Ahead of its global Netflix debut on 30 August, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is getting the royal treatment at London’s BFI Southbank.
On from now through 6 September, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Exhibition features character studies, original puppets and props, and recreated sets from the 1982 cult classic.
Directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, the fantasy film takes place in Thra, a world populated by heroic Gelflings, villainous Skeksis, and wise Mystics, and the ten-episode series returns to that strange land, before the events of the original, when Gelflings Jen and Kira sought to repair the crystal that would bring balance to the universe.
“What Jim wanted to do, and it was totally his vision, was to get back to the darkness of the original Grimm’s fairy tales. He thought it was fine to scare children. He didn’t think it was healthy for children to always feel safe,” Oz told SFGate in 2007, when the film enjoyed a brief theatrical return. “It was an incredible undertaking. It was massive.”
Among the sets recreated for the BFI Southbank exhibit is the Stone-in-the-Wood’s Brew Trough, where the Gelflings meet to quaff a brew or two—and to give the location the extra breath of life, craft brewery Verdant have created a pale ale especially for the occasion. There are also screenings, workshops, and special events leading up to the show’s premiere.
Tickets for the exhibit are free, but booking is recommended. For more information, see whatson.bfi.org.uk.
