#The dark crystal netflix series#

For some older viewers, it’s also a pretty explicit and, at times, a dark fairy tale about climate change and its deniers, misinformation, and the lengths that people will go to maintain the status quo even in the light of damning evidence. Kevin Baker/NetflixĪge of Resistance delves into a classic kind of good-versus-evil story with shades of gray and a few twists and turns along the way.

And Deet is the greatest connection to nature and the creatures of Thra-and the visionary who’s given a glimpse of a dark future if the Gelfling do nothing to stop it. Brea, the youngest daughter of the All-Maudra (the ruler of all Gelfling), is the scholar whose knowledge helps bring everyone together. Rian, a soldier at the Castle of the Crystal, is the fighter whose story is most closely aligned to a hero’s but never puts down his friends and allies for the roles they play. Rian, Brea, and Deet are all likable in their own right, each offering their own set of skills to the fight. It’s even harder when Rian, Brea, and Deet try to argue that their so-called benevolent rulers are anything but.Īlong the way, a number of familiar characters from the film, including Mother Aughra (now voiced by Donna Kimball) and several of the Skeksis, help and thwart their efforts. When Rian (Taron Egerton), Brea (Anya Taylor-Joy), and Deet (Nathalie Emmanuel) try to tell others what’s really going on, it’s hard to get anyone to believe them, let alone listen, because it’s much easier to believe the comfort of the lie than open themselves up to the truth. It’s a cautionary tale about corrupt Skeksis rulers hellbent on obtaining immortality through the use of the long-since-corrupted Crystal of Truth (also known as the Dark Crystal), no matter the cost to the people, creatures, and the planet it would affect the most.

#The dark crystal netflix series#

However, Age of Resistance is more than just a series of gorgeously choreographed scenes and backdrops. But it’s equally as fascinating to watch, and even when it looks like the puppet performers are just showing off, you don’t mind watching it unfold. Early on, we spend a few minutes with a Podling as he wakes up and gets ready for the day, a sequence that-in the larger scheme of things-doesn’t really play a major role. In places like the Caves of Grot, lit largely by lanterns or with glowing moss, or the vast library located in the mountainous Gelfling capital of Ha’rar, we could spend hours examining the set design in Age of Resistance. It’s the little things that bring Thra to life, the creatures and plants that inhabit it that might not get more than a few seconds of screen time. It’s not just that there’s more green in the world or that there is something of an intricately established matriarchal Gelfling culture. Set in a time before Thra became the dangerous and largely wilting wasteland that Gelflings Jen and Kira have to travel across to heal the Dark Crystal, it’s astounding just how vibrant Thra once was.

With Age of Resistance, the beauty is often in the details. And amid pacing issues and an all-star voice cast that is overwhelming at times, its story is clear and all-too-prescient. It shows reverence to the original film but never feels pandering or too insidery for casual viewers. It expands upon the world that Henson crafted, both with new and with previously established lore, without feeling like it’s just filling in the blanks to questions we never asked. Taking place well before the events of ‘The Dark Crystal,’ three Gelfling risk everything to tell all of Thra the truth about the Skeksis and the dark forces threatening to destroy their world. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Lisa Henson, Louis Leterrier, and Hallee Stanford