# The Dark Crystal **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473 "2011-08-20T22:22:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/1 "2011-08-20T22:22:02Z")
Pulled this out of my DVD collection and watched it for the first time in years on a whim. What a fun movie! The story is so simple and timeless and the puppetry even all these years later is amazingly well done. There is so much imagination in almost every shot. I miss Jim Henson. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/2 "2011-08-20T23:03:54Z")
Agreed. Henson managed to create a fantasy classic that also happened to be a masterpiece in terms of experimental puppetry. Rarely do you get such a perfect blend of art, technology and entertainment in one film. ---
**Author:** ![monkeylucifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@monkeylucifer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monkeylucifer)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/3 "2011-08-20T23:40:24Z")
I love the movie, and Henson is one of my heroes but to me The Dark Crystal is all about the designs of [Brian Froud](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Froud). ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/4 "2011-08-20T23:44:37Z")
While Froud is undoubtedly crucial, he worked in conjunction with Henson in terms of the world-building, and the film really was a vehicle for Henson to push well past the limits of what he’d done with the Muppets. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/5 "2011-08-20T23:49:45Z")
Definitely agreed, I saw this in the theatre originally, have owned it on video, and on DVD, every so often, I pull it out and watch it (think I’ll do so tonight), there are some things that have always stuck with me… Henson was an absolute genius, the Crystalverse seemed so real and alive Fizzgig, the “terror-tribble” “Wings, but I don’t have wings”…“of course not, you’re a boy” The essence-draining of the Podlings was truly terrifying to a young MacTech, you could just _feel_ the life slowly drain from the innocent little podlings, leaving them in a truly horrific dessicated, zombielike state Years later, when watching the Farscape episode “Out of their Minds”, the birdlike [Halosians](http://farscape.wikia.com/wiki/Halosian) reminded me of something, then I realized it, the Henson shop had basically re-used the[Skeksis](http://cheezburger.com/daife/lolz/View/3279818496) puppets, altered them slightly, but the Halosians were basically Space-Skeksis I think I’ll do a double feature tonight, The Dark Crystal, and Labrynth… Worm; ['Ello…](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0K5T0AqVlY) Sarah;…Did you just say…hello? W; Nope, I said 'Ello, but thats close enough… W; Don’t go _THAT_ way S; Sorry? W; _NEVER_ go _that_ way… S; oh, thanks… \ W; Cor, if she’d kept on going down that way, she’d 'ave gone straight to that castle… ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/6 "2011-08-21T00:43:42Z")
_The Dark Chrystal_ is a true classic that never got the respect or publicity it deserved. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/7 "2011-08-21T00:48:59Z")
This movie terrified me as a kid. It didn’t help that I got separated from my Mom, and lost, right before the movie. The security people had to page her to come get her sniveling, weeping child… Joe ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/8 "2011-08-21T00:52:05Z")
Darn, I missed the edit window. Here’s the correction, and the further reflections I wrote: _The Dark Crystal_ is a true classic that never got the respect or recognition it deserved. I don’t know if this was because people thought, “What? No Kermit or Miss Piggy? Forget it!” If it was, that’s a crying shame. I do remember some parents complaining, (complaining!) that the “essence draining scene” was too scary for their little darlings. And this was during the slasher film craze, that kids were always sneaking in to see. (Well, not sneaking so much as not giving their ages at the box office. Back then, the supervision for that stuff was really lax.) ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/9 "2011-08-21T01:06:36Z")
Saw it in the theater and loved this movie as a kid. I used to sketch all the characters while in school. I kinda had a crush on Kira. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/10 "2011-08-21T01:25:58Z")
Was a fan of the movie but the character’s voices were lame, imo, sounded too ridiculously muppet-ish. ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/11 "2011-08-21T02:00:23Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Saw it in the theater and loved this movie as a kid. I used to sketch all the characters while in school. I kinda had a crush on Kira. Me too. She’s basically a more attractive gelfling version of Victoria Beckham. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/12 "2011-08-21T02:31:36Z")
> [@the lone cashew](#): > > Was a fan of the movie but the character’s voices were lame, imo, sounded too ridiculously muppet-ish. You don’t like the majority of the voices? They brought in voice actors for most of the characters, replacing the voices of the puppeteers- which I thought was a good idea. The only Muppet performers who did voices were Jerry Nelson and Steve Whitmire, each in small roles. I actually thought that Frank Oz did the voice of Aughra, in addition to the puppetry, but it turns out I was wrong. Which is not to say that a non-Muppet performer couldn’t do a “ridiculously muppet-ish” voice. In fact, the only voice that sounded too “Muppet-ish” to me was that of Chamberlain- who was actually performed by a voice actor, _not_ a Muppet performer. [Cast of Character: first name listed is the voice performer, the puppeteer(s) is in parentheses](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Crystal#Cast_of_characters) ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/13 "2011-08-21T02:34:11Z")
> [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](#): > > Me too. She’s basically a more attractive gelfling version of Victoria Beckham. Wait. Victoria Beckham isn’t a gelfling version of Victoria Beckham??? ---
**Author:** ![Chipacabra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Chipacabra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chipacabra)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/14 "2011-08-21T02:37:30Z")
Everyone is aware that the sequel, Power of the Dark Crystal, is still chugging along in production, yes? I don’t usually think 3D adds much to movies, but this is one I’ll be willing to endure the glasses for. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/15 "2011-08-21T02:49:53Z")
As a kid I got a copy of the first printing of [Brian Froud’s large-format _The World of Dark Crystal_ book](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394521684/sr=1-5/qid=1313893946/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1313893946&sr=1-5&seller=) before I ever saw the movie. Most of the book isn’t even the narrative, it’s just wild images and snippets of the lore. Yet it explains much that the movie doesn’t; for example, the relationship between urRu and Skeksis–between the _particular individuals_ of each pair—was (crystal) clear. The _sense_ of the world was vivid. After that, the movie was disappointing, and I couldn’t see how anybody who hadn’t seen the book could entirely understand it. So, if you _like_ the movie but have never seen that book, let me recommend it. For fans, it’s probably worth a premium price even in fairly used condition. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/16 "2011-08-21T03:13:56Z")
I do like the majority of voice work in The Dark Crystal, but some of the voice tones and styles stood out negatively - like Yoda did in SW- just too obviously muppet sounding. Like these sounds here… [(link)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpIoPQHYhrw&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/17 "2011-08-21T03:20:53Z")
I, too, really like [The Dark Cristal](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RudzOqb-fRc). Definitely a work of genius. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/18 "2011-08-21T05:51:20Z")
I think I must be the only one who wasn’t fond of it. It felt to me like there _should_ have been a vast world just beyond what we were seeing, but that there _wasn’t_. Who were the people of the world? The most important races of creatures had only a handful of individuals each. And I think that it suffered from the lack of humans, too: Somehow the presence of humans, even if only incidental, seem to anchor the reality of Muppets: Even with as stylized as someone like Cookie Monster or Miss Piggy is, they still end up seeming more “real” than the various Dark Crystal creatures. Now, _Labyrinth_, that I’ll get behind as a great film. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/19 "2011-08-21T08:17:03Z")
This was one of my favorite films as a kid, and still is! I even attempted to write a sequel. For some reason I decided Kira would become a mermaid in a revelation similar to when she showed off her wings. Good thing a real sequel is in the works, even if it seems to be in development hell. And oh the gorgeous set pieces! I want a giant floating crystal and enormous orrery in my living room. And I’ve always thought a chair like the ones the good creatures sat on were cool. I’ve often thought as a rainy day project to make a chair people could sit on reclining face forward. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473/20 "2011-08-21T16:16:45Z")
I suppose the smallness of the world was a side effect of having everything be puppets. There are limits to your resources. I think they did a decent job given that. I image if it were made today (or with this sequel mentioned above), CGI will be used to create background characters and places to make the world seem bigger. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-crystal/593473.md?page=2)