Review: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance – Season 1

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is Netflix’s newest dark fantasy adventure series that serves as a prequel to Jim Henson’s classic puppet film The Dark Crystal. With a 10 episode story arch, a stellar voice cast, and an incredible mix of advanced puppetry and CGI, the show brings viewers back into the world of Thra in a way that’s more immersive and magical than ever before.

Age of Resistance takes place thousands of years before the events of the original movie, and we get to see a very complex, thriving world that blindly stands on the edge of a catastrophe that will lead Thra to the tragic events of the film. 

If you’ve seen the film before then you have an idea of what will happen to Thra, and the fate of certain characters. Normally this would be a bad thing, but Netflix created a very interesting situation, with likable characters, that you can’t help but get invested in. In the end, this greatly raises the stakes for all the characters in the show, and helps build up an enormous amount of tension for the audience, which is always a good thing. If you haven’t seen the movie, then this will be a truly unique experience for you, and everything will be a surprise. Both situations are a win for the audience. So if you were in either group and were concerned about this, you shouldn’t be. Though I do recommend you see the movie first, it’s the perfect introduction to Thra.  

The story follows three Gelflings – Rian, Brea, and Deet – who, in spite of being part of different clans and reaching the same destination by different roads, help inspire a rebellion against the Skeksis after they discover how they’ve been corrupting the Crystal of Truth and threatening everyone in Thra.

Rian (Voiced by Taron Egerton), begins the story as a crystal castle guard of the Stonewood Clan, known for their mighty warriors. Tragedy, treason, and vengeance are what set him on his path. Brea (Anya Taylor-Joy), a princess from the Vapra Clan and wise rulers of all the gelfling, begins her story led by an intense curiosity that has serious political ramifications. And Deet (Nathalie Emmanuel), an innocent member of the Gottan Clan who live under the Earth in perfect harmony with nature, begins her story after being sent to the surface to try to prevent “The Darkening.”  

All three of these new characters and their stories are very interesting and, since they all tackle the story from a different perspective, interchanging between their stories makes the flow of the show very dynamic. The fact that they are puppets also adds a certain level of cartoonish charm to them that helps make them more likeable.   

The most impressive thing about the show is its visual beauty. The art department was able to create a world that’s not only very pleasing to the eyes, but that looks and feels alive. It’s also very enjoyable to try to figure out when they are using CGI and when they are using puppetry, the fact that you are not always sure is a great compliment to their skills. The marriage between the two is seamless and used in a way that one greatly enhances the other. One big concern I had before I watched the show was that the fighting scenes could look ridiculous, so I was very happy to find that this was not the case, and that in fact it was a very enjoyable part of the show. 

It is also amazing how much emotion they can make a puppet express. It doesn’t matter if it’s anger, hunger, sickness, sadness, happiness, or any other emotion, it is expressed quite clearly and doesn’t require extra effort from your suspension of disbelief. 

The sound design and voice acting are also phenomenal. With a star-studded cast that includes Academy Award winners, and pop culture icons like: Mark Hammill, Alicia Vikander, Keegan-Michael Key, Helena Bonham Carter, Simon Pegg, Mark Strong, Lena Headey, Natalie Dormer, and Andy Samberg, to name a few, the puppets have more personality and feel more real than ever before.   

The show takes a few liberties with the story, but it is mostly faithful to the original material, and when it does take liberties it doesn’t flat out change the original story, it mostly packs in stuff where the original left something blank. Though they do push it a little in some situations, but not too far. 

Check out my video review below!

Overall the show is a great success that not only honors the original, but actually improves upon it. It’s a visual wonder with amazing voice acting, a masterful marriage of CGI and puppetry, a unique story that doesn’t pull its punches, characters that you care for, and a world that has almost unlimited potential. To call Age of Resistance anything short of a triumph would be an understatement.