The Dark Crystal

This is one of my favorite childhood movies; it's right up there with "Labyrinth" and "The Princess Bride." The plot in a nutshell: beautiful beings rule in a crystal castle until an arguement causes them to break the dark crystal which provides their power/balance. The beings are split into two: the evil Skeksis and the gentle Mystics. According to profecy, a member of the Gelfling race must repair the crystal in 1000 years as the three suns align so that the Mystics and Skeksis can again be one. The Skeksis tried to wipe out all Gelflings to protect themselves from the profecy. The only two Gelfling survivors, Jen and Kira, must find each other and heal the crystal before time runs out. All of the puppets are very well done. They are lifelike and fit the personalities of the characters. Unfortunately, this makes the evil characters quite frightening to children, myself included. There is a scene where the skeksis try to drain Kira's essence by making her stare into a reflector of light passed through the crystal. For years I was convinced that if I stared at my ceiling light, my essence would also be drained. (However, I also thought I could access Fraggle Rock through the back of my closet.) So, what I really mean to say is that the movie may be frightening to children. The score is wonderful. It's mystical, fantastical, and eerie....can't say enough about it. Well done, Trevor Jones.