I’ve been waiting for a show like this since I was a little girl. The 1982 film has now spawned a prequel series to show what happened in the land of Thra when gelflings populated the world. This show gives off 80’s vibes and Jim Henson magic!
Skeksis have taken over as the rulers of the land of Thra. They have promised the all-wise Aughra a look into the stars in exchange for watching over the crystal. A horrible deal it was, as the skeksis are power hungry and only want to use the crystal to live for an eternity. Things change though as the crystal isn’t giving them as much as they need anymore.
We had only met two gelflings in the orignal movie, but now we learn more about the culture and clans that once made up gelflings. The biggest twist…serving the skeksis!
Meet the Heroes
(Left to right) Rian Deet and Brea
Rian is part of the Stonewood Clan and a castle guard. He is the son of the high guard to Castle of the Crystal. He has known the skeksis rule all of his life but never knew of their treachery, until he sees something he wasn’t meant to see.
Deet is a Grottan gelfling who most of the other clans thought were extinct. She sees a vision of what is to come and is sent out of her clan to find out the dark future.
Brea is a Vapra Clan princess, daughter of the All-Maudra. She is known to keep her nose buried in a book. It isn’t until she sees skeksis hounding poor farmers for their heirlooms that she thinks that there isn’t something right with them. She seeks more answers within the library.
Old Faces
Aughra is the embodiment of all of Thra. Her motives throughout the show seem guilty because she had deserted Thra in search of intelligence among the stars. She wasn’t finished with her search but the sickness of Thra had awaken her from her stargazing.
We also see an old favorite from the original: The Chamberlain. Known for his very annoying whimper and snake-like tongue, we see that he is no different in the past. Using gelflings to cover up his own mistakes and tricking the other skeksis in the process.
This new Netflix series reminded me of my childhood. I grew up watching Jim Henson’s The Muppets, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. Those who created this kept very close to the original concept and used puppets throughout most of the show. There was subtle use of CGI but not so much that it took the magic away. I absolutely enjoyed this and I think other ’80s or ’90s kids will enjoy this as well!
10/10
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is on Netflix now!
