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The Dark Crystal (Superbit(TM))
 
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The Dark Crystal (Superbit(TM))

Jim Henson (Actor), Kathryn Mullen (Actor), Jim Henson (Director), Frank Oz (Director) | Format: DVD
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (194 customer reviews)

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Product Description

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Jim Henson's fantasy epic The Dark Crystal doesn't take place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but like Star Wars it takes the audience to a place that exists only in the imagination and, for an hour and a half, on the screen. Recalling the worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, Henson tells the story of a race of grotesque birdlike lizards called the Skeksis, gnomish dragons who rule their fantastic planet with an iron claw. A prophecy tells of a Gelfling (a small elfin being) who will topple their empire, so in their reign of terror they have exterminated the race, or so they think. The orphan Jen, raised in solitude by a race of peace-loving wizards called the Mystics, embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of the Dark Crystal (which gives the Skeksis their power) and restore the balance of the universe. Henson and codirector Frank Oz have pushed puppetry into a new direction: traditional puppets, marionettes, giant bodysuits, and mechanical constructions are mixed seamlessly in a fantasy world of towering castles, simple huts, dank caves, a giant clockwork observatory, and a magnificent landscape that seem to have leaped off the pages of a storybook. Muppet fans will recognize many of the voice actors--a few characters sound awfully close to familiar comic creations--but otherwise it's a completely alien world made familiar by a mythic quest that resonates through stories over the ages.

The DVD features the 50-minute documentary The World of the Dark Crystal, with interviews and illuminating behind-the-scenes glimpses. The VHS edition includes a shortened 15-minute version of the documentary. --Sean Axmaker

Additional Features

The greater definition and richer colors of the Dark Crystal Superbit DVD make it much more pleasant to watch than the Special Edition DVD. The print, however, is the same, with several scratches on the film still showing. The new DTS track is good, but the original Dolby Digital 5.1 was good as well. As with most Superbits, the higher bit rate and DTS track mean the disc doesn't have enough storage capacity for extra features, and in this case the loss is significant: the Special Edition has an hourlong making-of documentary, deleted scenes, artwork, and an isolated music score. So aficionados might want to upgrade to the Superbit edition for the film while holding on to the original for the features, although the picture quality of the documentary and deleted scenes is so poor that watching it after getting used to the Superbit picture might make one's eyes water. --David Horiuchi
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Customer Reviews

194 Reviews
5 star:
 (135)
4 star:
 (31)
3 star:
 (16)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (9)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (194 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Not an improvement, May 15 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: The Dark Crystal (Superbit(TM)) (DVD)
As my first "Superbit" title, this is a disappointment. As the description states, the film is scratched (not an issue with the transfer, but still diminishes the film). The high-rate of encoding did not improve the video - in fact I found it dark and murky.

The biggest disappointment is with the audio, which has inconsistant volume in standard stereo - bass and score drown out voices in loud scenes, which are also muted compared to quiet scenes. This requires periodic master volume adjustments.

In all, not worth the cost. I admit I've not seen the "Special Edition" DVD. If it's worse than this, buy it on VHS.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Glorious!, Jun 13 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Dark Crystal Collector's Edition Box Set (Senitype and Jim Henson original notes in Collector's Box) (DVD)
I admit to being scared out of my wits by the Skeksis and the Garthim when I was little (reptiles combined with vultures and spiders combined with crabs are still terrifying to me), but I've come to really cherish this Tolkien-esque/ Froudian film. The gentle, nurturing Mystics, and cute little dog/ dust ball Fizzgig are among my favorite characters. The Podlings are simply adorable... the Gelflings are finely- featured and beautiful(Jen is very ponderous, if somewhat passive... Kira shows just how women can be, and are, just as strong as men!)... the Landstriders (which gracefully manage to combine the aspects of cats, moths, giraffes, camels, bats, rabbits, and who knows what else, into such beautiful creatures) are swift, courageous animals, and are very dear to me (for some odd reason). Possibly because I love animals(and I just have a thing for the underdog/unsung hero.) And there's the gentle Nebrie and many other creatures.

It's incredible to me that they were able to do this whole film without human actors! I seriously thought when I first saw it that they were real, flesh-and-blood creatures! Jim, Frank, Brian, and the rest of the crew really put their time and effort into making this film! Their hard work really paid off; the facial expressions and movements are impeccable! And the scenery is unbelievably lush, beautiful, and realistic. All of it looks so natural and earthy. It is as if they actually had real-live creatures acting, in my eyes... and they fact that they took the time to make up all of the history beind this story! That's just amazing!... and I could not get enough of "The Making of The Dark Crystal". How they all managed to sculpt, design, and perform these characters is mind-blowing for me, since I'm far from an artist like this crew. No matter...

This film, while impressive, is not for all people; there is a sizable mortality rate in this film that (the little ones) are likely to find very disturbing, including several struggles (Screaming Podlings being snatched up to be converted into slaves, Nebries being served to the Skeksis for dinner, and two Landstriders squealing as they fall to their deaths in a cliffside battle with the Garthim... I can't bear to watch (or hear) animals being harmed, and especially animals as gentle and benevolent as they are. Was showing these things really necessary?)

Apart from little things here and there, it is truely quite an accomplishment, if not earth-shattering, to watch!

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Dark Gem, Oct 26 2004
This review is from: Dark Crystal Collector's Edition Box Set (Senitype and Jim Henson original notes in Collector's Box) (DVD)
Directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. This was a masterpiece delivered by Henson's Creature Shop. Visually brilliant. Musically brilliant. The story is also genius. Big feelings in a surreal fantasy world. For adults or the kids (some dark profanity IS NOT suitable for younger children.) Made of puppets and artifical landscapes. If you liked the Lord of the Rings films, you'll love this rare gem. It's like getting lost in a dream, and you won't want to leave.
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