His Dark Materials - One of the best shows on TV right now
When I was a kid, my dad and I read a lot of books together. We went through Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Children of the lamp and many more. There was one series that really stuck with me though. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. Man, I loved those books. The universe, the characters, the quirks of the world (worlds?). When I heard that a movie, based on the books, was coming out, I was very excited.

In the year 2007, I saw the movie, and I absolutely loved it. The movie only covered one of the three books so I knew there was more to come. Or so I thought. Even though the movie did well at the box office, the sequel was scrapped. Some believe it was because of the Catholic church. Actor, Sam Elliot, who played aeronaut Lee Scoresby in the movie adaptation, had this to say in an interview with the Evening Standard:

“The Catholic Church happened to The Golden Compass, as far as I’m concerned … The Catholic Church … lambasted them, and I think it scared New Line off.”

Some people might not have read the books, so I won’t go into what the church doesn’t like about the books. But let’s just say that it’s no surprise that they’re not fans.

I was very disappointed. The books have so much to offer. The amount of world-building in the trilogy is astonishing. It might not have been the perfect adaptation, but it was still a great watch.

But now, 12 years later, the BBC made one of my childhood dreams come true. A His Dark Materials TV adaptation was being released. I read more and found out that it even had a huge budget. The biggest of any BBC series yet.

I’m pleased to say that I no longer find the movie adaption good. This show is a much more accurate version. But it’s not only that. The acting is amazing, the writing is amazing. The dialogue is natural, something which many shows get wrong these days. The pacing is great. The show is beautiful. It’s the most entertaining show I’ve seen in a long time.

Dafne Keen, who hasn’t got a lot of onscreen experience yet, showcases an amazing grasp on acting. Lin-Manuel Miranda got the role of Lee Scoresby, a role previously played by Sam Elliott, and smashed it.

I can not stress this enough. If you haven’t yet, check out His Dark Materials on HBO or BBC iPlayer. You won’t regret it and soon you too will be craving the second season.


Sources
Evening Standard
Forbes


Written by: Gnavling
Date: January 5th, 2020