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The Dark Crystal

Play trailer 1:19 Poster for The Dark Crystal PG Released Dec 17, 1982 1h 35m Kids & Family Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
78% Tomatometer 50 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Jen (Stephen Garlick), raised by the noble race called the Mystics, has been told that he is the last survivor of his own race, the Gelflings. He sets out to try to find a shard of the dark crystal, a powerful gem that once provided balance to the universe. After the crystal was broken, the evil Skeksis used sinister means to gain control. Jen believes that he can repair the dark crystal and bring peace back to the world, if he can only find the remaining shard.
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The Dark Crystal

The Dark Crystal

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Critics Consensus

The Dark Crystal's narrative never quite lives up to the movie's visual splendor, but it remains an admirably inventive and uniquely intense entry in the Jim Henson canon.

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Critics Reviews

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Richard Corliss TIME Magazine As narrative, the incidents in The Dark Crystal are unremarkable; as the excuse for special effects, fanciful decor and eccentric characters, they do nicely enough. May 2, 2019 Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader Jim Henson and Frank Oz... designed and directed this 1983 film, in which no human actors appear (except as crude long-shot doubles for the animated figures); it's a cute gimmick, but the puppets are so stiff and inexpressive that the film drops dead. May 2, 2019 Full Review Ian Nathan Empire Magazine The Dark Crystal has an ethereal alien quality to its startling visions, far removed from the Earth-bound contours of traditional fairy tales. Rated: 4/5 May 2, 2019 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy An epic tale in the tradition of The Lord of the Rings. Rated: 3/4 Feb 17, 2024 Full Review Kevin Carr Fat Guys at the Movies Dark and visionary, this compelling fantasy film uses amazing puppetry to tell its story. Rated: 3.5/4 Feb 10, 2024 Full Review Phil Edwards Starburst The Dark Crystal is such a dud... it's dull. Jul 29, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dallas H I like this dark fantasy tale from Jim Henson even if it is nightmare fuel for kids. The technical production of the movie is an amazing feat! However, whenever I re-watch this film as an adult, the opening monologue is forever ruined for me because it was heavily sampled in the techno song "Trip Like I Do" by The Crystal Method. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/27/24 Full Review josh d Maybe a little weird. But another solid 80s fantasy movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/08/24 Full Review Kal S An impressive failure of a film. In trying to understand its enduring popularity I considered each of its qualities… Characters? Wooden. Puppetry? Wooden. (Well, the villains were impressive, especially those giant dung beetles, but the main characters were expressionless—far from Henson's best work.) Plot? Clichéd. And wooden. Oh, and if you're tempted to show your younger kids, be warned that the life-force-sucking scenes are the stuff of nightmares. (7/9/2019) Rated 1 out of 5 stars 05/23/24 Full Review Nathan W I'm really torn on this one. On the one hand, there was obviously great care and time put into creating this imaginative fantasy world. The animatronics, the costumes, the sets pieces... clearly this was passion project for those behind it. On the other hand though, the story was rather boring and none of the characters were particularly interesting. Even the main character was inept and unremarkable. So much so that it was hard to care what was going on. I'm not even sure who the target audience is supposed to be. It's a little too dark for young children and not interesting enough for older crowds. I never saw this movie as a kid myself, so I don't have the nostalgia factor to prop it up. Like I said, it was visually impressive to a point, and I can appreciate all the hard work it took to make this movie happen, but I was mostly bored so I'll just call this one right in the middle. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 05/08/24 Full Review Nick W This movie is a classic and a work of art! 10/10 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/04/24 Full Review Saint M Cool Characters. Recycled Story. Jen, a gelfling, is sent of a quest to retrieve a shard from an ancient crystal so that balance may be restored to the land. Jim Henson's creations look incredible. The skesies make me sick to my stomach. They look like they are rotting from the inside out. They're even more disgusting without their robes. The mystics seem charming and wise - the very opposite of the skesies. The rest of the creatures - Jen, Kira, Aughra, and the background puppets - are cool to watch. It was nice to rewatch something that wasn't C. G.I. Heavy. As interesting as the characters were the story just didn't do anything for me. I wrote in my notebook "Why is everything and nothing explained in this movie?" The story borrows heavily from classic fantasy tropes to push the narrative along. A vague prophecy helps to steamroll the plot forward. Jen has absolutely no clue what he's doing. There are better fantasy movies to watch. Prop I Want:A Fizzgig puppet Most Punchable Face: Aughra. I never want to watch her sit down again. Favorite Quote: "I don't want to go alone.....alright, alone then." - Jen Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/20/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Dark Crystal

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Movie Info

Synopsis Jen (Stephen Garlick), raised by the noble race called the Mystics, has been told that he is the last survivor of his own race, the Gelflings. He sets out to try to find a shard of the dark crystal, a powerful gem that once provided balance to the universe. After the crystal was broken, the evil Skeksis used sinister means to gain control. Jen believes that he can repair the dark crystal and bring peace back to the world, if he can only find the remaining shard.
Director
Jim Henson, Frank Oz
Producer
Gary Kurtz, Jim Henson
Screenwriter
David Odell, Jim Henson
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Jim Henson Productions, Incorporated Television Company
Rating
PG
Genre
Kids & Family, Fantasy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 17, 1982, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Dec 4, 2022
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 9, 2011
Runtime
1h 35m
Sound Mix
Surround
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