The Dark Crystal

[arethinn]

Observations on the Fathom Events presentation of The Dark Crystal enotsola and I watched with two friends earlier today:

1. Not unexpected given the fact I've watched the movie umpteen times on VHS and DVD, but... I just don't find the Skeksis scary. Creepy, okay; gross, in some cases; but while I vaguely remember that they scared me in the original theatrical release (I was four, so I don't actually have a detailed memory at this point, just a sort of emotional echo of "it was scary" like with the Red Bull in The Last Unicorn), I really don't see it these days.

2. That said, the old Emperor disintegrating into dust is still pretty *shudder*, especially the first bit where the end of his beak (?) breaks off. When I was younger this is something I had to turn away from because I couldn't take it. That hasn't been the case for some time, but it's still really unsettling. Physical effects, eh wot?

3. There are some places in wide shots where you can clearly see the child actors or w/e playing the Gelflings (I know Kiran Shah did stunts, but I think some shots are children?) have five fingers, whereas the puppets have four. Mrr. They were so careful about continuity most of the time it's a little annoying.

4. Aughra has no fucks to give. (But then, if you were a being exuded of the stone and earth because it wanted to have eyes to see and had been around 5eva, would you?)

5. TRIAL BY STONE!

6. FIRST WE TAKE HER ESSENCE, THEN KILL! uh, because I, the new Emperor, forgot that like 10 minutes ago I was bent out of shape about SkekTek's inferior quality Podling essence and plea that "it always works better when we use Gelflings" and somehow didn't immediately think, when we actually got our claws on a Gelfling, that it's a thing I might want to do.

7. Lisa Henson talks in her introduction about how they strove to accomplish the whole thing with puppets lit as if in the real world in real sets with no chromakey effects, etc., and it's true it holds up pretty well. There are some shots where you can tell the sky was matted in afterwards, but they're not too bad. The scene near the end where Jen is carrying dead Kira towards the UrSkeks (er, spoilers?), though, is... just... argh, even considering.

8. Movie is still good.

9. The fact that I already have a tag for "the dark crystal" makes me wonder what other posts are in it.

Comments

[caraven]

I have no joke, I just like to say, "5eva."

And yes, TRIAL BY STONE.

[arethinn]

:D

also: points for IHNJ, IJLS. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person who still uses that.

[caraven]

I would use it more often, but so few folks are using it these days.

[andros_b]

I need to go to that next week. ^^

[valkyriur.livejournal.com]

We always seem to miss out on movies. They pass me by so quickly. I'm glad you go to go!

I never found the Skeksis particularly scary, but definitely creepy.

I can't think of too many things that creep me out any more to this day than stealing somebody's essence! D:

On that same point, I always felt a bit...uncomfortable at the end how **SPOILERS**the two peoples come together as one**END SPOILERS**. I know it's supposed to be good because they are now their true persons, but the idea of losing the self? I don't like that idea.

[arethinn]

The urSkeks were originally one when they came to Thra, though. In a sense both the Skeksis and Mystics are degenerates, yeah?

[zeeth_kyrah]

I've had an experience very like this. It's not so much losing the self. It's regaining that. You aren't disappearing the person or identity, they simply merge and have all that they were before, only bigger and more whole.