Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (March 7, 2003)
Wizards and elves, magic and mischief: until 2001’s The Fellowship of the Ring, fantasy films that worked along those lines never did much for me. Yes, I like computer games that use such themes, but while I can see why these kinds of stories entertain others, I can't muster much interest in them myself.
But hope springs eternal, so I occasionally give various examples of the genre another shot. I first viewed 1982’s The Dark Crystal when I was a mere lad of 15.
As far as I remember - the sands of time make this pretty clouded - I looked forward to the movie but I ultimately didn't think much of it. I can't recall the specifics, but I believe I felt that it was a pretty lackluster picture.
Fast-forward almost seventeen years and I once again gave Crystal a shot when it first appeared on DVD. Even though I knew I didn't like it too much when I first saw it, I also was aware that this film had become something of a "cult classic" by that point, so I figured there was a good shot I'd appreciate it now more than I did then.
Unfortunately, that didn’t occur. My second screening of Crystal didn’t enchant me anymore than the first.
So why’d I give it a third viewing via this 2003 Superbit DVD release? Perhaps I figured the third time would be the charm and I’d finally start to like Crystal
Or maybe not. I wanted to like Crystal, but I just couldn't.
1000 years earlier during a "Great Conjunction", a powerful crystal cracked and left two races: the evil Skeksis and the gentle Mystics. After the Skeksis slaughtered his family, the elf-like Gelfling Jen (puppeted by Jim Henson, voice acted by Stephen Garlick) went to live among the Mystics.
With another Great Conjunction on the horizon, Jen needs to find a shard to heal the crystal and prevent a potential apocalypse. This sends him on a dangerous mission.
While I respect the artistry and the effort that went into making the film, I find it to be an overly somber and dull affair. At literally no point during the movie does Crystal turn enchanting or delightful. I stuck with it, but it 94 minutes seem to last a looong time.
One significant fault relates to its plot, or lack thereof. Crystal begins with a tremendous amount of exposition.
Fair enough since the races involved - wise Mystics, evil Skeksis, androgynous Gelflings - and their issues are all clearly alien to us. This means the filmmakers need to take a while to bring us up to speed.
Unfortunately, once all this exposition ends, the film continues upon its slow and uneventful pace. There just isn't a whole lot happening here.
Jen needs to find a shard of a crystal and return it to the larger crystal from whence it came. The Skeksis try to stop him. The end.
Okay, this minimalist description may not be completely fair. After all, lots of movies have plots that can be similarly reduced.
Hey, one could even break down The Lord of the Rings to that level if desired, and its three chapters fill more than nine hours of screen time! However, Rings also shows us exciting and provocative events that occur along that path, but for the most part, that's not the case with Crystal.
Actually, I think the film's single greatest flaw stems from the many dull characters who populate the picture. The worst offenders in this regard are Jen and his Gelfling honey Kira (voiced by Lisa Maxwell, puppeted by Kathryn Mullen).
These roles seem almost completely devoid of any distinguishing features or anything to make them interesting, so they're both total duds. The audience is supposed to like them and root for them, but I couldn't care less what happenes to them, as they offer two of the most anonymous heroes I've yet encountered.
In and of itself, a lackluster hero doesn't become a fatal flaw for a film. Indeed, Disney films frequently feature "ciphers" such as Jen and Kira in the lead roles because such bland stars make it easier for audience members to project themselves into the roles, and the filmmakers let spicier supporting characters pick up the slack.
Unfortunately, that doesn't happen in Crystal, as most of the other roles aren't substantially more interesting. Wizardress Aughra (voiced by Billie Whitelaw, puppeted by Frank Oz) simply looks hideous and displays a caustic attitude.
Other than that, she lacks any personality. She seems like a shrill and obnoxious version of Yoda and nothing else.
The Skeksis could have been - and probably should have been - fairly compelling, but they're pretty much nonentities as well. The main Skeksis we encounter is the Chamberlain, but the only reason he stands out is because of a vocal affectation (voiced by Barry Dennen, puppeted by Oz). He lacks personality other than in a vaguely conniving manner.
To be honest, the only character who interests me emotionally in the least was Kira's pet Fizzgig. Even then, I think I only cared about him because he looked like a dog, and I love dogs, as the character itself lacked much personality.
Ultimately, The Dark Crystal stands as a wonderful technical achievement, but the film itself lacks spirit and heart. It's clear that the filmmakers worked very hard to create a different world, and they succeeded in doing so.
However, they seemed so concerned with the techniques that they neglected to offer any story or characters who substantially involved the audience. It's a film that broadened the horizons of what could be done with puppets, but instead of worrying about what they should do with the story, the filmmakers were more concerned with what they could do in technical realms and the resulting movie suffered for that.