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The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Is a Stone-Cold Masterpiece

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Re: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Is a Stone-Cold Masterpiece

#11

Post by the_hoffa »

teamonkey wrote: post #9
fowl338 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW, it's unlikely that any other studio would have greenlighted AoR at anywhere close to the budget it got. It might have had more seasons elsewhere, but not at this level of quality. I'm glad we at least got one incredible season out of it. Scavenger's Reign on Max got similarly cancelled after one season. There isn't much audience for weird shows like that, apparently. :(

I think it’s a shame that shows like this need to be runaway hits out of the door, rather than slow-burners. Cult TV has historically had a long tail; you’d think that this was something that would benefit streaming services.

It sucks too because with streaming they can track so many finite details; with "old school" TV it was mostly self-reporting (i.e. Neilsen Ratings). And so much of the TV-streaming budgeting took "Hollywood budgeting" to the extremes: if total_individual_views < (total_episodes * 2) && total_episodes_binged < total_episodes && average_time_spent_on_episode < (average_episode_time * 0.98) && release_date <= 1week then CANCEL_SHOW=true ... just shortsighted and sad :(

Re: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Is a Stone-Cold Masterpiece

#12

Post by freetime2 »

eldgfipo wrote: post #4

Incredible show, so disappointed Netflix cancelled it.

This is the first I am even hearing about it. Interesting that Netflix has never recommended it to me as someone who watches a lot of fantasy, sci-fi, animation, etc. Although TBH if it weren't highly recommended I would be pretty hesitant to watch a show with muppets, despite my other interests. Even with this glowing recommendation I'm still a bit skeptical.

Re: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Is a Stone-Cold Masterpiece

#14

Post by techterrier »

Given it was so obvious that the team had bottled lightening with this creation, it stands as a monument to the failure of bean counter driven programming. Surely any creative person looking at the quality of this work would have kept this team in the groove. It's not like they didnt have the money.

They could easily have made the cash back on some reality thing that cost nothing but made bank.

Re: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Is a Stone-Cold Masterpiece

#15

Post by EdwardDiego »

tigerlily wrote: post #6

> It’s certainly darker than something like Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films... Huh. Why not also compare Jackson's puppet/splatter films, Bad Taste , Meet the Feebles , heck even Braindead ?

Because very very few people know of those films.

"Ooh, aren't I lucky, I got a chunky bit!"

You could also have mentioned Heavenly Creatures and The Frighteners (filmed in my home town, was a blast seeing Michael J. Fox roaming around).

I suspect they mentioned LotR because you know, well known and, fantasy.

Not really comparable to Barry and the team vs. the evil aliens, or Harvey Weinstein personified in a walrus puppet.

But I'm rather glad you're aware of Jackson's earlier works.

Re: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Is a Stone-Cold Masterpiece

#16

Post by ReptileMan »

techterrier wrote: post #14

Given it was so obvious that the team had bottled lightening with this creation, it stands as a monument to the failure of bean counter driven programming. Surely any creative person looking at the quality of this work would have kept this team in the groove. It's not like they didnt have the money. They could easily have made the cash back on some reality thing that cost nothing but made bank.

I mean they had to finance rebel moon, the idol and the electric state.

This is what I also hate about the gaming industry. If you have a team that works good - find something to do for them.

The guys behind Prince of Peria lost crown were brilliant in every aspect. And Ubisoft disbanded them instead of giving them time to get their footing. But we have a bloated AC:Shadows crap coming our way.

Re: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Is a Stone-Cold Masterpiece

#17

Post by beloch »

This was a brilliant show, but it had the misfortune to come along at a time when Netflix was cancelling even moderate successes after one season and slashing the budget of hit shows for their second season before cancelling them too (e.g. Altered Carbon). Only very rarely does a show turn into the kind of pop culture sensation that seems to make the bean-counters want to go past two seasons (e.g. Stranger Things), unless it's some executive's idea of a tent-pole for their platform (e.g. Rings of Power).

Given how fragmentation and enshittification of streaming services is driving users back to piracy, one can't help but feel like the current model may not persist much longer. Heck, I wonder what the impact of the trade war is going to be! A lot of people in a lot of countries are cancelling Disney Plus, Netflix, Amazon Plus, Apple TV, etc. just because they're American.

Re: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Is a Stone-Cold Masterpiece

#18

Post by OisinMoran »

Hard disagree with a lot said here. Watched both the film and this series (though haven't got around to finishing it yet) for the first time last year, and the series lacks a lot of what makes the film great.

The film has some interesting zen-like qualities like duality, and a more complex set of morals. The series just feels like most modern creations with a pretty bland right vs wrong.

The film is also almost entirely practical effects, which are incredible (the behind the scenes footage is amazing), while the series leans a bit too heavily on CGI in parts, which detracts from the action a bit (à la LoTR vs The Hobbit).

Given this piece I might go back to finish it now (and from another comment possibly upgrade my TV), but I still think I'll prefer the film.

Re: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Is a Stone-Cold Masterpiece

#19

Post by donatj »

How strange, the most positive review I heard from anyone I know was that "It ruined my childhood" and that it let's say "craped" on the source material. Mind you these are the nicest things people said.

I have not seen it nor the original film to be fair, but this is quite literally the first positive thing I have heard about it.

Re: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Is a Stone-Cold Masterpiece

#20

Post by donatj »

pavlov wrote: post #10

I remember this was the first HDR program I watched on my new OLED TV back in 2019, and the experience felt like all my life I'd been watching TV with foggy sunglasses that had been suddenly removed. It's a really beautifully shot show.

The first season of Westworld was this far me. Started it the same day we got our first HDR TV. Blown away.
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