The Dark Crystal
4K Steelbook and Collector's Edition review by Bobby Blakey
While Jim Henson’s best-known works are probably The Muppets, but his expansion into fantasy filmmaking not only showcased his masterful work but took fans into whole new worlds. Before taking on the musical magic of Labyrinth, Henson took us on a fantastical fantasy in the classic The Dark Crystal in 1982 and now Shout Factory is bringing the iconic film home to 4K in an all-new Steelbook and Collector’s Edition release.
The Dark Crystal follows the faraway planet of Thra where evil Skeksis are in control and the Gelfling Jen, the last of his kind, is sent on a quest by the peaceful Mystics to find the missing shard that will restore balance and heal the world.
This is one of my all-time favorite films that has been in heavy rotation since I saw it in theaters upon its initial release. It stands the test of time with various comics and merchandise as well as a Netflix TV series back in 2019. Much like Labyrinth, the Henson company created an entire world, but this time leaving all humans behind and letting the fantastic creatures and characters carry the burden of the film from beginning to end to pure perfection.
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The genius behind it all is not only the vision and visuals, but the performances from the puppeteers. They bring these characters to life, making you believe that you are on this adventure with them through laughter, love, heartache and horror. I remember being freaked out by the Skeksis and even more so their insect crab like creatures the Garthim. To be able to hit all those marks so perfectly using nothing but puppets, people in suits and pure imagination is just another example of Henson’s genius in his field.
I could go on and on about the looks of the characters, the lore that is developed and attention to detail around every corner, but still would not do it justice. This is a perfect film on every level and one that I truly love. I was always hoping for a sequel or something so I was so happy when we finally got the TV series to return to this world. This new hi-def release just further steps up the beauty that Henson created and will hopefully also bring the film to new audiences that deserve to witness the magic of it all.
In addition to the film, the SteelBook release offers bonus content including commentaries, deleted scenes, photo galleries, trailers, featurettes and more. This release on 4K is enough of a reason to pick this up, but Shout Factory has stepped it up further with an all-new Limited Edition Collector’s Set that includes a glass replica of the shard (1:1) from the movie, five art cards, a 28-page book with a new essay, production stills, concept art by Brian Froud, a collectible sticker, insightful bonus content, and stunning 4K UHD™ and Blu-ray™ of THE DARK CRYSTAL. All are housed in a gorgeous box with wrap-around art featuring original concept art from the movie and a lid flap that opens to a window display of the chard.
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Journey back into the world of The Dark Crystal with the 4K SteelBook or Collector’s set available now from Shout Factory. For more information or to grab your copy head over to www.shoutfactory.com
