Der Dunkle Kristall

There are certain things one should not return to. I remembered The Dark Crystal as a great dark puppet fantasy, but the ravages of time have painfully affected it. The film is now exhausted and lives on the nostalgia of memories, and it doesn't even come close to current puppet movies like the Danish film Strings. Many animated works have stood the test of time with honor, but the famous The Dark Crystal is not one of them. Overall impression: 40%. (23.09.2017)

Vom visuellen Standpunkt (von der Detailgenauigkeit der Umgebung bis zum großartigen Design der Figuren) absolut wunderbar. Wenn ich den Film als Kind gesehen hätte, würde ich wohl noch heute Albträume vom gruseligen Aussehen der Puppen haben. Schade, dass ich den Film als kleines Kind nicht gesehen habe. So wurden ich ständig von den eintönigen Figuren und der vorhersehbaren Handlung abgelenkt, die alle Klischees heroischer Fantasy-Filme erfüllen und man merkt stark, dass Der dunkle Kristall nur wenige Jahre nach den ersten Star Wars herausgebracht wurde. Dies unterstreicht auch die Tatsache, dass der Produzent des Films Gary Kurtz (die ersten beiden Star Wars-Filme) ist und einige Charaktere von Regisseur Frank Oz gesprochen werden, so dass ich einfach überall Meister Yoda gehört habe. Der dunkle Kristall geht nur sehr wenig seinen eigenen Weg und das ist wirklich schade, ansonsten ist es ein wirklich gelungenes Abenteuer mit allem Drum und Dran. (03.01.2020)

I won't claim that the story is great, but the movie "The Dark Crystal" is visually stunning thanks to puppet animation, that I was simply left breathless at times. It's not just about how flawlessly it's executed, but also about the character designs and the entire world itself. And that is simply a beauty to behold. (18.03.2018)

This excellent puppet fantasy fairy tale from the creator of The Muppets Jim Henson is certainly no jolly with singing and wacky figures. For children it will probably be too slow, with not enough action, too dark and sometimes even brutal. Older viewers, however, will appreciate the stunning visuals that can evoke a sense of wonder and open up a believable and elaborate world full of strange places and creatures. Although the film may seem dated nowadays, it still remains the pinnacle of the vanished art of non-animated puppetry. Just to clarify: classic animation puppets are moved around with post-cinematic animation, while non-animation puppets are filmed in real time as live actors. The puppets here may look like puppets, but they move as if they were actually alive. Compared to modern digital characters that seem to defy gravity, they feel more authentic in some ways because they really fit into their environment and inhabit their world, where sunlight, fog, rain or wind have a real effect on them. And that's very important in a film that's about the connection between beings and nature. (14.01.2004)