The Dark Crystal (1982 film)

In which Jim Henson and Frank Oz go hard on the worldbuilding and visuals of a dark fantasy film that’s only ninety minutes long—frankly, it’s a wonder “The Dark Crystal” is as good as it is. The story, divorced from the thick layer of genre gaga it is seeped in, goes that bland good guys from the uncanny valley go up against crowd-pleasing evil vultures who plan to use the titular device to achieve immortality. It’s a film begging to be forgotten, or it would be if it weren’t such a joy to look at most of the time.

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