The stellar sets and well crafted puppetry help this feature from its uncanny setting

I like this dark fantasy tale from Jim Henson even if it is nightmare fuel for kids. The technical production of the movie is an amazing feat! However, whenever I re-watch this film as an adult, the opening monologue is forever ruined for me because it was heavily sampled in the techno song "Trip Like I Do" by The Crystal Method.

Maybe a little weird. But another solid 80s fantasy movie.

An impressive failure of a film. In trying to understand its enduring popularity I considered each of its qualities… Characters? Wooden. Puppetry? Wooden. (Well, the villains were impressive, especially those giant dung beetles, but the main characters were expressionless—far from Henson's best work.) Plot? Clichéd. And wooden. Oh, and if you're tempted to show your younger kids, be warned that the life-force-sucking scenes are the stuff of nightmares. (7/9/2019)

I'm really torn on this one. On the one hand, there was obviously great care and time put into creating this imaginative fantasy world. The animatronics, the costumes, the sets pieces... clearly this was passion project for those behind it. On the other hand though, the story was rather boring and none of the characters were particularly interesting. Even the main character was inept and unremarkable. So much so that it was hard to care what was going on. I'm not even sure who the target audience is supposed to be. It's a little too dark for young children and not interesting enough for older crowds. I never saw this movie as a kid myself, so I don't have the nostalgia factor to prop it up. Like I said, it was visually impressive to a point, and I can appreciate all the hard work it took to make this movie happen, but I was mostly bored so I'll just call this one right in the middle.

This movie is a classic and a work of art! 10/10

Cool Characters. Recycled Story. Jen, a gelfling, is sent of a quest to retrieve a shard from an ancient crystal so that balance may be restored to the land. Jim Henson's creations look incredible. The skesies make me sick to my stomach. They look like they are rotting from the inside out. They're even more disgusting without their robes. The mystics seem charming and wise - the very opposite of the skesies. The rest of the creatures - Jen, Kira, Aughra, and the background puppets - are cool to watch. It was nice to rewatch something that wasn't C. G.I. Heavy. As interesting as the characters were the story just didn't do anything for me. I wrote in my notebook "Why is everything and nothing explained in this movie?" The story borrows heavily from classic fantasy tropes to push the narrative along. A vague prophecy helps to steamroll the plot forward. Jen has absolutely no clue what he's doing. There are better fantasy movies to watch. Prop I Want:A Fizzgig puppet Most Punchable Face: Aughra. I never want to watch her sit down again. Favorite Quote: "I don't want to go alone.....alright, alone then." - Jen

Great puppet/set designs and I really like the resolution to the quest.

This is worth watching for the imaginative set design and puppetry alone!

The designs in this are simply exquisite; Brian Froud's fairy like designs never fail to astound. The use of Muppet characters in a high-fantasy movie was brilliant, although perhaps they need to come up with a better way to show walking. This movie looks and feels like nothing else. A true gem of the 80s!

Muppets but disturbing.

The Gelfling faces are practically the definition of the uncanny valley. The Dark Crystal definitely isn't shy about embracing plenty of fantasy tropes, heavy as it is with all the exposition about prophecies, imaginative races, cataclysmic events, wise old sages, a lone hero destined to change the world, and powerful artifacts. But it doesn't really matter if the story has tons of predictability when the slack is being picked right back up again by the visual design; there's a constant parade of imaginative creatures being introduced, animated by puppetry techniques far beyond anything that had been attempted in the medium before. The designs aren't necessarily all iconic or amazing (the Gelfling in particular are just too human in their features to avoid being a bit disturbing), but most are top-notch for an original dark fantasy concept and they often have way more fluid motions than you'd expect, except for the staggering, awkward fight choreography. I mean, it's not like you can replicate Zorro using a few well-placed wires. It's an example of originality in style beating out substance - the critics were wrong to condemn it outright. And wow, the Garthim seem like they were used as the blueprint for Fallout's Mirelurks. Or maybe just straight-up copied. (3.5/5)

One of the best movies ever made! Period

I wasn't amused even as a kid.

A beautiful film. I loved it

The story isn't amazing but the worldbuilding is phenomenal.

it is a slow paced dreamy movie. Henson's creations bring to life Thra and create iconic characters like the Skeksis. a piece of art for a more simple time, not as great as Labyrinth mind you but still amazing. The series was amazing and more modern in pace, dialogues and puppets animations. A shame the series was cancelled I loved it

Very well made, but probably a lot more truth here than it might seem.

An absolute joy and privilege to watch. This prequel mirrors Jim Henson's original, The Dark Crystal, produced in the eighties- placing it on a pedestal surrounded by amazing visuals, artwork, and craft.

Jim Henson had brought us the immortal Muppets and films like Labryrinth, but The Dark Crystal is a wonderful film, that was part of my childhood, as well as my brother's. A lot of effort clearly went into this, and it really does show, with the rich details of the characters. It tells the story of Jen, a Geffling who must return the Crystal shard to the dark Crystal, before the conjunction of the three suns, or the skeksies will rule forever. The film is recognised as fantastic by people, because of its clear symbolism and themes such as the personifications of good (the mysties) and the evil (the skeksies). The film is directed by the immensely talented duo Jim Henson and Frank Oz. The film looks dazzling,with fabulous visuals and very well staged sequences, and Jen and Kira are very engaging as title characters. The mysties are very mysterious, and the Skeksies are very, very scary. There is a well-above average script, and a sweeping music score that is phenomenal. The characters are well voiced by some Muppet regulars such as Oz himself, and they are tone-perfect. The story may be a little simplistic and some elements a little too frightening for youngsters, but visually and audibly, it is an absolute treat, and should be recognised as a truly wonderful film. 10/10 Bethany Cox.