Netflix surprised us a few days ago with the release of a teaser for their upcoming Dark Crystal prequel series Age of Resistance. Created by visionary Jim Henson in 1982, The Dark Crystal was a dark fantasy adventure about the balance of good and evil. The character design and sets were imaginative and amazing. The puppets and animatronics were considered groundbreaking, at the time. Despite originating from the mind of the beloved Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets, The Dark Crystal did not make a lot of money during its theatrical run. However, it has become a cult classic and cherished memory of those who grew up in the 1980s.
If you weren't there or don't remember, the 1980s were unquestionably the heyday of the fantasy movie genre. I don't think many of them were blockbuster hits the way comic book movies are today, but they were brilliantly told fables with wonderful and often outlandish characters living in incredibly deep worlds that felt 100% authentic...and kids in the 80s were absolutely awestruck. Take my word. The following list is nowhere near complete and there are most likely several fantasy films from the 80s I love but just forgot, but if you'd like to watch some of my favorites buy, rent or stream these. Keep in mind, the ratings system thirty some years ago was more carefree and even though the films listed are rated G or PG they may can contain some violent scenes, horrific demons that will haunt your nightmares, or David Bowie's inappropriately bulging crouch.
The Dark Crystal
Labyrinth
Legend
The Last Unicorn
Beast Master
Willow
The Princess Bride
Clash of the Titans
The Never Ending Story
The Secret of Nimh
Watership Down
The fantasy/fairy tale genre has never truly vanished from the theaters. Over the years films like Pan's Labyrinth, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and others have told marvelous fictions, but a good fantasy adventure film would be seldom.
Is this the beginning of a resurgence? Clash of the Titans has been re-made (the original is better, even with outdated Ray Harryhausen stop-motion effects). Disney is retelling their classic animated fairy tales with a blend of live action and CGI. The Mummy, in theaters June 8th, starring Tom Cruise will be the launch of Universal's "Dark Universe" connecting classic monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolfman in a cinematic universe. Game of Thrones is perhaps the most successful series HBO has ever produced. Trading card games like Pokemon and Magic the Gathering are very popular with local and online communities and even tournaments with large cash prizes. Fantasy based video games like Warcraft have spawned successful movies, and rumor is Hollywood is interested in revisiting Dungeons and Dragons.
Fantasy films like The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth are not based on a comic book like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, unlike The Transformers the toys came after the film, not before it, but the genre fits in with the mega franchises of today. Iron Man, Hulk, Batman, Optimus Prime, and others were all created in the powerful imaginations of some very creative people. Just as the power hungry bird-like creatures, the Skeksis, were the creation of Jim Henson. The super heroes and sentient robots took a different route to their success but they all have their roots in fantasy. And if the current generation mistakes The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance for a "comic-book movie" so be it, as long as as many people as possible watch the series and Netflix approves a second season and then a third, and then adapts other fantasy films into a series, I'll be overjoyed.
Speaking of which. Netflix has also recently released a teaser for a Castlevania animated series. Castlevania is based on a video game however, that video game is based on the legend of Dracula. So it seems as if Netflix is leading this resurgence of fantasy entertainment.
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