Every generation should get its own Jim Henson masterpiece.

Though the Muppets inventor isn’t around anymore, “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” executive-produced by his daughter Lisa, is a worthy legacy and an extraordinary labor of love.

It’s also dark as hell. With puppets!

Building on the world introduced in 1982’s “The Dark Crystal,” this 10-part fantasy series has the time and budget to flesh out what Henson started. It’s a prequel to a young-adult movie that opened with a grim scenario: The last two surviving Gelfling, elf-like creatures, must save their planet, Thra, from the rule of the evil Skeksis, who resemble giant armored vultures. The series goes back to a time when Gelfling flourished, in seven tribes that view the Skeksis as benevolent overlords.

These rulers are entrusted with Thra’s “crystal of truth” while its original keeper, the earthy Mother Aughra, is off on an extended astral-plane trip. As the Skeksis scientist (a terrific Mark Hamill) begins to use the crystal for nefarious purposes, three Gelfling (Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy and Nathalie Emmanuel) are drawn into a quest to stop it.

“Age of Resistance” is built for a fantasy-savvy audience primed by “Game of Thrones,” “Lord of the Rings,” “Avatar” and the “Star Wars” canon, the latter of which also featured Henson’s work. It’s a triumph for director Louis Leterrier, whose previous projects include a dubious 2010 remake of “Clash of the Titans.”

Original “Dark Crystal” designers Brian and Wendy Froud are back, bringing an updated continuity to the look and feel of Thra. Landscapes are dazzlingly diverse and detailed; everywhere you look, wondrous Henson creatures are popping their fuzzy heads out of bookshelves, bushes, swamps and, most chillingly, the greedy Skeksis’ cages and dinner platters.

The series is very gritty, even more than the movie, which raised eyebrows for the “Sesame Street” creator’s depiction of puppets being strapped down and drained of their “essence.” More of that here, and then some: This is no kiddie show. There’s cruelty, torture, murder, grief — even a pool of puppet blood (it’s pink, but still). The voice of Lena “Cersei Lannister” Headey as a Gelfling queen may have viewers wondering whose head she’s going to lop off.

But “Age of Resistance” is also brimming with the humor and faith in humanity that characterized Henson’s work. Emmanuel’s Deet is an animal lover who meets every skeptical Gelfling on her travels with trust and friendliness. Taylor-Joy’s Princess Brea spends her time immersed in books until she’s pulled into a battle of wills with her mother (Helena Bonham-Carter) and older sister (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who refuse to see the danger in the Skeksis. One of the series’ scariest episodes also features an extended comic scene between two improbable friends (whose identities I’m forbidden from disclosing).

The 1982 movie was made before celebrity voice work was a big deal; here, of course, Netflix has packed the cast with stars, including Awkwafina, Caitriona Balfe and Andy Samberg. This works in some cases better than others: Hamill is a veteran voice actor whose Joker in “Batman: The Animated Series” is legendary. Simon Pegg (“Star Trek”) does a first-rate recreation of the original, simpering Skeksis Chamberlain’s voice. Sci-fi icon Sigourney Weaver as narrator makes good sense.

The series does stay very retro, with its handmade characters, who have a tactile sumptuousness that simply can’t be recreated via computer. Outside of Henson, puppetry never really hit it big. But the thrilling, moving “Age of Resistance” marks an impressive pushback against the age of CGI.