Netflix has a fantasy problem. The large The Witcher universe elicits little more than a shrug of the shoulders from fans, and most of the exciting series in the genre are canceled prematurely and mercilessly. This includes not only Shadow and Bone – Legends of the Grisha and Half Bad: The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, but also a real masterpiece that saw the light of day five years ago.
We are, of course, talking about The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which launched on Netflix on August 30, 2019. The series prequel to Jim Henson’s cult film from 1982 is one of the most ambitious Netflix series to date, and its cancellation after just one season still hurts my soul five years later. Nevertheless, no fantasy fan should have missed it. Because There will probably never be a series like this again – especially not on Netflix.
In Netflix’s The Dark Crystal, Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones meet puppets
Impressive practical effects, an exciting mythology, a well-known cast of speakers and an epic story: these are just some of the ingredients that make The Dark Crystal an incomparable series experience – if you can get into it. Because the fantasy story is presented entirely with puppets and animatronics (over 170!) in front of lovingly designed backdrops.
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Gelflings, off to adventure!
This is what The Dark Crystal is about: The fantasy world of Thra is ruled by 18 dark (and ugly!) beings called Skeksi, who subjugate the nature-loving Gelflings. The power of this world is the Crystal of Truth, which is corrupted by the Skeksi and is slowly destroying the land. Three brave Gelflings now embark on an epic adventure to thwart the dark machinations of their rulers and ignite the fire of rebellion.
Whether it’s the forests of Steinwalden, the dark Grottan caves, coastal towns or dusty deserts: every corner of the world of Thra invites you to explore and marvel. The scenery is bursting with detail and creates an immersive and lively fantasy world that is populated by countless lovingly designed puppet creatures.
The dark crystal connects Adventure feeling and imposingness of Lord of the Rings with dark intrigues and twists from Game of Thrones. Humorous scenes and heartwarming moments are just as much a part of it as brutal cruelty, shocking deaths and political entanglements.
If you like your fantasy mythologies complex and thematically rich, then The Dark Crystal is the right place for you. Even if the story does not completely reinvent the wheel, it offers an incomparable fantasy experience that, even five years later, not surpassed by any other Netflix production Age of Resistance could have enchanted genre fans for years and seasons. Instead, it became one of the worst Netflix cancellations ever.
Netflix’s cancellation of The Dark Crystal is still incomprehensible even after 5 years
Even the best series have no chance on Netflix on an extension if they cannot generate enough viewing figures. Fans of the Experience the fantasy series first hand.
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Did the evil Skeks prevent the Netflix renewal?
Not only on Moviepilot is The Dark Crystal with an average of 7.9 points rated excellentThe series also received international acclaim, as evidenced by the IMDb rating of 8.4, an audience score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and even an award at the Emmy Awards.
In the end, none of this was enough. Despite praise from audiences and critics, the lavishly produced fantasy highlight was unable to generate the hype needed to justify a continuation. After all, the puppet spectacle, in which over 2,500 people are said to have participated, cost almost 100 million dollars.
Investing such large sums of money in innovative and creative experiments? Unfortunately, those days are over at Netflix. Challenging family entertainment with blockbuster appeal will no longer exist unless Avatar: The Last Airbender or an extremely popular original is adapted. Unusual substances with high risk (Unfortunately, dolls are not suitable for the masses) Netflix will no longer be able to afford nearly nine-figure budgets in the future.
And so The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance remains an unfinished masterpiece and a relic that makes us nostalgic for the past days of Netflix, when every conceivable type of series narrative seemed possible. Will we ever return to the world of Thra? Hopefully it won’t take another 37 years to get an answer to that.