REVIEW: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance A Glorious Return to Thra

In 1982, Muppet master Jim Henson gave us a story that was darker, more visceral and more alien than any puppet movie might really have a right to be.

The Dark Crystal took us to a dying alien world and an epic quest to save it from the creatures that ruled it.

And for most of us, that glimpse was all we had for over 30 years.

Taron Egerton as Rian and Nathalie Emmanuel as Deet in “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance”. (Netflix)

But things have a way of coming around for those who wait and dream. For those people, Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is a dream come true.

Taking place in the age before the film, Age of Resistance follows three young Gelfling (the same species as the heroes of the 1982 film, Jen and Kira) who, on their own, discover that the Skeksis are not the benevolent dictators everyone believes them to be. They are tampering with the Crystal of Truth, causing a Darkening that is spreading across the land, afflicting plants and animals.

And what’s more, they have found a terrifying new way to extend their lives which puts all the Gelfling at risk.

Jim Henson’s daughter Lisa executive produces the newest foray into the world of Thra, the fantasy world where The Dark Crystal takes place.  Also back are the principal designers of Thra’s creatures – Brian and Wendy Froud, and their grown son Toby.

And who better to expand and reimagine Thra as it looked in the years before The Dark Crystal? The characters are more vibrant and lively and more numerous. Where we saw just the ruins of the largely-extinct Gelfling in the film, now we see what Gelfling society looked like in its prime, proud and numerous.

Nathalie Emmanuel voices Deet in Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. (Netflix)

We meet representatives of all seven matriarchal clans, from brave Castle guard Rian (Taron Egerton) of the Stonewood clan, to green-skinned Deet (Nathalie Emmanuel) of the peaceful Grottan clan, to Brea (Alice Dinnean), a Vapran and the scholarly youngest daughter of the All-Maudra (Helena Bonham Carter).

Director Louis Leterrier brings each episode to life, melding the time-honored puppetry of Henson Studios with new effects, expanding the abilities of the creatures to make them more lifelike. Every scene hums with life in a way one wouldn’t expect from fabricated sets and puppets. Thank you to Netflix for being willing to pay for the puppets!

It might seem daunting to keep all the Gelfling we meet straight at first, but many of them are so intricately designed by the Frouds and Henson’s Creature Workshop, and each is so unique in movement and emotion as handled by the army of puppeteers who truly bring the characters to life, that you soon see them as you would any diverse cast of actors.

And speaking of which, talk about a vocal cast! Egerton just recently played Elton John in the biopic Rocketman.  Emmanuel is fresh off the last season of Game of Thrones.

The princesses of the Vapran clan: Seladon, Brea and Tavra. (Netflix)

Other all-star actors playing Gelfling include Caitriona Balfe (Outlander) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (The Morning Show) as Brea’s sisters Tavra and Seladon, and GoT’s Lena Headey plays Maudra Fara, the leader of the Stonewood clan. Mark Strong (Shazam) plays Rian’s father Ordon.

Mark Strong as Ordon, Rians father in Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. (Netflix)

Shazad Latif, Alicia Vikander, Toby Jones, Eddie Izzard and Natalie Dormer are among the other big names playing Gelfling.

But the Gelfling are all brand-new characters. Many of the Skeksis appeared in the 1982 film, and recreating those characters was essential to making the series work for longtime fans.

Simon Pegg’s Chamberlain, Jason Isaac’s Emperor and Keegan Michael Key’s Ritual Master. (Netflix)

For the most part, the fans will be pleased. Whenever the voices sound off at all, just focus on Emperor Skekso, played by Jason Isaacs, who breathes life in a character we only saw die in the film. Isaacs’ Emperor is powerful and strong.

Mark Hamill’s Scientist is slightly off from Steve Whitmire’s Scientist. But don’t dwell too much on it. The Scientist is a pivotal character in the first season, and Hamill’s performance seems to savor every grandiose word he utters as he makes diabolical discovery after discovery. I would love to ask him which voice is actually the harder to create – The Scientist or The Joker.

Chamberlain confronts Mark Hamill’s Scientist. (Netflix)

And Simon Pegg’s Chamberlain is scarily close to the original. Right down to that signature whimper.  Moreover, if there was ever any doubt that Chamberlain was a truly evil character just from the movie, you haven’t seen anything yet. He is truly an evil genius.

Harvey Fierstein’s Gourmand and Keegan-Michael Key’s Ritual Master don’t sound quite right. You get over it.

Wise Mother Aughra in “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.” (Netflix)

Above all, there’s Aughra, the embodiment of Thra, who in the series is played by Donna Kimball. Aughra is the voice of Jim Henson’s world philosophy, in the movie and even more so in the series.  Age of Resistance hearkens to Henson’s views on the importance of the environment as the Skeksis over-consume to the ruin of Thra. Meanwhile, those who are meant to lead and protect turn a blind eye or fall prey to divisive tactics and propaganda.

The message of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is about unity and strength in the face of scary forces to save the world. The villainous creatures of the film that scared us as children are as scary as ever, but now we know that the world will stand against them.

The first episode may seem a bit jarring and strange to you. Keep going.

But be warned – if you binge it straight through, you may exit the show and return to a real world that’s a bit grayer, a bit duller, and a bit more alien.

Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance drops on Netflix on August 30. Read our Nice Girls’ Guide to Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance to learn more.