At first glance, it does not seem obvious to make the fantasy film "The Dark Crystal" from 1982 almost three decades later the basis of a new streaming series. Certainly, the work of "Muppets" inventor Jim Henson and co-director Frank Oz, which at that time was impressive with groundbreaking puppetry and a sombre and creative genius, enjoys cult status.
But does that justify the effort of a ten-part prequel in 2019, which seems to have fallen from the digital age with its use of analogue models?
According to the creators of "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance," the answer must be "yes." Because the series produced by the Jim Henson Company for Netflix so consciously asserts its aesthetic, technical and narrative peculiarity, it stands out from the crowd of fantastic fictions. And it's amazing how fast the puppet's initial alienation effect softens and you as a viewer willingly get involved in the planet Thra and its fascinating inhabitants.
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Fantastic puppetry: Netflix series "The Dark Crystal" imagesAll life on Thra revolves around the crystal of truth, which is at the same time enigmatic natural phenomenon, quasi-religious relic and object of desire. Thus, the power relations that have been cemented over thousands of years align themselves with him: as supposedly well-meaning guardians of the crystal, the skewers, a technologically advanced aristocracy of bird-like creatures, rule the planet. Their subjects are the Gelflings, who live in different clans distributed on and under the surface of Thras. Ethnic prejudices characterize the relationship of the clans to each other, and the Gelflinge are united only in their reverence for the crystal and the mighty skeptic.
Decelerated narrative with attention to detail
However, this order brings the young Gelfling Rian to shaky. Serving as a guard in Skekse Castle, Rian witnesses the decayed rulers attempting to use the Crystal to gain everlasting life by sacrificing Gelfling and absorbing its essence withdrawn from the crystal. Rian manages to escape from the castle, but in his attempt to spread the terrible truth in Thra, he must not only escape the access of skewers, but also has to fight with the unbelief of the other Gelblinge. But that's not all, a weird disease is increasingly affecting the flora and fauna of the planet. Their propagation also seems to be related to the crystal.
Video: The German Trailer for "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance"
For the introduction of its own mythology and the numerous main characters, the series is initially unusually much time. The decelerated narrative not least offers the opportunity to discover the artfully crafted dolls and scenes in all their details. When the individual storylines gather more and more from the fourth episode, the tempo increases significantly. But until then it pays to be patient, because a considerable charm of "The Dark Crystal" lies in the careful elaboration of the characters and their truly magical world, in which even the smallest element can astonish and delight.
Prominent speakers such as Helena Bonham-Carter, Simon Pegg, Andy Samberg, Jason Isaacs and Mark Hamill also support the formation of illusions in the English-language original. This language version is absolutely recommendable, especially as "The Dark Crystal" despite puppetry is by no means suitable for young children: Although it is often colorful in Thra, and the series also contains scenes of almost "Fraggles" -like cleanliness, but already in the next At the moment, murder, torture and intrigue make it look like a surprisingly coherent crossover from Muppets and "Game of Thrones".
Just watching the skewers at their grotesque banquet can have traumatic consequences for less robust stomachs and emotions. So it is above all the virtuoso sustained ambivalence between astonishment and horror that makes "The Dark Crystal" as a fantasy shine surprisingly bright.
"The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance": Season 1 available on Netflix