His Dark Materials: À la croisée des mondes

Just, Wow. I had zero expectations going into this series and have not read the books. I said Yes to James McAvoy, as always, and was so glad I did. This is not a children's story. It is dark, very dark. It delves into areas I never would have expected, creates a completely engaging world and unfolds the most wonderful story in a masterful manner. The acting is top notch, with an impressive effort by Dafne Keen and just a stunning performance from Ruth Wilson.

Most commendable in the writing is the examination of complicated relationships, even toxic ones. It does not provide simplistic resolutions, but ones that are as equally complicated. It is a beautiful love story. It is also a sweeping adventure, the pursuit of faith and the quest of knowledge. The story continued to evolve and just grew exponentially in such a way that completely surprised me.

For those who love stories, this one is for you. I don't grade many things above 8. Very few. I give this series 9 stars. If I'm honest, it's probably a 9.5...

I just want to thank everyone who put this together, because they have brought me so much joy. I haven't enjoyed anything this much in a very long time. Thank you!

Having just binged the three seasons, I'm happy enough to come here and give it a positive review.

First and foremost I think the effects were really something. Everything felt quite immersive, there were rarely times that something felt too fake. Some of the imagery was exactly how I imagined from the books, for example the abyss and the mulefa world.

Some of the performances were amazing and award-worthy. My favourites were Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter, Will Keen as Father MacPhail. Simone Kirby as Mary and. Ruta Gedmintas as Serafina. They each really brought their characters to life, from the tensions of Coulter and MacPhail to the serenity of Serafina and the more ordinary yet inquisitive Mary.

Some other portrayals I was less keen on, including the two main characters, though I think they improved towards the end and delivered an impactful finale. I also wasn't completely sold on Asriel, perhaps just a bit too different from my personal image of him. My other gripe is that I felt there wasn't enough time for some characters to be properly fleshed out and felt for, which led to some scenes being less emotional than they could have been.

Regardless, this series overall did the books justice and I would definitely recommend it.

I'm past episode 8, and an exciting, well done visual copy of the book has turned into soap opera, where everybody keeps talking to each other and hardly anything happens. In season 2, things pick up again. I started reading the book again, and the TV series does seem to do a good job, so far, in staying with the story in the book. It's hard to capture on screen what words can convey. But in place of good writing, there's good scenery and background (we see better than we understand through words). I also have to admit that the movie is aimed at a different audience than the book (watchers instead of readers). So I'll keep on watching. The overall story is interesting and clever, and of course the acting is fine. I've learned that the author has another series of books, Dust, which helps me stay with the story, knowing that the end is not the end. I'll end with a secret: clicking on the response to "Does this review contain spoilers?" may stop the admonition that 600 words (or was it letters) haven't been written.

Much better than expected. When they made the movie "The golden compass" I was disappointed. The series so far has been closer to the books. And having Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee was the best casting in the series. I just finished season two and will soon start three. I rarely rate before I finish but this one deserves it.

Keeps with the dark side of the books unlike the movie. They didn't clean it up for kids. I won't give spoilers but if you are a book fan and worry they messed it up, they didn't. If you've never read the books it's easy to follow as they leave very little in explaining out. 8 is very high. It would have been a 7 had it no been for Lin-Manuel and his delightful performance of Lee.

I haven't read the books, but I know many people have commented that this series is more faithful than Hollywood's Golden Compass. No surprises there!

I've loved Ruth Wilson since she was in Luther, and she is no less brilliant in HDM. Even though the storyline and cast of characters are quite involved, there's no difficulty in following what's happening. Even the daemons are "believable ".

You don't have to delve too deeply into the hidden meanings and sub texts: you can just enjoy it for the adventure it is. But, you CAN, if you want, think quite deeply about the issues behind the storyline. Thought provoking to say the least.

I love it.