Yeah, I will admit it – The Dark Crystal scared the ever-living you-know-what outta me the first time I saw it. I was only about five or six when we rented it in the late ’80s, so I am comfortable with owning my terror. In fact, if you try to tell me that this movie did NOT scare you the first time you saw it, even as an adult, I would be hesitant to believe you.
Don’t get me wrong, now – I LOVE this movie, but there was a substantial span of time between my first and second viewings. Jim Henson is a hero of mine, and The Dark Crystal is a great reminder that the man had tremendous range when it came to his film and puppetry crafts because The Dark Crystal has about as much in common with Sesame Street as peanut butter has in common with sriracha. Granted, they are both great, but very different in every way.
So, while I am waiting to show this movie to my four-year-old daughter, I still love to watch it now and again, and even with powerhouses like The Lord of Rings trilogy and the like being commonplace now, The Dark Crystal still ranks very high on my “Best of” fantasy film list. It is pretty classic in its thematic notes of an underdog protagonist facing immeasurable odds against powerful evil, but the creature designs (aided by renowned fantasy artist Brian Froud), characterizations, and dark whimsy remain remarkable even to this day. If you have never seen the movie, I would highly recommend it.
Like most of the beloved movies from my youth, I have been wanting and waiting for Dark Crystal action figures for as long as I can remember. I have always found the designs to be very toyetic so it is nice to see that the Funko and Super7 tag-team felt the same and gave us a series within their expansive ReAction line. Now, normally I am not a huge collector of the 3¾-inch, five points of articulation lines (the nostalgia does hold me as I was a few years behind on the vintage time frame), but I find that this scale works really well for these characters.
Now, if you are familiar with the ReAction line, at least as it has been since the partnership with Funko began, you know that aside from the scale and articulation, the sculpting style is pretty consistent across all of the properties. Generally, I find the sculpts to be a little “soft” and without a lot of details, but I understand the thought of infusing the “vintage” feel into a property (like the Jaws figures I own). However, these new Dark Crystal figures look and feel much more like the original ReAction line, Alien, and I am very thankful for that.
The sculpts in this line are absolutely lovely and with a very diverse line-up, there is a ton of variety and detail amongst the five figures. The heroic Jen is joined by fellow Gelfling Kira (and her pet Fizzgig), the evil Chamberlain Skeksis, Ursol the Mystic, and Aughra as the featured characters in the main line. Of course the two Gelflings resemble each other (as they should) in sculpt and shape, but the rest of the creatures represent a range of aesthetic diversity as good as any line out there. Every character is given their due, and nothing in terms of character design or look was sacrificed, so the details are really, really great. The Skeksis is malevolent and threatening, Aughra is crazy-looking as ever, and Ursol even gets unique packaging to accommodate his long shape — I love it.
In fact, I find these sculpts to be some of the very best we have ever gotten from Funko, and while these are true to the characters and their Henson Company origins, they still feel coherent in the grander scheme of ReAction, so that is pretty impressive. I realize that ReAction will be handled solely by Super7 once again after the release of the E.T. series, but I think Funko finally got this line perfect with this series, so it is kind of sad it is near the end of the partnership. So, while Ursol might be the most visually impressive figure overall in the assortment, I think Aughra is actually my favorite because her sculpt just cannot be beat.
Another cool thing added to this series the inclusion of a “build-a-figure” piece. Well, not really a “figure” so much as a “build-a-crystal,” and just any crystal — it is the titular DARK Crystal. Split into five pieces (plus the all-important missing shard included with Jen), this not only incentivizes getting the entire assortment, but it was the only realistic way of getting the all-important piece worked into the line. I love the translucent plastic used here and I probably going to look for a way to get a small light worked into the display to help illuminate the crystal.
I am very pleased, and highly impressed with this series, and it was definitely worth the wait to get some Dark Crystal figures. Funko and Super7 have done a fantastic handling this property and the love and respect for it really comes out in the sculpts and overall execution. As you can see in the picture, the Landstrider was released as an SDCC/Toys R Us shared exclusive, but I am still waiting on the important Gathrim figure that was first released at NYCC. I have heard it will find its way to a retail partner soon, but the winged Kira and closed-mouth Fizzgig will remain exclusive to the show. The exclusivity is the only nitpick I have, just because I want everything because this series is just great. BBTS has the whole shebang in stock now, so go getcha some.
I am incredibly disappointed that winged Kira with closed-mouth Fizzgig won’t see a wide, or at least larger, release. A 500 piece NYCC exclusive just doesn’t cut it for these important character variations. The Garthim is reportedly getting a single-carded exclusive-to-a-retailer release, so why not winged Kira, too? I’m now beginning to understand the “all or nothing” mindset of wanting a complete collection or none at all, which before had always baffled me.
I’m also disappointed in the lack of paint details that didn’t make it through production. There is a major difference when looking at the promotional photos and the final products. The promo pics looked amazing with a paint wash that brought out the detailed sculpts of the wonderful character designs, and it is totally absent on the final figures. It is most obvious on Ursol the Mystic, which had the deep, dark eyes just like in the film, but the final toy has those cartoony black dots on white.
These two factors really cooled my excitement for the entire line.
Yeah, I did not see it until it had been on video for several years, but I did not really enjoy it until I was in college, so I really came to in adult(ish)hood.
Yeah I’m still watching for word who’ll get the Garthrim and when. But it sucks the cool winged Kira and closed-mouth Fizzgig will remain unobtainable unless you wanna drop about $200 on the set on Ebay. Maybe someone will eventually do some custom molded wings and custom Fizzgig so we can complete our sets eventually.
I didn’t see Dark Crystal until I was in my 30s. In 1982 I got the Dark Crystal magazine-sized Marvel movie adaptation and read that over and over. In the back of that book they had stills from the movie, and that was my only exposure to it.
Hopefully they make a Garthim readily available.
KRULL next please
The sculpts are great, and the prices aren’t bad at all. Nice line, very different from some of the ugliest ReAction figures.