![]() There was an infamous failed adaptation of the game in 2000, with Roger Ebert observing that “ (t)he plot does not defy description, but it discourages it” and Geoff Pevere complaining about a “ wheezy quest story steeped in hobbity gibberish and second-hand Star Wars costumery.” The film’s box office performance mirrored the critical sentiment. The trend even extended to streaming revivals of those 1980s fantasy films, such as Willow and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which were canceled after a single season.įrom a studio perspective, a theatrical adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons is a particularly risky proposition. Hollywood’s search for “the next Game of Thrones” led to a number of fantasy television shows that failed to really break out, including The Wheel of Time and His Dark Materials. Game of Thrones succeeded on television, but that show was notable for its subversion of the conventional tropes of those stories. While audiences clearly loved Middle-earth and Hogwarts, that love never translated to an enthusiastic embrace of the wider fantasy genre. Only The Dark Crystal was relatively successful.”Īllowing for rare successes like the Twilight saga, Hollywood’s attempts to replicate the success of The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter led to a string of high-profile failures: The Mortal Instruments, City of Ember, The Golden Compass, Mortal Engines, Percy Jackson, Immortals, A Wrinkle in Time, and Artemis Fowl. ![]() Promoting Willow, George Lucas openly acknowledged, “The fantasy genre has been spectacularly unsuccessful, including Krull, Legend, Dragonslayer and Labyrinth. While children of the 1980s may fondly recall the wave of mainstream fantasy epics like Highlander or The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, the truth is that very few of those movies actually connected with contemporary audiences. Even promoting The Lord of the Rings, director Peter Jackson had to concede that “ fantasy is the one cinematic genre that’s never been done especially well.” In some ways, it feels like a calculated choice that reflects the awkward relationship that mainstream American audiences have with traditional fantasy, outside of exceptions like The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. It is possible to be cynical about the decision to frame Honor Among Thieves as a comedy. Alex Meehan worried that the adaptation would “ throw away its lore, worldbuilding and sincerity to be considered cool.” Joshua Kristian McCoy opined that the film didn’t “ seem to match the tone of those novels or the extremely serious world-building of the lore books.” Definitive, enthralling, and revelatory, Dark Crystal: The Ultimate Visual History is the last word on an enduring modern classic and the book that fans of the film have been waiting for.Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a charming fantasy comedy that is somewhat less interested in the dense lore of its source material than it is in replicating the experience of a fun time enjoying the classic role-playing game.įrom the moment that it became clear that Honor Among Thieves would be an outright comedy, there was a palpable unease among certain sets of fans. ![]() The book also features a plethora of amazing removable items, such as script pages, notes and sketches from Henson, and other unique treasures. This deluxe coffee-table book contains an in-depth look at the day-to-day production of the film and showcases a huge range of incredible visuals, including candid set photography, previously unseen concept art, storyboards, production notes, and more. The book also delves into the wider world of Dark Crystal, exploring the creation of comics, novels, and other official projects inspired by the film. Drawing from unseen archive interviews with Jim Henson and new interviews with the film’s behind-the-scenes creative team, Dark Crystal: The Ultimate Visual History leaves no stone unturned in chronicling the entire production, from the initial concept based on themes close to Henson’s heart to the ingenious conceptual design, puppet construction, and logistics of the shoot itself. ![]() For the first time, this deluxe and highly comprehensive book tells the complete story of this deeply personal Henson project, highlighting the unique creative journey and groundbreaking techniques that brought the film to the screen. Dark Crystal: The Ultimate Visual History is the definitive collection of rare artwork, interviews, and on-set photos from the beloved Jim Henson fantasy classic.Ī true masterpiece brought to life by the ingenious puppetry and peerless storytelling of Jim Henson, Dark Crystal is revered by an entire generation of fans. ![]()
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