I’ve mentioned in previous posts how much the phrase “Next Game of Thrones!” both frustrates and amuses me. It’s excessive over usage during the heyday of the Game of Thrones television show was truly ludicrous, with every rumoured fantasy or historical series being awarded the term. This was, of course, entirely independent of the level of actual similarities to Game of Thrones. In general, I find such trend chasing a little irritating. We already have a Game of Thrones. Why would we need another? (And after the Game of Thrones finale, why do we want another?)

With this pall of expectation hanging over any fantasy related product, when I watched The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, I can say that I was absolutely delighted by its desire to forge its own identity. The show is wonderful in its willingness to do its own thing, and it’s an utter shame that there will not be a second season. I highly recommend checking out the single season that exists on Netflix.

The show is a prequel to Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal, a fantasy film released in 1982. The film has developed a cult following for its imagination and gorgeous practical effects, but was not readily accepted by audiences due to having no visible human actors, all the characters being portrayed by puppets, as was Henson’s specialty. The puppets in The Dark Crystal are much more intricate in design, however, than Henson’s colourful staples in the Muppets, and inhabit a richly detailed and strange fantasy wilderness. The philosophical themes, deliberate pace and lack of much grounding in our own world make The Dark Crystal not the easiest watch, but a rewarding one. There is a lot to enjoy in the original film, perhaps most memorably, its villains, the baroque and repulsive Skesis, a decayed and twisted nobility living in the ruins of their splendour.

When I heard of a revival of a nearly forty-year-old cult film, I was generally hesitant. We seem incapable of grasping the appeal of some of our most popular properties, as the recent dismal entries into series like Star Wars and Star Trek demonstrate. If we can’t get those right, what hope would there be for a cult puppet movie? I was very pleased to have been proven absolutely wrong. In fact, my thinking on the matter was probably entirely backwards. The Dark Crystal was such a sleeper success of the film that the stakes were likely considered low and the creative staff had more room to be, well, creative.

Age of Resistance is everything that a sequel should be, which is especially impressive given the shift in format from film to television. The attitude of the creators seems firmly rooted back in 1982, with a focus on wonder, mystery and likeably characters, over violence and shock. And yet, the series is not just a retread of the first film, instead building on its ideas and taking them in new directions. What truly amazed me is how the series manages to be a prequel, with certain information certain to the audience if they’ve seen the movie, and yet still manages to be surprising and intriguing. We know how things must eventually end up, but there was enough blank space in the film to add in plenty of questions and twists. The show is also very good at making every development seem natural, instead of simply tossing out ‘mystery boxes’ that will never be opened.

The series also manages to strike an excellent balance between old and new content. Too often sequels feel either like they are retreaded the same ground or are so divorced form the details of the original as to feel like a separate world to the original. The Dark Crystal may be the new gold standard in how to treat a fictional universe. Nothing is needlessly destroyed or undone, and so much great new detail is added. The series manages to celebrate the first movie without repeating it. A major benefit of the series being a prequel is that the villains, the Skeksis, are allowed to return in a combination of familiar characters and new additions.

In fact, all the characters are a major highlight of the show. Despite everyone being puppets, they feel like they have a lot more life to them than many “real” performers! The voice cast features a wealth of talent that is a delight to listen to. A particular favourite for me was Mark Hamill voicing The Scientist. The voice actors help propel a script that is often surprisingly witty, deftly balancing the light and the dark, the humorous and the serious. The world itself is gorgeous, and a character all of its own (figuratively as well as literally in the context of the show). New technologies have been added, but the series never devolves into distracting “CGI soup”, with deliberate and interesting artistic choices made throughout.

It’s very sad that the series, having done everything with such loving care, won’t be returning for a second season. That said, the first season is a satisfying watch all on its own, with a good ending point that caps off a full arc. I was, in fact, very impressed with how quickly the show moves along while keeping coherent – nothing is dwelt on to the point that it becomes overdone. If you’re the sort who likes your fantasy, well, fantastical, it’s a series well worth a watch.