it, though it's been a few years since I've seen it.

 

[ElScoob]

I haven't seen it in years and years, but I quite liked it when I was a kid. It was an engaging, imaginative, and at times somewhat scary piece of fantasy.

--g

 

[auntiehill]

I liked it as a kid of 12 or 13, but I haven't watched it since. I recall being a bit creeped out by the baddies at the time and liking the fuzzy little sidekick.

I'm not sure how it would hold up for me now, old fart that I am.

 

[Rulius]

It is still a good movie, certainly a classic...is there going to be a redo or something?

 

[Checkmate]

I think it needs to be redone, myself. This is a prime example of what it could have been.

 

[137th Gebirg]

I have been a big fan of Dark Crystal ever since it came out in theaters. IMHO it is, by far, one of the most original movies ever made, not so much the usual good-vs-evil plot, but the execution is like none other, and Brian Froud's artwork worked perfectly in that world. There has been talk of a sequel for some time (called "The Power of the Dark Crystal"), as it's been in and out of production hell for years - no news since early 2007, but Wiki says it is scheduled for a 2011 release. I don't know if the script sucks or they keep running out of capital to make it (the first one nearly bankrupt Jim Henson's company). In any case, here are a bunch of related sites that are quite good:

The Book of Habidibad (Original Movie)
The Book of Habeetabat (New Movie)
Dark Crystal Wiki
Dark Crystal at IMDB

 

[ToddKent]

It scared the hell out of me when I was a kid. Even the good guys were creepy looking.

I liked it though.

 

[Unicron]

It would be good to pick up a copy of Brian's excellent book The World of The Dark Crystal. It contains a wealth of detail about the world presented in the film (snippets of which appear on the Habidibad site) and the newer reprinting has a reproduction of the original concept flyer for the movie, including some of the early details which were changed for the final production.

I've also been working on a character profile for a custom Mystic (uRmas the Shaper), but I haven't had a chance to write much yet. I'm hoping eventually perhaps to also do a Skeksis counterpart, and anyone interested is welcome to PM me.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Can't wait for the aforementioned upcoming film which, from what I've read, is being directed by Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars Clone Wars, Powerpuff Girls).

Sadly, Genndy is no longer attached to the film. It's anyone's guess what'll happen with it next.

Anyway, count me as a fan.

 

[Mistral]

I loved it. What a movie-I asked myself why more directors didn't try to do things that unique.

 

[God Magnus]

I loved this film when I was younger. I haven't seen it in years, and the last time I think it was on TV and I only caught a few minutes. Still, I have very fond memories of this movie. I always dug the Mystics and the Chamberlain was hilarious to me even as a kid. I recently snagged this on DVD so I look forward to watching it again soon.

 

[Plomeek Broth]

Yes, but I haven't seen it since I was a kid. The Skeksis scared me to death. Are they still scary as an adult? lolz

 

[Ward Fowler]

loved the move. I haven't seen in probably 12 years though.