wandercreature

It’s almost like a long delayed breakup..

And yet, this was a choice that has probably been on the block since 2017. My only excuses being the piling on of originally produced content ( that reached almost crushing pressures come 2018 ), the will to cut the red cord has been a dear friend for some time. So when I was finally out from beneath the thumb of not only the streaming debut of Neon Genesis Evangelion, as well as The Irishman, and yes, even The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, coupled with the reality that with such a ubiquitous service in the hands of loved ones, there was a diminished passion on my part to continue. Especially in a Disney +, Amazon, Hulu, etc. landscape. (As for my latest leap back into the D pool, we can discuss soon, promise.)

To be completely honest, this feels right. Feels a solid ten pounds lighter. Especially true when my weekly Netflix diet largely consisted in background noise choices rather than actual sit down and watches. I’ve since joked that a large portion of the service’s content now sports a specific aesthetic, and almost lackadaisical attitude for works initially meant to function like your classic serialized material. It’s to the point that the riches often undercut a certain dramatic effectiveness. Much like the Marvel model, “just good enough” is baseline, rendering much of it disposable. It feels like qualitative purgatory.

And yet, Louis Leterrier’s long-awaited collaboration with the Hensons could not be a better sendoff.

Worth the wait in every respect, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, is the streaming service’s equivalent to legacy sequels/prequels that stand alone as shining examples of merging the familiar with the urgent. And grandeur to boot. Throughout, I have been repeatedly kicking myself for putting it off for so long. It’s also that rare prequel where despite what we know is to become of these characters, it remains impossible to wander away from. Nothing short of a visual and thematic feast that loses none of the strange charm of Jim Henson’s hopelessly radical 1982 piece. (My memories of seeing for the first time that opening weekend remain vital ones to this day.)

So sure, there’s a part of me that will miss being able to finish Carole & Tuesday’s second half at home. But the possibilities that have opened up in its stead remain hopeful. There’s still a ton of material to explore with my remaining options, including oodles in my years-old queue. There’s just something liberating about knowing what lies ahead, without the additional baggage of what remains online, and what could just as easily be removed tomorrow.

And then there’s my ever lingering physical media watch list that never seems to end.

See? We should be fine.