THE DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE: A New Age Of Familiar Fantasy

When Jim Henson initially screened The Dark Crystal for executives in the early 1980s, they said nothing to him after the film ended. They were greatly underwhelmed and the film wasn’t a commercial success compared to Henson’s more iconic Muppet movies. He pressed on with other projects but The Dark Crystal gained a cult following over time for its high fantasy and brilliantly otherworldly design. Now the story continues in the form of a prequel series with Age of Resistance. Although the presence of a few familiar characters does dampen the suspense of who will come out of this war alive, there’s still plenty of grand fantasy and adventure within its puppet allure.

The War for Thra

On the planet Thra, the crow-like Skesis rule over the many Gelfling clans of the land. Some Gelflings serve the Skesis directly in their towering castle while others still maintain their kingdoms. Though the Skesis has plenty of power, it’s not enough. They don’t just want to rule over Thra but conquer death itself. Trying to find a way to cheat the reaper, the Skesis make a miraculous discovery; the magical essence of Gelflings can be extracted via the crystal of the castle and be used to increase their youth. The Skesis, greedy and manipulative as they are, see no issue with either sacrificing of Gelfing for their health or the damage they do to the crystal in the extraction process. Because if that crystal goes, so goes Thra.

Of course, getting the Gelfling to rise up against the Skesis is no easy task. The rulers hold such sway over the Gelfling populace that if any of them dare step out of line, they can squash their doubts quickly. Rian (Taron Egerton) of the Stonewood Clan is a witness to the horrors of the Skesis and is labeled as having his mind poisoned, forcing him to go on the run and find a way to tell the truth.

Breat (Anya Taylor-Joy) of the Vapra Clan is a princess of great intelligence who is smart enough to see that something is amiss with her kingdom’s history and loyalties. Deet (Nathalie Emmanuel) of the Grottan Clan is more in tune with nature that she has the aid of a talking tree herald to set her on an adventure. All of them along with the other clans will soon come together with a little help from the grumpy and powerful Aughra, The Keeper of Secrets, a wrinkled witch who specializes in prophecies and astronomy.

Younger and Darker

Keeping with the spirit of the original film, Age of Resistance is incredibly dark and grim, while still setting aside a few moments for wonder. The Skesis are posed as brutal and tyrannical, where even the more comical figure of skekSil, The Chamberlain (Simon Pegg), is capable of great cruelty and rage. One brilliant scene features Chamberlain explaining to Rian why the Gelfling harvesting is necessary with a tone that shifts from philosophical to egotistical.

Chamberlain was better known from the original Dark Crystal as the more tragic trickster who kept saying “mmmMMMmmm”. He says quite a bit more here and even turns viciously violent. Even more terrifying is the presence of a hunter Skesis that is nimble enough to soar from trees and wield multiple swords when tracking down Gelfling.

The Gelfling struggle has much terror and despair to give some real danger and drama to these odd-looking elf creatures. There’s much betrayal and discrimination within the tribes, external and internal. Some are racist of the different Gelflings while others bicker and battle for their right to the throne. Each clan has their own lore of how they acquired their territories and traditions they hold sacred, thankfully never doled out in overly long strings of exposition. There’s a natural flow to the chain of events, slowly revealing the little nooks and crannies of each land, from the creature-filled caves of the Grottans to the crowning ceremony of the Vapra. There are so many scenes of hopelessness in the struggle of these creatures that even if you’ve seen the film there’s a grim sensation that not everything will turn out the way you think.

Thankfully, there are a few moments that take time out from the struggle to enjoy the beauty and charm of the world. Most of these scenes are naturally reserved for Deet as the big-eyed adorer of nature, always approaching every creature with a comforting coo. She quickly befriends a foreign-speaking Podling by the name of Hup who hopes to be a paladin and wields a wooden spoon as his weapon. They make an adorable duo.

Puppets and CGI

Though nearly all the characters are assembled with true puppetry akin to how Henson’s original film had been staged, some computer graphics are sprinkled in to allow for more versatility. These are thankfully used sparingly for the more speedy scenes, as when the hunter Skesis swings from tree to tree and when the Skesis bug-powered carriage charges across the land. I’m a little thankful that these are present considering during many of the action sequences there’s a jerkiness to the camera to keep everything in the frame. One of the most chaotic sequences features two Gelflings doing battle with a four-armed Skesis wielding a blade in each hand. Not exactly the easiest sequence to shoot when everything has to be shot above the waist.

Easily one of the most unique characters of the miniseries is Aughra, appearing full body in most shots. She has that same snappy and grumpy attitude she had in the film as an aged sorcerer with the best backtalk to any who oppose her. Taking advantage of the rumors, she frightens a few guards with big talk of her powers. There are also a few scenes when the power makes her a strong player in the war, as when a magical creature attempts to control her mind and fails, remarking that even Aughra can’t fully control Aughra.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

There’s so much detail and emotion placed within every episode of Age of Resistance that the miniseries becomes far more engrossing than merely a fantasy with puppets. Never holding back to make the show too family-friendly, the show always felt like it embraced true danger and astute political commentary in the most imaginative way possible. I was a little terrified of the movie as a kid and I’m even still a little bit shocked by this miniseries. This isn’t just a faithful return to Henson’s original vision but greatly expands on his world with a remarkable story that stands well enough on its own with a gorgeously fantastic design.

Even if the Gelflings or the Skesis have an odd look to them, the miniseries format gives time to let the magic work on the audience and quickly whisk them away to the point where we’re watching more for who will betray who then where the hands are inside the puppets. This is the bold kind of fantasy that is more than welcome from the Henson studio in the 21st century.

Watch The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance