The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance - Episode 1 - End. Begin. All the Same.

[Sgt Floyd]

so i finally got around to watching the first episode. actually watched it in two half hour sittings. yeah. speaking as someone who honestly hated the movie, this is pretty good. still a bit slow but given its 10, hour long episodes, that's understandable. yeah, i'll probably try to actually get through it all.

 

[Princeton]

I don't know where to begin with this series. The Gelflings are horrifying-looking and there's no reason for it with all the technological advancements made in this kind of puppetry since the first film came out. And the pre-recorded dialogue syncs up abysmally with the puppet manipulation. The designs and the shoddy lip sync would have never been approved by Jim and whoever gave the go-ahead to start producing this series while knowing these issues would be onscreen for all to see should be ashamed of themselves.

On a slightly lighter note, I noticed Kevin Clash's name in the credits. Um...how?

 

[Froggy Fool]

The Gelflings are horrifying-looking

Hm, really? I think the Gelflings look absolutely stunning. Just think about how much work went into the creation of those puppets... the number of complex mechanisms is mind-boggling to think about.

there's no reason for it with all the technological advancements made in this kind of puppetry since the first film came out.

??? This is top-notch puppet building - JHC basically invented this style. I really don't see how the puppets look bad.

And the pre-recorded dialogue syncs up abysmally with the puppet manipulation.

Examples?

would have never been approved by Jim and whoever gave the go-ahead to start producing this series while knowing these issues would be onscreen for all to see should be ashamed of themselves.

Blah blah Jim blah blah blah. Tbh I'm sick of people using the excuse "Jim wouldn't've liked this, Jim wouldn't've liked that." Fact is, Jim is dead, and no one really knows what he would and wouldn't have liked. I know that this is your opinion, and you're 100% entitled to that, but it really does seem like you're complaining just to complain. I'm just thankful that Jim's legacy is continued with a show that's just as good (and imo, better) than the original movie.

I noticed Kevin Clash's name in the credits. Um...how?

Kevin works with JHC on a regular basis now - he only resigned from Sesame Street.

 

[Princeton]

Hm, really? I think the Gelflings look absolutely stunning. Just think about how much work went into the creation of those puppets... the number of complex mechanisms is mind-boggling to think about.

??? This is top-notch puppet building - JHC basically invented this style. I really don't see how the puppets look bad.

Blah blah Jim blah blah blah. Tbh I'm sick of people using the excuse "Jim wouldn't've liked this, Jim wouldn't've liked that." Fact is, Jim is dead, and no one really knows what he would and wouldn't have liked. I know that this is your opinion, and you're 100% entitled to that, but it really does seem like you're complaining just to complain. I'm just thankful that Jim's legacy is continued with a show that's just as good (and imo, better) than the original movie.

The Gelflings' eyes in the redesign come across much darker and more soulless compared to the original film. And when they move their mouths you get this weird duck-lippy thing that's really unnatural. With this new series it's almost like they designed the armatures/mechanics first and then slapped some hair and skin on it, hoping it would look like a Gelfling. With the original film it was obviously done the other way around.
As far as what I said about Jim, that's a perfectly legitimate thing to say and I'll tell you why. Of all the franchises that Jim created that are still thriving (and even ones like this Dark Crystal that have been re-imagined), Dark Crystal was his prize. If he was alive, this project would have had to have his approval before being greenlit and I like to think that he would have pulled the plug as soon as he saw how awful the Gelflings looked. (Although the Mystics look okay and Jim wanted the original film to be all about them anyway so who knows?) And I hope you'll give me a little credit for solely mentioning Jim. There are plenty of other people I could have mentioned that would be lamenting the turn the Henson company has taken.
As far as I'm concerned, I never liked the original DC film so I don't care either way how this series turns out. And even if people don't mind the puppet redesign ( although I can guarantee you I'm not the only one who think they's horrid), this series will not last long purely from an economic viewpoint; look at Dinosaurs. But as far as I can understand, this thread was for *anyone* to post their opinions on the show, not just fans.

 

[Froggy Fool]

The Gelflings' eyes in the redesign come across much darker and more soulless compared to the original film. And when they move their mouths you get this weird duck-lippy thing that's really unnatural. With this new series it's almost like they designed the armatures/mechanics first and then slapped some hair and skin on it, hoping it would look like a Gelfling. With the original film it was obviously done the other way around.
As far as what I said about Jim, that's a perfectly legitimate thing to say and I'll tell you why. Of all the franchises that Jim created that are still thriving (and even ones like this Dark Crystal that have been re-imagined), Dark Crystal was his prize. If he was alive, this project would have had to have his approval before being greenlit and I like to think that he would have pulled the plug as soon as he saw how awful the Gelflings looked. (Although the Mystics look okay and Jim wanted the original film to be all about them anyway so who knows?) And I hope you'll give me a little credit for solely mentioning Jim. There are plenty of other people I could have mentioned that would be lamenting the turn the Henson company has taken.
As far as I'm concerned, I never liked the original DC film so I don't care either way how this series turns out. And even if people don't mind the puppet redesign ( although I can guarantee you I'm not the only one who think they's horrid), this series will not last long purely from an economic viewpoint; look at Dinosaurs. But as far as I can understand, this thread was for *anyone* to post their opinions on the show, not just fans.

Fair enough, I suppose. I don't see how they're soulless - in fact I think they have more life than the puppets from the original! But yeah, i just don't like when people go on about Jim's opinions if he were still alive today - like you said who knows? Totally didn't mean to call you're opinion invalid, just wanted to point out some things.

 

[Mystic Master]

I disagree with all the criticism above, the Henson company is only expanding upon the legacy of the original film. The advancements have been amazing, and that's coming from someone that's actually watched the series. The show did very well, so a couple sour posts will have no impact on that.

 

[Princeton]

I disagree with all the criticism above, the Henson company is only expanding upon the legacy of the original film. The advancements have been amazing, and that's coming from someone that's actually watched the series. The show did very well, so a couple sour posts will have no impact on that.

Saying a Netflix show does well is subjective: only on Netflix can shows like Kimmy Schmidt and 13 Reasons Why run multiple seasons. And if the DC series does have fans, one wonders how many of them have seen the original film.

 

[Mystic Master]

Saying a Netflix show does well is subjective: only on Netflix can shows like Kimmy Schmidt and 13 Reasons Why run multiple seasons. And if the DC series does have fans, one wonders how many of them have seen the original film.

Not really, when the company says its doing well, by the methods they derive that statement from, whether viewership, subscriptions, member ratings, etc - I'm content with knowing that to be true. The merchandising is also boosting the brand. The action figure line for example, has sold out at a number of retailers and online shops. The original movie wasn't a hit at the start but grew a large cult following, which resulted in the opportunities for the franchise we're now seeing. Things are only moving up - if you don't like it - I'm sure you'll watch something you enjoy - we cant all be fans of everything.

 

[mr3urious]

Just got around to watching this show, and it's a really good first episode in terms of establishing the setting and overall plot. And even though I watched TDC again for preparation, it wasn't necessary after all as you can watch AoR with a clean slate. Lots of great puppetry and practical effects, too. Some CG as well, but not to an obnoxious extent. It's more like the kind of blend of the two I'd expect from a '90s action/fantasy movie where CG effects were really taking off.