SummaryThe adaptation of Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy from the BBC and HBO follows Lyra (Dafne Keen) as she searches for her kidnapped friend, makes new friends and discovers secrets people want kept hidden.
SummaryThe adaptation of Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy from the BBC and HBO follows Lyra (Dafne Keen) as she searches for her kidnapped friend, makes new friends and discovers secrets people want kept hidden.
His Dark Materials is worth the trip. This is a beautiful, brooding vision of Pullman’s universe, which retains the mix of childish wonder and darkness that make his books so beguiling to young adults.
The plot of His Dark Materials is a fusion of ripping adventure yarn and coming-of-age story; neglecting the latter in favor of the former, on the misapprehension that action pleases audiences more than character, is a mistake this production does not make. The expanse of eight episodes makes it possible to do justice to both sweeping quests and intimate conversations.
Acting, CGI and directing in this tv show is amazing. The perfection of Dafne Keen and James Mcavoy is keeping me excited throughout episodes. The storytelling is also the best. It gives me Harry Potter vibes. If you are looking for a fantasy world to escape from the real world problems, this is what you need.
The casting is definitely poor, especially for Mrs. Coulter and Billy Costa's older brother. However, the production quality is extremely impressive and the acting is spot on. Nice to have an entire season for the first book, but the slow pacing may turn some people off to the show. The first two episodes are definitely building to some exciting events. The Magisterium is well portrayed and explained in this series, unlike the movie which didn't spend a single moment on that governing body. Overall the acting, setting, sfx, ost/score are incredible. Hoping they finally do this book series justice, as I've been waiting for a reboot ever since The Golden Compass failed/was squashed.
I will update my score as the season continues, but so far I am very happy with the first two episodes.
By the end of the four episodes shown for critics, His Dark Materials has started to build up what could be called a head of steam, and even if future episodes never manage to rise above the bar the show sets for itself here, the original novels are strong enough that a faithful retelling of them by competent artists will have its pleasures.
“His Dark Materials” benefits from a mesmerizing Lorne Balfe-composed theme song and early on introduces an intriguing element of travel between dimensions but then bogs down as it moves forward to bring all the requisite characters from the book together.
His Dark Materials is much sparser on the character front [than Game of Thrones], and it treats its secrets as hooks in and of themselves, rather than as complicating factors to a story being more clearly told.
It’s an intensely faithful adaptation of the books, in a way that tends to bog down the suspense and pace of the story. ... The adaptation is, as a result, flatter and more conventional than the book deserves.
The most jarring part of the series, however, is that it somehow renders the potentially vast, bleak, mysterious world of “His Dark Materials” into something more generic. Despite the rich complexities of the novel’s world of daemons, power-hungry players and warring faiths, HBO’s “His Dark Materials” feels like it could have been plucked from most any other fantasy epic out there.
So far the first two episodes have ben intriguing about I can see that not lasting for the full season. The main story isn't that interesting but the whole world and premise of the series is what makes it good. Once the magic wears off that could change unless they through a big plot change. I would watch it for now and see if it interests you.
Seems to be making the same mistakes the movie made, but with less style and talent. I have not read the books, but I imagine they enthrall with a steam punk and swashbuckling adventure set in a fully imagined and densely packed world. Unfortunately, that rarely translates to the screen for with either newcomers or book veterans. I get an unwelcome Potter/Narnia vibe too.
Near enough unwatchable. It didn't have to mirror the books by any means, but emotionally resonant or important moments from the books were completely ruined and had a negative impact on the show. They took agonisingly long on shots and scenes that didn't need it, and rushed through scenes that could have been better. Story and general pacing was way, way off. The acting and set design were great, but the writing and directing stunk out the place so bad. I hope they don't make any more. Let it die. They had their chance and blew it.
A great story, fantastic actors but seems to have been made by a children’s tv production company. The sfx are really not very good, the pacing is all off. If this was on a kids channel or on at an earlier time slot this would be ok. I can only pray that War of the worlds is going to set the bar higher than this.