TV Review: Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019). A pure, magical, adventure.

Image courtesy of Netflix

Tv Review: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019) by Ben Jeffries (3/9/2019)

Season 1 (30/8/2019)

10 Episodes, 44-60 minutes

Fantasy, Drama, Action,

Streaming on Netflix

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance lovingly and faithfully expands on the mythology and magic of the original film.

A collaboration between The Jim Henson Company and Netflix, this 10 episode series serves as a prequel to the 1982 cult film, The Dark Crystal. Age of Resistance returns to the magical world of Thra to tell the tale of how three brave Gelflings named Rian (Taron Egerton), Brea (Anya Taylor-Joy), and Deet (Nathalie Emmanuel), uncover the dark secrets behind their Skeksis overlords’ power, and set out to ignite the fires of rebellion among their people in hopes of saving their world. Rendered in stunning physical detail and performed by one of the worlds pre-eminent puppeteer troupes, the care and love with which this show has been put together makes this a truly magical adventure to behold.

The original Dark Crystal has achieved a measure of cult status in the decades since it’s release, with it’s creative, semi-psychedelic setting brought to life through an impressive display of puppetry, but the original isn’t required viewing for anyone interested in this prequel series. In the opening minutes of the series we’re introduced to the world of Thra through a prologue narrated by the Speaker of Myth, voiced by Sigourney Weaver. The Speaker explains that Thra is a magical world with three suns, three moons, and a Crystal heart which is the source of all the world’s life. When aliens from another world arrive, the magical being who acts as caretaker for the Crystal and the inhabitants of Thra, Mother Augrha (Donna Kimball), is seduced by the idea of using her mind to travel the stars. These aliens, called the Skeksis, build Augrha a machine through which she can send her mind to explore distant worlds, promising to care for the Crystal and Thra while she is away. But, as soon as Augrha’s attentions are turned elsewhere, the crafty Skeksis begin to usurp the power of the Crystal for their own ends. As they drain more and more of the Crystal’s magical energy to prolong their own lives, the natural order of Thra becomes disturbed, poisoning crops and turning normally peaceful creatures violent and dangerous. It falls on the seven clans of the Gelflings, the chief form of intelligent life on the planet, to take back the power of the Crystal for the good of all Thra.

It’s a simple ecological parable, where the greed and mindless consumption of a few privileged individuals threatens the well being of an entire world, and it would be easy for the show to make pointed references and equivalencies to our own impending climate emergencies, but it never stoops to the level of being preachy or redundantly allegorical. Instead, Age of Resistance builds on the core mythology that Henson established in the original film, creating a world of characters, creatures, and landscapes that is textured, vibrant, and full of life, and using that world as the stage for a tale of magic and adventure.

The Skeksis gather for a feast.
Image: Netflix

Series director Louis Leterrier and writers Jeffrey Addiss and Will Mathews have done an excellent job in reviving Henson’s work, who co-wrote and co-directed the original film. The level of detail and standard of craft with which each puppet, prop, and set is presented is astounding. The puppets themselves, from the major characters to the smallest incidental creature are all unique and interesting. Every one of the lumbering, birdlike Skeksis is costumed and adorned in a style appropriate to their character: the pompous Chamberlain (Simon Pegg) wears flowing robes of red and gold, the Scientist (Mark Hamil) carries dozens of tools and mechanical enhancements, and the Emperor (Jason Isaacs) is dressed in delicate black robes and fine silver jewelery. Each of the different Gelfling characters have features defined by their clan, from skin tones and eye colour to the style of clothing they wear and the weapons they carry.

Where the two Gelfling puppets in the original film, Jen and Kira (Jim Henson and Kathryn Mullen respectively), were doll-like and vaguely creepy with their immobile features, the newer puppets are more sophisticated and expressive, though they still have a limited range of facial movement which makes moving between expressions challenging.

As they travel the lands of Thra on their quest, Rian, Brea, Deet, and the cast of heroes they gather about themselves, visit a wide range of fantastical locations and settings. Brea is from snowy Ha’rar, the Gelfling capital, with it’s broad avenues and busy palace hallways of delicate architecture. Deet’s home is the deep, dark Caves of Grot, where glowing moss grows in meadows and the criss crossing tunnels are filled with large worm-like beings called Nurlocks. Rian begins his journey as a guard at the Castle of the Crystal, the seat of power where the Skeksis rule over Thra’s peoples. The Castle’s architecture is constructed on a different scale, built to suit the towering, bulbous Skeksis, and the broad, organically shaped, hallways make the diminutive Gelflings appear even tinier in comparison, like morsels of food swallowed by a giant serpent. On their journey’s the Gelflings will visit towns like Stone in the Wood, and wildernesses like the wastelands of the Crystal Desert.

Each of the locations we travel through as we accompany the heroes on their journeys are built with such rich details and animated with so many moving parts and interesting features that they go beyond simple sets, feeling like real, living, spaces. Even simple forest scenes are filled with gently moving greenery and entire ecosystems of creatures big and small, breathing life into the scene at every level. Throughout the journey Leterrier is careful to place his camera to capture the full scope of each scene. Whether he’s filming a group of Gelflings arguing over royal protocol in a stately throne room, or a pair of Skeksis ganging up on a smaller creature in the halls of their castle, Letterier captures the exquisite workmanship that has gone into every element of the show’s production.

During the press cycle leading up to the shows release Age of Resistance’s producers promised a world of places and characters done practically, with little or no CGI and, for the most part, they’ve lived up to that promise. CGI has been used to enhance the world and characters, but almost never as a stand in for them. When the production does fall back on computer generated imagery it’s to give the gorgeous landscapes a breathtaking sky to match, or for a magical special effect, or as a digital replacement in the rare case when a puppet would be too big or difficult to manipulate through the more intense action sequences.

Bringing life to the characters who inhabit this magical world is a solid cast of vocal performers. Simon Pegg, Mark Hamil, and Jason Issacs are all incredible as members of the Skeksis cabal. Isaacs is a growling, menacing, evil presence, while Hamil is the whining, sniveling genius. Pegg’s performance as the Chamberlain is such a seamless fit for the original voice provided by Frank Oz that it’s almost impossible to pick him out. Nathalie Emanuel is touchingly sweet as the optimistic and hopeful Deet, and Taron Egerton gives a dynamic performance as Rian when the character could easily have been just a brash heroic stereotype. Taking on Frank Oz’s other major role from the original film, Donna Kimball does a fantastic job as the voice of Mother Augrha, perfectly capturing the rhythms and inflections of the irrepressible old mystic.

Sigourney Weaver as the Speaker of Myth isn’t the only big name to feature in the various supporting roles, either. Helena Bonham-Carter voices Brea’s mother. Lena Headey is the head of Rian’s clan, the warrior Fara. Eddie Izzard plays a small part as a less than trustworthy mystic. Among the various Skeksis are voices provided by Awkwafina, Toby Jones, Keegan-Michael Key, Benedict Wong and Harvey Fierstein. It’s a broad, diverse cast of performers and everyone is fully committed to the tone of the show.

But while the voices are all strongly performed, they would be entirely useless without the physical performances of The Jim Henson Company’s troupe of incredible puppeteers. Alice Dinnean gives Brea’s physicality all the delicacy and airiness of the fairy princess she is, while also playing the strong, deliberate warrior Fara. Dave Chapman is poised and snakelike as the Skeksis Emperor, giving a physical menace to match Jason Isaacs vocal performance. Between them Katherine Smee and Kevin Clash give the character of Mother Augrha a physical character that’s so dynamic it steals entire scenes with simple shakes of her head. Victor Yerrid is charming as both the voice and puppeteer for the Podling Hup, a would-be Paladin who journeys with Deet and only speaks in broken English.

The words “world building” have become overused in recent years as people have taken to using the phrase to describe simple exposition, but the puppeteers and set builders of the Henson Company have literally built a world in Age of Resistance. As the heroes and villains struggle for control of these magical lands it feels odd to say that the plot of the show is perhaps it’s least creative element, but fans of the genre will be familiar with just about every beat of the story as it unfolds. There are conflicts over crowns. Betrayals follow intrigues which set up feuds. There are quests for magical MacGuffins which can only be discovered after uncovering secrets and conspiracies which have lain hidden for centuries. Heroic battles lead to losses which stoke the survivors determination to succeed. There are witches and spells and ancient evils and talking trees. Mechanically, the story may operate like any other piece of well fashioned High Fantasy, but the stage on which that story unfolds is so wonderfully drawn and the characters are so lovingly played that you barely have the spare brain space to notice as you try to take in the richness of the shows visual detail.

Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is a fascinating journey through a living, breathing, fantasy world with a host of brave heroes and menacing villains, built on a deep mythology. It takes the work of the original film and enhances it, building on it without ever attempting to eclipse or exceed. A few scary scenes may make the show unsuitable for very young audiences but, if The Dark Crystal is a childhood favourite, this series is a must see, and fans of the fantasy genre in general will delight in the depth of the world that has been constructed. The plot may be a little familiar, but the level of craft with which the world of Thra has been shaped turns a standard quest into a truly magical adventure.

8/10

Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Stars: Taron Edgerton, Nathalie Emanuel, Anya Taylor-Joy, Beccy Henderson, Neil Sterenberg, Alice Dinnean, Victor Yerrid, Warrick Brownlow-Pike, Simon Pegg, Donna Kimball, Dave Chapman, Katherine Smee, Kevin Clash, Helena Smee, Jason Isaacs, Mark Hamil,

Created by: Jim Henson (The Dark Crystal), Jeffrey Addiss, Will Mathews,

Written by: Richard Elliot, Simon Rcaioppa, Kari Drake, Margaret Dunlap, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, J.M. Lee, Vivian Lee

Directed by: Louis Leterrier

a Production from: The Jim Henson Company

Distributed by: Netflix