User Reviews

This show is beautifully realised. The cinematography is a real treat using a mixture of real locations, CG and handcrafted sets blended masterfully. The soundtrack is wonderfully Henson but also very much it's own beast. The voice acting is top notch, bringing in talent like Mark Hamill and Simon Pegg as some of the trademark smarmy and flamboyant Skeksis as well as actors like Mark Strong, Helena Bonham Carter and Alicia Vikander for the more subdued and sympathetic Gelflings. And lastly but certainly not leastly (yes I know that's not a real word :P) we have... if I may say so myself, some of THE best puppeteering I've ever seen. This is truly magical for fans of the original film and I'd argue will probably gather an equal collection of its own dedicated fans for years to come. And of course it wouldn't be the Dark Crystal without a little disturbing imagery to slip passed the ratings board and endearingly scar your children :) I'm gonna give the first episode of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance an 8.9/10! I'd give it higher but something tells me it's gonna get a whole lot better and I want to leave some room on my score sheet! If you're reading reviews as either a skeptic fan of the original or someone who's never seen the original and this peaked your interest, stop and watch this show! I think you'll thank me in the long run ;)

On the planet Thra, the alien Skeksis subjugated the planet's races, duped its guardian, Mother Aughra, and corrupted the Crystal of Truth, Thra's life-giving source, and now a corruption known as the Darkening is threatening to destroy all life on the planet.

While experimenting on the Crystal, Skeksis scientist skekTek accidentally reverses its magnetostatic field, so that instead of giving energy, it drains it from him. He chalks it off as another failure, but the cunning Chamberlain, skekSil, assures skekTek that he has made, so to speak, an essential discovery; they can use the "essence" taken by the Crystal and take it for themselves. They need a creature to experiment on, so they choose a castle guard, a Gelfling named Mira. However, Mira's boyfriend Rian witnesses the scene.

The voice acting can be a little distracting, especially with the Gelflings. Anya Taylor-Joy (who actually looks like a Gelfling, especially with her natural blond hair) as Princess Brea and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Princess Seladon turn in excellent performances, though. Not to mention the Skeksis' voice actors. Simon Pegg captures the essence of Barry Dennen's performance perfectly as the perpetually-smirking skekSil. Awkwkafina hams it up wonderfully as the Collector skekLach. I'm impressed with Neil Sterenberg (who also puppeteers Rian) as skekOk, the Scroll-Keeper, particularly the moment where he erupts into maniacal laughter. He's not known for being a voice actor, so this is impressive coming from him. Mark Hamill gives a Hordak-ish voice to skekTek, and it fits perfectly. Hamill can put on a funny voice and inject a lot of feeling into it at the same time, as we've seen with performances such as Skips from 'Regular Show'. However, Hamill praised the vocal performance of skekTek's puppeteer, Olly Taylor, and almost felt like he wasn't needed. Then again, Hamill is a kind, generous person.

It's a pleasant surprise that Princess Tavra is a warrior and it's not brought up, but it's important to remember that Gelfling society is matriarchal so it needn't be addressed anyway.

What I find hilarious is that the Skeksis always have these little dance parties after every victory. Even after committing murder they're hilarious.