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I've noticed this increasing trend to declare a show good without caveat, or bad without caveat, and while that's fine because people have subjective standpoints, I do think there are significant issues with Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance around concepts of heteronormativity, slavery and fridging, that are all not insignificant.
The artistic merits of the show alone are staggering and stunning, and I think it's very easy to get snowed by them. Even Glen and I want an art book for the series, though we doubt we'll watch the series again. It is transcendent art, helped along by incredible character and set design, and a lighting team that has used just about every trick in the book to create amazing ambiance in every scene. The puppetry is well done, and after an initial period of adjustment for me, I generally forget I'm watching puppetry except in the moments where I'm like 'wow this must have been really hard to film how did they achieve this.'
The voice actors are generally well chosen, though I think Taron Egerton was a huge mistake. He sounds non-committal and apathetic for the most part, which doesn't really suit a Jesus-style prophet knight-type character. And he seems to fill out that voice acting with a lot of passive 'ahh' 'uhh' sounds that actually make him sound forced and non-organic (the use of these noises are literally designed to do the opposite in voice acting). He just honestly sounds like he's sighing all the time, and over it. About the only time this isn't true concerns a spoiler I'll go into under the cut.
The Skeksis are incredible villains, though for me, aside from two or three, they all do tend to blend into one another with similar tones, voice acting choices, character design and names. But as gross, increasingly corrupt (which is saying something given where they started), gluttonous, irredeemable assholes, they're great.
Tonally, this show is imho, veering very close to grimdark as a genre (although I think it's outright grimdark). It makes sense, given it's a prequel to the movie. But I'm not sure how I feel about several perilously and generally nihilistic seasons of something sumptuously beautiful, but desperately amoral and grim.
The script does have its genuinely light moments, few and far between as they are. Also, some of the voice acting is remarkably organic. The characters Hup, Deet and Brea in particular, along with Celadon and Aughra, are probably the most well-realised and empathetic because of it.
I would give the show about a 6/10, with a good 3 of those points going to visuals alone, and about another 3 going to the story.
( Spoilery thoughts. )
The artistic merits of the show alone are staggering and stunning, and I think it's very easy to get snowed by them. Even Glen and I want an art book for the series, though we doubt we'll watch the series again. It is transcendent art, helped along by incredible character and set design, and a lighting team that has used just about every trick in the book to create amazing ambiance in every scene. The puppetry is well done, and after an initial period of adjustment for me, I generally forget I'm watching puppetry except in the moments where I'm like 'wow this must have been really hard to film how did they achieve this.'
The voice actors are generally well chosen, though I think Taron Egerton was a huge mistake. He sounds non-committal and apathetic for the most part, which doesn't really suit a Jesus-style prophet knight-type character. And he seems to fill out that voice acting with a lot of passive 'ahh' 'uhh' sounds that actually make him sound forced and non-organic (the use of these noises are literally designed to do the opposite in voice acting). He just honestly sounds like he's sighing all the time, and over it. About the only time this isn't true concerns a spoiler I'll go into under the cut.
The Skeksis are incredible villains, though for me, aside from two or three, they all do tend to blend into one another with similar tones, voice acting choices, character design and names. But as gross, increasingly corrupt (which is saying something given where they started), gluttonous, irredeemable assholes, they're great.
Tonally, this show is imho, veering very close to grimdark as a genre (although I think it's outright grimdark). It makes sense, given it's a prequel to the movie. But I'm not sure how I feel about several perilously and generally nihilistic seasons of something sumptuously beautiful, but desperately amoral and grim.
The script does have its genuinely light moments, few and far between as they are. Also, some of the voice acting is remarkably organic. The characters Hup, Deet and Brea in particular, along with Celadon and Aughra, are probably the most well-realised and empathetic because of it.
I would give the show about a 6/10, with a good 3 of those points going to visuals alone, and about another 3 going to the story.
( Spoilery thoughts. )
