On terms of the fantasy scale, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance fits somewhere at the midpoint between The Hobbit-style winsomeness and Game of Thrones-esque plotting. As the series opens, narration from The Myth Speaker (Sigourney Weaver) presents viewers with a sort of Thra 101, realizing that the majority of those bingeing may not be aware that this isn’t a new property just added to Netflix. The world of Thra is inhabited by seven diverse clans of Gelflings, honest and lovable creatures who serve their masters, the Skeksis – massive vulture-like beings who are the guardians of the Crystal of Truth. The crystal is “the source of all life” on Thra, a planet where all things are connected.

Our main characters are Rian (voiced by Taron Egerton/performed by puppeteer Neil Sterenberg), a Gelfling guard sworn to protect the castle that is home to the Crystal, Brea (Anya-Taylor Joy/Alice Dinnean), a Gelfling princess, and Deet (Nathalie Emmanuel/Beccy Henderson), a Gelfling whose tribe lives underground. With whispers of a “Darkening” spreading blight throughout Thra and turning creatures evil, our heroes find their fates intertwined after a tragic event reveals the truth about the Skeksis — whose dark doings set in motion a revolution that will change the course of Thra forever.

Featuring a peerless voice cast of main and supporting characters that also includes Mark Hamill (as a Skeksis scientist who sounds like a cross between his Joker voice and Chris Latta’s Cobra Commander), Jason Isaacs as the Skeksis Emperor, Gugu-Mbatha Raw as Brea’s sister, Simon Pegg as the scheming Skeksis Chamberlain, and Donna Kimball as Aughra, a mysterious figure in Thra’s past and future (and a key player in the original Dark Crystal film), the series has a surprising level of complexity that wears its Game of Thrones influence on its magnificently costumed sleeve. (Did I mention that Lena Headley and Natalie Dormer are also in the cast?) The talent on display here is full of engaging vocal performances combined with the impressive on-set work of the industry’s best puppeteers to deliver fully realized characters.

To reveal plot twists would be a big no-no for a spoiler-free review, but I can say that the surprises are plenty and meaningful. The initial two episodes spend the majority of their runtime establishing Thra and its inhabitants, further illustrating that any previous knowledge of the world of The Dark Crystal is unnecessary to fully enjoy this series. In fact, any allegiance to the pre-existing work might be a detriment. For all of the movie’s successes, the brutal fact remains that it can be a bit of a slog at times. (Mystics scenes, I’m glaring at you). Excitingly, pacing issues that marred the film are more than resolved here.

further reading – Dark Crystal: The Age of Resistance Breathes Life Into Its Puppets