THE DARK CRYSTAL. More than the average fantasy film

The Dark Crystal is one of those archetypal fairy tales set in a fantastical world tormented by a millennia-old conflict between the forces of good and evil. As is usually the case, the narrator introduces us at a moment of upheaval, when ultimate matters are to be decided. Either we live to see another sunrise, or we are forever consumed by darkness. It’s an ever-effective, ever-engaging dramatic device. Such monumental changes, of course, cannot occur on their own. The final word always belongs to the Hero, the Chosen One, the Only One.

In The Dark Crystal, that chosen one is Jen — as we learn, the last of the peaceful Gelfling race. Over hundreds of years, all of his kin have been slaughtered by the sinister Skeksis, who possess the titular crystal — a mystical object of secret powers that grants immortality. Jen lives among the gentle and kind Mystics. He is cared for by his master — an aged sage nearing death, yet still the leader of the Mystics’ order. On his deathbed, the old wise man tells Jen that he must find the missing shard of the Dark Crystal.

The lost fragment will restore balance to the entire planet and bring an end to the age of darkness. Jen cannot hesitate. That very same day, he sets out on his journey. Unprepared and guided only by vague clues, he knows he has no choice. Upon his shoulders rests the fate of every living being on the planet — the being or not being of Tomorrow itself.

Popular culture keeps returning to this timeless, potent story, dressing it up in different costumes, conventions, eras, and genres. On a grand scale, The Dark Crystal tells the same tale as The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Willow, or The Matrix. Jim Henson and Frank Oz’s film will not surprise you with its prologue or its initial situation, with the Journey — understood both spiritually and physically — nor with its ending, which is really a kind of new beginning. It’s the well-trodden Hero’s Path, the narrative Eternal Return, merely in a new arrangement. You’ve met these characters before — they just wore different masks and had different names. Yet The Dark Crystal utterly convinces through its awe-inspiring world-building, its visual power, and the atmosphere that spills from the screen.

One particularly striking and evocative scene is that of the Skeksis Emperor’s death. The ruler — already resembling a decaying corpse — lies in his royal bed, wrapped in a red blanket and bathed in a purple glow, croaking out his final commands. Henson and Oz employ a grotesque aesthetic, conjuring an almost tangible sense of rot, corruption, and inevitable, cruel death. It’s perhaps the most vivid moment in the entire film — impressive in its plasticity, color intensity, and its clash of light and darkness.

At the same time, the Mystic Master dies. In this case, however, it’s the natural course of things — the fulfillment of a cycle. The final act of a good life, where every word carries weight and every gesture the power of a symbol. The scene seems modeled after Yoda’s farewell in The Return of the Jedi. It’s realized in a similar aesthetic key, at a familiar slow pace that effectively builds a magical, elusive aura. The Master slowly fades away beneath his cloak and garments, passing into a new cosmic order. The creators of The Dark Crystal juxtapose these two deaths in contrast, while also underscoring the unity of the Mystics and the Skeksis.

They are two different races, with entirely different characters, motivations, and needs — yet somehow linked. This, of course, is one of the film’s most important themes, both in terms of plot and world-building.

Amid this fantastical setting, it’s easy to forget about the main protagonist. That’s partly due to the overwhelming visual richness, but also because Jen himself lacks a distinct personality. Unfortunately, he is a hero without temperament, whose values are never tested in ways engaging to the viewer. Jen serves more as an anonymous guide through the film’s successive locations.

Despite this single flaw, The Dark Crystal offers far more than the average fantasy film. The creators poured all their creative energy into crafting a living, surprising flora and fauna that appear in nearly every frame. They let us glimpse the planet’s system, and with astonishing enthusiasm they describe a place with its own mythology, turbulent past, beliefs, alchemy, magic, and ruins of a once-great civilization. It’s a world expanding before our eyes, yet full of intriguing mysteries left unsaid. The Dark Crystal is a familiar narrative skeleton wrapped in a virtuoso presentation — and as a result, one of the most artistically accomplished fantasy films ever made.