His Dark Materials

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 have to start off by saying I knew absolutely nothing about His Dark Materials going into it. I never read the books or saw the movie (The Golden Compass). The only thing I knew was from the trailer and a couple reviews on what the plot was but from what I read this was a great adaptation. I personally thought it was entertaining from beginning to end. I never got bored for even an episode. I'm glad they were given enough seasons/episodes to tell the entire story and not get cancelled on a cliffhanger or questions not answered. This had a satisfying conclusion. You can tell how much money and attention to detail went into this show because it was absolutely beautiful. James McAvoy, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ruth Wilson, Dafne Keen and the rest of the cast were all brilliant.

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 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.

I've heard a few people complain already that "It's trying to be "Harry Potter".

The first book in the HDM trilogy was published two years BEFORE the first "Potter", so y'all can stop that nonsense right now. I like both franchises, but "His Dark Materials" is shorter, better written, and has deeper content.

I was let down by the movie adaptation, so I'm very happy to see this new version which can take its time and look and feel more like the book. I'm hoping it's a hit. This series is anything but predictable. I won't spoil it for anyone, but expect the unexpected.