The Skekses comes on screen with a monologue explaining the problems of this world inhabited by strange and alluring creatures, with the Mystics on the other side. The balance of the world hangs in middle, based upon the journey of an Elfing and whether or not he manages to find the magical shard. This journey begins with a sacrifice and ends with one as well. Or does it? The conceptual point here is to speak about a dying world, one where resources are depleted and wise indulge in hiding and the powerful indulge in exploitation. Within this struggle of extinction lies a hope of revival which will endure a journey and the eventuality that follows. Jim Henson created a labyrinth where a young Jeniffer Connely makes a journey into a maze to save her sibling from an evil David Bowie, accompanied a set of fantastical creatures that walked out of his workshop. Then he followed it with Dark Crystal. A new set of creatures walked out of his shop in a completely new world which seemed more or less like a place from a Galaxy Far Far Away but somewhere in the 80s’ edition of the film adaptation of Masters of the Universe. Come to think of it after viewing ‘The Dark Crystal’ and ‘Labyrinth’. We would have certainly got Orko in the bargain and the adventures would be more in Eternia than what was a pop-culture infused 80s’ suburb. Let’s just leave this thought to another universe for the future.
Dark Crystal was a good addition to a set of children’s fantasy that came out during the period supporting the morning shows on T.V while promoting a new realm of imagination. Fantasy makes it work well with science-fiction and other genres to create open worlds of existence where magic and science co-exist. These films made less money in return but garnered more fandom over time through repeated viewing on home video. Today in the age of high-quality CGI and the gamut of the visual design changing, the journey of our Elfing is a lesson on Animatronics, Puppeteering, Optical Illusions, and Matte Paintings used during the decade which led to the advent of Digital Age. The journey is about to begin again on Netflix with a more modernity approach and a mixture of the old school magic as seen in the first promos. But what about the audience. The original movie was made with an idea that it’s healthy for children to be afraid. The visuals complimented the story and the thought behind it. Today the viewership has changed, children are more evolved and exposed to videogame fantasy in exploring open worlds and engaging in quest of darkness. Will this sequel/prequel hit the mark? Should we watch the original before indulging in a binge?
by ScreenJives
screenjives 