7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The last of the Gelfings, Jen and Kira join forces and embark on a dangerous journey to "heal" a precious Dark Crystal and restore order to their planet.
Starring: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Kathryn Mullen, Dave Goelz, Steve WhitmireFantasy | 100% |
Adventure | 86% |
Family | 77% |
Animation | 48% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Bonus View (PiP)
BD-Live
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Before there was CGI, there was Jim Henson. The master puppeteer, best known as the creator of "The Muppets" and for his work on "Sesame Street," would in 1982 turn to a darker, more fantastical project, The Dark Crystal. Henson co-directed alongside fellow puppeteer Frank Oz and created a splendid world quite unlike anything audiences had ever seen before. Dark and foreboding on one side, bright and hopeful on another, the world nevertheless shared a common bond of death and decay, of slaughter and greed, of danger and distress, of heroes and villainy, a far cry from the happy-go-lucky Muppets or the educational Sesame Street characters. Telling a classic tale of good versus evil with the appropriately stereotyped characters and locations on either side, The Dark Crystal nevertheless earned acclaim for its mystical storytelling ability, richly developed characters, wonderful puppet work, and fantastic set and character design.
The Gelflings, Jen and Kira.
The Dark Crystal debuts on Blu-ray with the expectedly solid 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer from Sony. As with its dichotomy of light versus dark characters, the film features drastically differing visual tones that set the mood for each species and locale. The film takes on a decidedly dark and dreary tone inside the home of the Skeksis where the dark creatures appear dressed in varied shades of gray, black, and purple. The castle itself is of limited color; it's not dark by any stretch, but certainly devoid of life. On the other hand, the Mystics live in a somewhat more serene location that's dominated by tans and browns. It's not the most cheerful location but it does add a much-needed lift for the eyes. Later, on Jen's quest to retrieve the crystal shard, he traverses some lush terrain that's marked by green grasses and flowers of varied bright, primary colors. The transfer never falters in any of these locations; it's not the most intricately detailed or handsome transfer out there, but for a movie that debuted in the early 1980s, it looks about as good as can be expected of it. Fine detail never overly impresses, nor does it completely disappoint. Viewers will certainly note many of the intricacies that make up the puppets, and the 1080p resolution even allows for many of the puppeteering strings to be clearly visible throughout the film. Occasionally, the movie looks somewhat soft and the transfer exhibits some assorted dirt and debris. The Dark Crystal does feature a subtle layer of grain. Black levels vary, appearing strong and inky in some scenes and a bit too bright in others. Overall, however, The Dark Crystal looks very good on Blu-ray, and despite a few flaws -- many that seem inherent to the production rather than a fault of this transfer -- fans should be immensely satisfied with this effort from Sony.
The Dark Crystal features a good Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Listeners shouldn't expect a surround-sound extravaganza with this one. The sound design seems a bit limited but the lossless presentation certainly represents the best the film is ever likely to sound. The film's score doesn't have the same absolute clarity and lifelike feel of the best Blu-ray soundtracks; it's a bit limited in range and clarity, but works well in conjunction with the overall Blu-ray presentation. As alluded to earlier, there's little in the way of back channel activity, leaving the listener feeling somewhat detached from the proceedings. Even noisy outdoor scenes -- for instance an establishing shot in chapter nine -- does well to bring the locale alive but doesn't wholly engulf the listener in the concoction of natural sounds that make up the environment. The track does pick up somewhat in the final act, taking on a more aggressive posture and featuring a strong low-end presence. Dialogue reproduction is uniformly good throughout; Jen's gentle voice, Chamberlain's whimpering, and Aughra's grizzled and aging vocalizations all come across with superb definition. The Dark Crystal may not feature a truly awe-inspiring soundtrack, but like the video presentation, it certainly represents a substantial upgrade from any other format.
This Blu-ray release of The Dark Crystal features a host of informative and interactive
supplements, the
package headlined by a commentary track with British Fantasy Artist Brian Froud, Conceptual
Designer for the film. In this more technically-oriented track, Froud recalls his work on the film,
his inspirations and influences, the evolution of the characters, technique, and more.
Storyboard Track -- Picture-in-Picture showcases via a large secondary video window over
the main feature a collection of The Dark Crystal conceptual artwork, most by Brian
Froud
but with contributions from Storyboard Artist Bill Stallion, Set Designer Harry Lange, Production
Painter Roy Carnon, and Sketch Artists Mike Ploog and Denis Rich. Each section of artwork
arrives with an introductory title card that allows viewers to better understand and appreciate
what it is they are
looking at. The Book of Thra -- Dark Crystal Collector is a piece "designed to enhance
your knowledge of the world of The Dark Crystal." When a subject of interest appears
on-screen, a blue crystal icon will appear. Pressing "enter" on the remote places information on
the subject in a
book, which is accessible in-film through a click of the red crystal. A guide identifying the purpose
of the colored
crystals remains over the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
SkekTek's Crystal Challenge is a multiple choice trivia game that challenges players
(Gelflings) to answer a series of questions and save themselves from having their living essence
drained. The game plays over the movie and questions appear regularly. Original Skeksis
Language -- Test Scenes (480i, 22:56) showcases a selection of scenes featuring characters
speaking in different languages, an early plot point that was devised to reinforce the schism
between the races. Deleted Funeral Scenes (480i, 3:50) showcases a cut sequence
featuring the Skeksis laying their recently departed Emperor to rest. The World of 'The Dark
Crystal' (480i, 57:26) is a vintage documentary that takes an extensive
behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, including the process of shooting the film,
designing the characters, creating the puppets, and much more. Reflections of 'The Dark
Crystal' is a two=part piece. Part one, Light on the Path of Creation (480i, 20:25)
is
a retrospective piece that looks back at the film's legacy, its themes, design, and more. Shard
of Illusion (480i, 16:18) looks at the film's use of puppets, the challenges of such an
endeavor, and building a story around them.
Also included is BD-Live functionality and 1080p trailers for The Water Horse: Legend of
the
Deep, Open Season, Open Season 2, Monster House, Surf's Up, and Close Encounters of the Third
Kind.
A classic film from the 1980s that features what is arguably Jim Henson and Frank Oz's best work, The Dark Crystal represents a timeless depiction of good versus evil in every imaginable way. From the hero of simple origins to the film's obvious light and dark motifs, there's never any doubt as to what the film represents and what it sets out to accomplish. With a strong story, great puppet work, wonderful voice acting, and a richly-developed world, The Dark Crystal makes for essential viewing, though it's characters may be a bit too scary for younger audiences. Sony's Blu-ray release of this fan favorite doesn't disappoint. Although the video and audio offerings aren't the most beautiful ever to grace the format, they do well to represent the film's intended presentation, which is all one can ask of any Blu-ray disc. Combined with a strong selection of bonus materials, it's easy to give The Dark Crystal a hearty recommendation.
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1982
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1982
1982
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1982
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1986
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2016
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