Queste oscure materie

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.

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.

(I've read the books several times) Episode 1- I was looking forward to this and it hasn't disappointed! (a first for me, with fantasy adaptations) Plenty of money has been thrown at this series and it shows, in a good way. Yet there's nothing Hollywood about it, it's 100% British.

We're treated to a good bit of the background story during this episode, a thankless task, skilfully done and quite quickly. We're immediately thrown into the action and I am hooked, even though I know what's coming.

The sets are amazing, the music excellent, the cast is A1: this is the BBC so it is exceptionally diverse -which is already giving us a bunch of fine actors that might not be so famous and gives us a bit of modern colour. I'm not sure yet about Lyra, she's not what I expected but I've the feeling she'll turn out to be what was needed, if not what I wanted. Lord Asriel is just the right mixture of downright attractive and breezily self-centered as in the books. As to Mrs Coulter she's just fantastically and dangerously attractive. I finally understand what Lyra loved in her. The Gyptians are represented perfectly and individually and the whole thing has a tint of alternate medievality which mirrors the book exactly.

All in all, episode 1 is a success.

I could go on and on but really, just watch it, you'll know after twenty minutes whether you'll like it or not.



Episode 2: some fair deviations from the book, all in aid of story comprehension, suspense and doling appetising spoilers from much later to the viewer so that they won't drop off - you can't blame them really, they need to keep the viewership interested, considering the price of production. It's still very well done, and it's quite scary and tense, also the modern world (already shown) has been updated to current times. It looks like episode 3 will carry on with being rather different from the book storyline, while sticking to it at the same time, if that makes sense. It's rather on the dark side, and definitely not for children the way the books are.

Episode 3: I had minor doubts with episode 2 and the "new" storylines but this episode was very exciting and has allayed them. The whole thing is now moving forward properly and the plot is very tight in an action TV series sort of a way, without losing the spirit of the books. Back to a 9.

The following episodes are a bit hit and miss, some pacing/acting /directing issues - Lee Scoresby the one unmitigated success - trying too hard to force suspense to fit the tv format rather than concentrate on telling the story as a one whole, but the last episode packs a punch and gets to you. And really leaves you hating having to wait a year for the rest, excellent finish.

UPDATE SERIES 2:

While there were a few pacing/acting issues in series 1, the first 2 episodes of series 2 are nail-bitingly near perfect. Absolutely brilliant beginning and better visuals than ever. The plot and the world's are really well handled in every particulars. Persevere if you were in two minds about series 1.

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.

It's been a long time since I've read the books, so having none of this seem too familiar wasn't exactly surprising. But the characters I do remember, as well as the setting, and neither of those matched what I imagined all those years ago. Some parts were also altered or removed altogether, for reasons I suspect would make it hard to provide context in moments requiring a narrator to describe something you wouldn't be able to understand by simply watching. Standard book-to-film adaptation stuff.

But none of that matters. They took this story and made it their own. You can see the care for pacing and thoughtfulness in nearly every scene. After the 2007 film this was such a nice thing to experience. The sheer acting talent from the cast doesn't hurt, either, with high points being some of the best I've ever seen anywhere. Ruth Wilson in particular. She really is something else. Formidable. Terrifying. Sad. Simultaneously a monster and a tragic figure. An entire character arc eventually satisfied. James McAvoy, too. He's able to communicate so much with the most subtle expressions on his face. Actors like him elevate the people they work with, and the rest of the cast also did a great job. The only exception to this being Amir Wilson. To be clear, he's not bad. His portrayal of Will was good, initially. It just didn't really work because he's pretty much the same person all the way through. The developing affection for Lyra was also somewhat unconvincing. That's a problem considering how central this is to the actual story. As a result we're not 100% sold on what they mean to each other, which ends up taking us out of it.

Iorek Byrnison needs to be mentioned. This is arguably the coolest character in the story, and while most of how he's portrayed is good they did kind of stumble which made him inconsistent. Trimmed a bit of what should have been given more attention, and some actors interacting with the visual effects didn't sell it. For instance, Lyra would turn away too early in conversation and it would diminish him actually being there. Or critical points felt like they were "good enough" to move forward with so they put the scene together without the emphasis. These were significant events in the actual books that left a real lasting impression, but here you'll see it play out, then wonder why it didn't hit as hard compared to having read it. I can only imagine working with these kinds of special effects presented unexpected challenges. None of the other characters felt this way. Only scenes with the bear, which is a real shame because he had such presence in the source material. This one detail really stood out to me.

Overall, this is a great show. If you're a fan of the trilogy it's a good watch. If you're coming in fresh it may take a few episodes to settle in.