For geeky enthusiasts like ourselves, Netflix has just released The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance as a 10-episode series. Yes, this is the same world of The Dark Crystal way back in 1982 of Jim Henson's puppets. However, the Netflix series is a prequel to the original movie. Here's the synopsis:
Return to the world of Thra, where three Gelfling discover the horrifying secret behind the Skeksis' power, and set out to ignite the fires of rebellion and save their world.
This new series remains due to puppet artistry with intricate sets enhances by modern CGI VFX. It also boasts a great voice cast of famous geek fandom celebrities comprising Sigourney Weaver as The Myth Speaker, Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones) as Deet, Taron Egerton (Kingsman) as Rian, Anya Taylor-Joy (Split, Glass) and Brea, Jason Isaacs (Star Trek Discovery) as Emperor of the Skeksis, Simon Peg (Star Trek), Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Benedict Wong (Marvel's Doctor Strange), Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians), Alicia Vikander (Tomb Raider), Helena Bonham Carter, Mark Strong and more.
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| Gelfling Deet voiced by Nathelie Emmanuel (Missandie from Game of Thrones). Photo source Netflix |
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| Scary Skeksis receive famous voices the likes of Mark Hamill, Simon Peg, Jason Isaacs. |
Like a bonus of Netflix users, the original cult classic The Dark Crystal is also available for streaming. Those new to the world of Thra may wish to take opportunity to binge watch in the 10 episodes prequel series before viewing the original movie for a chronological experience, much like younger Star Wars fans today may watch the movies in sequence from Episode I to VIII.
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The following feature is provided by Netflix as a guide to its features that support binge watching:
Tanggal tiga-puluh-satu, bulan lapan lima-puluh-tujuh. If you read that with the late Sudirman Arshad’s ‘Tanggal 31’ tune in your head, it’s one of those things that make you truly Malaysian. That’s right - Merdeka!, Merdeka!, Merdeka!
This year, Malaysia celebrates its 62nd year of freedom, marking the anniversary of the day the Federation of Malaya gained independence from the British rule on the 31st of August 1957. Cue the display of fireworks and the flag-waving patriotism while we spectate the grand parade along the iconic Dataran Merdeka. Every year, this is how we pay homage to our founding fathers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun V.T. Sambanthan, Tun Tan Cheng Lock and many more Malaysians who fought tooth and nail to ensure that we had the freedom to be our own democratic nation.
Fast forward to 2019, Malaysians are enjoying a different kind of freedom, now with the seamless convenience of connectivity and the power of choice in a click of a few buttons. And Netflix offers just that. The freedom to choose from more than 140 million hours of TV shows and movies, and watch as much as you want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected device. The best part is that you also have the freedom to play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments. Heck, you can even make choices for the characters of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and choose how the story unfolds.
Additionally, there are other ways to #BebasBersamaNetflix:
- Freedom to watch anything, anywhere, anytime, regardless of connection speed
We
Malaysians want to watch our favourite shows uninterrupted, whether
on the plane or in environments with intermittent bandwidth. Boy, do
we know the pain of varying internet conditions and bandwidth
limitations that have resulted in a less than satisfactory experience
- buffering problems, intermittent outages and high data usage (and
with it, costs) that often leaves us frustrated.
With
Netflix, you can get an enhanced viewing experience with the Smart
Downloads feature that
allows you the flexibility to stream or download shows to watch
offline without consuming too much data or memory, making it possible
for you consume content on-the-go. Giving members more control over
their entertainment experience is at the heart of everything we do
and members can choose when they want to use Smart Downloads.
- Save your data plan. The Smart Downloads feature only turns on when you're connected to Wi-Fi, so your data plan will never be used.
- Save space. When you finish watching a downloaded episode, Smart Downloads will delete it, then automatically download the next episode in the series. If you would rather keep watched episodes on your device, you will need to turn off Smart Downloads so you can manually manage your downloaded content.
Smart
Downloads is available on devices supporting downloads installed with
the latest version of the Netflix app for Android mobile devices, iOS
mobile devices, Amazon Fire tablets, and computers and tablets
running Windows 10.
- Freedom to protect your loved ones
Parental
controls are essential in ensuring the safety of your children online
as parents are able to limit or restrict access to specific content
that is deemed inappropriate. To ensure a safe viewing experience for
the whole family, Netflix has a series of features and controls that
can be accessed via the website on any desktop that help parents
adjust and personalise the selection of content that can be accessed.
- Kids Profiles. Profiles allow different members of your household to have their own personalized Netflix experience, built around the TV shows and movies they enjoy. You can have up to five individual profiles within a single Netflix account.
- Choose Your Categories. There are four maturity levels for parents to choose from. Depending on the maturity level selected, you can access and view content that is appropriate for each of those levels from For little children only to All maturity levels.
- Set Up Your PIN. Set up a 4-digit PIN that will allow you to restrict particular content that you deem unfit for your children. This applies across all the profiles, deterring kids from circumventing it by switching to your account.
- Monitor Viewing Activity. To offer you a peace of mind, Netflix allows you to access the Viewing Activity via your Account area. Go to your Account and scroll down to My Profile and select Viewing Activity.
- Freedom to embrace your Malaysian pride
Netflix
is constantly looking to curate new stories and find new voices in
the unlikeliest of places whilst giving creative partners the freedom
and opportunity to tell their stories the way they want to and find
new audiences they’d never have had access to previously. In
Malaysia, Netflix continues to expand its offerings of Malaysian
content, allowing local stories to travel to more people than ever
before.
New
additions include Till
Death: Azalea’s Wrath, written,
directed and produced by local filmmaker, Sein Qudsi, is the first
Malaysian movie that is exclusively available on Netflix. Featuring
Khir Rahman, Vanidah Imran Nam Ron, Kodi Rasheed, Zain Hamid and
Zulaika Zahari, the film is about a couple who just lost their baby
due to complications during childbirth, and they move to a new house
to start fresh. Little do they know, the house carries a dark secret
and their journey of hardships have only just begun.
In
celebration of Merdeka and National Day, Netflix is showcasing Bebas
Bersama Netflix with its
diverse offering of Malaysian content for viewers around the world,
including some of the best Malaysian Box Office Hits including
Munafik 2, Hantu Kak
Limah, and Paskal: The Movie, Pulang, Jagat,
and the multiple award winning Crossroads:
One Two Jaga. Watch now
at netflix.com/bebasbersamanetflix
- Freedom to choose your preferred language
Our
nation is a melting pot of cultures, customs and languages and so is
Netflix with its constantly growing library of content that comes in
a vast variety of languages and diverse stories from content creators
across the globe. Netflix’s international movies and series,
including Money
Heist from
Spain, Sacred
Games from
India and Paskal:
The Movie
from Malaysia have
managed to gain fans beyond their home base, proving that great
storytelling can be appreciated by people all over the world
regardless of what language you speak or where you are from.
Netflix
believes that great content and the consumer experience shouldn’t
be sacrificed with bad subtitles or dubbing. With this comes constant
innovation to ensure that these international stories are conveyed in
a way that stays true to the creative intent, optimising the viewing
experience for you no matter what language you are watching in.
The
service currently offers subtitles and dubbing in more than 20
languages around the world, including Turkish, Mandarin, French,
Italian, German, Polish, Japanese and Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa
Indonesia.
- Freedom to choose your own narrative
Netflix
offers an array of original series, movies, documentaries, stand up
comedies and kids TV shows in addition to a broad variety of licensed
programs. This year, Netflix pushed the boundaries of storytelling by
adding an interactive element where you decide what the characters do
and how the story plays out. This way, each choice leads to a
different adventure, so you can watch again and again, and see a new
story each time.
There
are currently several original interactive titles, with more in the
pipeline:
- Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale Puss in Boots has fallen into a magic book ruled by a sneaky storyteller. Only you can help our hero find his way in this interactive story!
- Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile They’ve got a bag full of dumb ideas, and you’re the one who gets to tell them which silly stunt to try next.
- Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout Villains are rampaging through Charter City and Flex Fighters -- Jake, Ricardo and Nathan -- need your help to halt the chaos.
- Minecraft: Story Mode Take control of an adventure set in the Minecraft universe. The future of the world is at stake, and your decisions shape the story -- so choose wisely!
- Black Mirror: Bandersnatch In 1984, a young programmer begins to question reality as he adapts a dark fantasy novel into a video game. A mind-bending tale with multiple endings.
- You vs Wild You vs. Wild is a survival show starring and following Bear Grylls in every episode on a survival show taking place in various remote locations around the world, and with a key feature of a branching narrative with multiple choices within the episode, where a user may direct the course of the story.
Follow what's coming up on Netflix from Facebook and YouTube.
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P.S. from Outpost:
Did you know Netflix's big-budget historical epic Marco Polo was filmed in Malaysia at Pinewood Studios, Iskandar Johor? It ran for 2 seasons from 2014 to 2016 starring Lorenzo Richelmy as the namesake Marco Polo, Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan, Joan Chen as Empress Chabi and Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh as Lotus (in full martial arts glory). You may also spot a few Malaysia actors appearing like Patrick Teoh.
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| Mistress of Martial Arts Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh as Lotus in Netflix's Marco Polo Season 2. |
Binge watch all 20 episodes this Merdeka on Netflix and marvel at this "Buatan Malaysia" production.
This article written for purpose of fan engagement without intent to infringe trademarks and copyright of their respective owners.
