There ought to be richer drama in the villainous Skeksis. Most unhelpful is the design of the Gelflings, whose lack of expression – they’re like Botoxed trolls – makes it initially hard to tell which one is which, particularly in the leisurely early episodes. Fight scenes in particular have a tendency to look ridiculous, calling to mind kids throwing dolls into the air while shouting: “Uh! Bam! Uh! Aaah!” It’s distracting that when creatures run, their little toddling feet hover over the ground. The downsides of retro puppetry are, however, hard to ignore. (If you haven’t read up on the extensive, expensive voice cast, there’s a fun game afoot as you try to name them, with extra points for noticing how many were in Game of Thrones, and a triple nerd bonus if you guess which character Mark Hamill plays.) Consequently, it has a gnarled, organic vibe that fits a landscape dominated by tangled roots and fluttering leaves, and that helps with all the mystic visions and ancient psychic wisdom. These are clearly puppets, backed by minimal CGI and with each character credited to two performers, puppeteer and voice artist. Unlikely topicality aside, the prequel’s unique selling point is that it barely alters the techniques used on the film 37 years ago. The squabbling, preening Skeksis are an accurate representation of boors who somehow gain power. So if you’re approaching this in search of escapism, be aware that it’s about an attempt to stop reptilian autocrats fully implementing a rapacious dictatorship. Whereas the protagonist there was one of the few survivors of the kind, elvish Gelflings, battling against the patently nefarious Skeksis tribe, here Gelflings are still plentiful and are, apart from the clutch of intrepid heroes, unaware that the Skeksis are not benevolent rulers. That was, in essence, Jim Henson and Frank Oz suddenly screaming in Muppets fans’ faces, handing them rotten darkness instead of clean fluff. The new series is a prequel to the cult 1982 film The Dark Crystal. Few linear broadcasters would consider it and, if you can’t step fully into the series’ domain, you might soon think they had a point and that this is a gauche folly. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance treats a niche fandom to a luxury rendering of the world they hold dear, taking its time to build a mappable fantasy realm teeming with details that will repay repeated viewings and fuel endless nocturnal discussions.
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