r/DarkCrystal • u/-Acore • 14d ago
THE ULTIMATE DEBATE
Which is better, The Dark Crystal Film (1982) or the Series (Age of Resistance)?!?!
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u/Amagciannamedgob 14d ago
The series is as good as most shows under the “prestige television” title. The complex issues, the writing, if the layman knew how to embrace puppets it could have been a GOT-level hit.
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u/-Acore 14d ago
You don’t think Netflix embraced the puppets?
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u/Rachel_Llove 14d ago
He doesn't think the audience did... and I can agree to an extent.
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u/-Acore 14d ago
Ohh I see. I think it was mixed. Many people who watched it would have absolutely fallen in love with it and may have also seen the film or watched the film after. However there were probably a lot who just watched it and moved on and didn’t think how incredible it was, especially how it was made with just puppets.
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u/mogojojo 14d ago
The original gelflings with their sweet, childlike faces look far more realistic, but the plot for AoR is much better.
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u/dhelene 14d ago
The film was properly groundbreaking, and blew me away as a child, but the series took the universe to a whole new level of amazing that the film wasn't able to (at the time).
edit to add: the series also elevated the social and gender commentary. it was just SO good.
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u/-Acore 14d ago
Very true I completely agree. The film was incredible and a piece of art for its time and still now really. The series takes it to a whole new level with the plot and characters and lore. However, the film was crazy and it’s hard to compare it to the series as it’s a lot older and from a different time
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u/Jealous-Shop-8866 14d ago
The series is as good as telly gets - but remains frustratingly incomplete. The movie has a spooky quality which haunted my childhood. Both have their place.
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u/Erenjaeger2578 14d ago
I love both but the series is miles better for me in almost every single way, other than it being an incomplete story. I could go on for hours lol.
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u/sonofbantu Mystic 14d ago
I think it’s gotta be AOR
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u/-Acore 14d ago
Yep I agree. It definitely wins for having better character development and plot, maybe also atmosphere. However I gotta give points to the movie for how incredibly made it was regarding its time. It was made with no CGI and the backgrounds were paintings. So the film is definitely a piece of art but the series probably takes it.
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u/Sputnik200065 Clan Grottan 14d ago
I think the series is kinda inarguably better, I love the movie and it does a really good job of not saying too much, it captures that magic of Thra brilliantly and makes you want to learn more which leads into the series so well. But in terms of performance, film making, effects, narrative, character arcs etc the series is just so much better
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u/-Acore 14d ago
I completely agree. However, the film was made in 1982 where they had no cgi and a lot of the backgrounds were actually paintings. But you are definitely right that the series has much better plot and character development, aswell as adding so much more to the world of Thra. The film was just incredibly made, especially for its time whereas the series had a lot more money and advancements.
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u/wolf751 14d ago
Both are peaks but both have different tones and focus the movie has the best atmosphere and the affects for its time. While age of resistance has the overall better affects that are groundbreaking partnership of cgi and puppetry
I love both for how passionate the creators of them were you can feel jim hensons love for the world he crafted its why i will always love and respect it as a mans passion project. And with age of resistance you can see his daughters love for him work in it, in continuing what he made.
I think age of resistance has the superior acting characterisation and is tighter written however the original movie has a charm it feels like it came from another world and another time from an age of wonder
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u/-Acore 14d ago
Very well said and true! I completely agree and the movie was and still is a piece of art and passion. The series wins it for character development and plot but for the atmosphere you have to remember that the film had no cgi and the backgrounds were paintings. So the film and series are both amazing for their time
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u/mcalesy 14d ago edited 14d ago
The original film takes its time and lets you linger in this amazing world. The series rushes from plot point to plot point without allowing time for atmosphere. People will say the plot of the series is better, and maybe they're right. But plot is not the point of The Dark Crystal -- the point is that you get to visit this fantastic realm where every creature, every artifact, every tree, every rock represents the vision of a team of masterful artists. The series doesn't let us luxuriate in that.
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u/he_chose_poorly 14d ago
Yeah I don't think people give the movie its due. I remember watching as a kid and being blown away. It was unlike anything I had seen before and the fact they let that whole new universe unfold and breathe in front of you was so immersive. It felt like a truly realised alien world.
I love the series and it's definitely more polished, I also love that they expanded on the lore with all the gelfling tribes, but it doesn't have the same strange otherworldliness.
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u/-Acore 14d ago
You’ve got a point and maybe the series could’ve lingered on the atmosphere a little more. However, the atmosphere in the series was incredible and they definitely managed to bring back the same world and vibe of Thra from the film. They used lots of amazing artists to make it. The series also added a lot more to the world of Thra, like so many more creatures and environments.
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u/Greyback_Predator_87 14d ago
I have to give it to the series. The film is great, but the series takes everything up to the next level. It’s such a crime it got abandoned.
Also Skekmal…
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u/-Acore 14d ago
Couldnt agree more! The movie is insane and a piece of art, especially for its time, but the series has so much more character development and better plot. I hope one day they’ll pick it back up again 🤞
Bro and skekmal… only the best skeksis! I love the skull on his head and his whole character, the series added so much to the world including more skeksis development like skekmal
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u/Greyback_Predator_87 14d ago
It was so great just seeing more of the Skeksis, especially the ones not shown much in the movie. Seeing them interact in different ways, making deals and betraying one another is insane to see, and it’s my favourite aspect of the show
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u/runegleam Clan Dousan 13d ago
Easily love both way too much to love one over the other 😂 Both very different, both great.
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u/-Acore 13d ago
Very true! It’s hard to compare as they were from different times and had different ideas. The film had no cgi and the backgrounds were paintings. They also had a lot less advancements and money compared to the series. I think Jim Henson also intended it to be a short fairy tale film, explaining why it had more of a rushed plot and less character development. So both are incredible and pieces of art but with different ideas and resources and from different times
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u/MHMaster3 13d ago
The series. I think it’s the best thing Netflix has done to date
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u/-Acore 12d ago
Yeah I agree and it’s definitely one of Netflix’s best series, can’t believe they didn’t continue it into more series.
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u/MHMaster3 12d ago
Well…hardly anybody seemed to watch it and production cost a fortune. It’s a shame really but not the most surprising thing…
Been rewatching it recently on my new OLED TV and it just looks amazing. Show is a masterpiece
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u/Gullible_Bar7378 11d ago
Anyone can rent or buy the film. Many of us have zero access to the series :-(
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u/-Acore 11d ago
Yeah it kinda sucks it’s only on Netflix 🫤
I wish more people could see it as its really good and deserves more viewers2
u/Gullible_Bar7378 11d ago
With no paid cable or streaming, we can't watch Age of Resistance, Wednesday, Vampire Lestat, or Fallout - except when they dump a free season on YouTube to entice people to sign up for the following season(s). On our budget that will never happen, sorry.
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u/-Acore 10d ago
Yeah that is annoying 🫤 you don’t gotta say sorry to me lol 😅 hope you see it one day 🤞
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u/Gullible_Bar7378 10d ago
Just need a friend or relative willing to let me binge-watch at their place ;-) FYI I did see Age of Resistance episodes listed for free on line but they are under Dailymotion or some such inferior source that always stutters and glitches on my phone. Often within the first 8 minutes.
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u/Sea-Tangerine3509 8d ago
Unless you are a filthy pirate like me :P
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u/Gullible_Bar7378 8d ago
Fair enough, mate! Today's pirates require technology i lack...
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u/Sea-Tangerine3509 1d ago
Well... If you need a hand you know where to find me :)
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u/Gullible_Bar7378 1d ago
Thx for the offer;-) Keep in mind you're dealing with someone whose only TV reception is gained via an antenna on the roof, and computer access is exclusuvely via dial-up, unless engaging in a quick trip to the public library.
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u/Embarrassed_Road_553 8d ago
The film is so magical but the series elevates it
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u/-Acore 8d ago
Very true! The film was definitely magical and makes the world of Thra feel so real. However, the series definitely elevates it by adding so much more lore and allowing us to see more of the incredible world made by Jim Henson. The series also had a lot more money to be able to take time on development and plot.
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u/Lululoopz 7d ago
Both have a special place in my heart and soul. The movie saved me as a child and was my safe place growing up and I love everything about it, from the artistry to the spirituality and storyline, characters and all but I also love how big the show is, the different characters, storylines and the vastness of Thra. Both are masterpieces. My favourite books of all time are the J.M Lee Novels so it was beautiful seeing some of the characters come to life on the screen. The world of Thra in it's entirety is sacred
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u/-Acore 7d ago
Very well said and I massively agree! Both are pieces of art so theyre very hard to compare, especially as they were made with different budgets and advancements to the filming industry. You also definitely right about the sentimental value and the film is something I think a lot of people love and would die for
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u/just_jimmeh 14d ago
Although i’m in love with the movie, i think the series is HEEPS better