User Reviews

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 read a review on here stating that this show is a rip of the Golden Compass movie...... seriously??! Im just hoping its a joke comment, also why are people giving this such bad reviews? Seems like people these days just dont understand what a book is or how to read one, i loved the movie but the show seems spot on so far, also some people giving out that its on late and wondering why as its a "kids" show....if you've read the books you would know it gets very dark. Anyway Loving the show so far, i will be watching every week.

(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.

Holywood nearly ruined these books with a schmaltzy kiddy version 'The Golden Compass' But these books work because they address difficult issues of soul, God, morality, authority, parenthood, death, love and duty. The Disney treatment simply destroys its essence.

So how was episode one? Acting Tick. Script tick. Cinematography and sets, tick tick. This looks like it is going to turn out well. Good production values and it seems as though it will be true to the book with actors who can carry it off. Finally an adaptation that compliments a classic and doesn't have some idiot egotist Director or committee of 'We know what our demographic needs to see and hear' network executives doing a version that paints over a masterpiece.

As a huge fan of the books my expectations were sky high and I really haven't been disappointed. Page and screen are such different media there is no way one can adapt to the other without making certain changes to make it work. For me the changes for this, expanding certain plotlines and introducing some concepts earlier, slightly changing and expanding the roles of some characters has really worked and served the adaptation and storytelling well. The pace has been of a confident slow build, really inhabiting the world and has eskewed adding unnecessary axtra action sequences to satisfy the more impatient. Genuine family entertainment that rewards attention and patience, I can't imagine a better adaptation without tripling the production budget, though they may need that by season 3.

I despair at some reviewers on here. How can anything be given a rating of '1' especially if they haven't even watched the whole of an episode? The start of any such series will need to build a story and will take a while to develop characters. The scenery and CGI alone must warrant a high rating given the atmospheric mood they create. You just can't please some people who seem to think this stuff is easy!

I enjoyed the first episode and am looking forward to the rest, to watch the story unfold. However, I won't add a rating at the moment because I haven't seen enough to judge it fairly. Ignore the '1' and '2' ratings - I think there's a low IQ convention in town.

Even though I never read the books, I KNOW this is based off of them. Other reviews suggesting that this is a waste of money and comparing it to The Golden Compass, even they are one and the same except the series is far superior because it can actually delve into the source material. People need to do a little research and quit being lazy before spouting off about something they know nothing about obviously.

I've seen other series get the same treatment because people don't read or do research. So annoying. Anyway the show is great. Yes, the movie only got the tip of the iceberg. The show actually goes deeper into the relationships of characters and their backgrounds. The acting is good. The actors are fantastic. And it is British because it's supposed to be.

Give it three episodes before you throw it away due to crappy reviews giving this show the shaft.

To this day I still do not know why the film failed to deliver. It might have been bad timing, or some other dark forces at work. Yet, more than a decade later, His Dark Materials is granted a new chance to acquire a long-promised but deserved status to literature masterpieces who hop into popular media. Lyra's Jordan does exactly what it promises; it sets the foundations to the story, while taking time to describe Oxford - not our Oxford mind you, but one that could exist somewhere else. The college, the Gyptians and their customs, the Cobblers - with Asriel, Mrs. Coulter and, of course, Lyra in the midst of all- have been presented in the best way possible. Sunday nights have just got interesting. Looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds.

As someone who has read the books and watched the earlier film, I enjoyed it. However, I was watching with someone who had no prior knowledge of the stories, and had to explain certain elements of the plot, which weren't covered very well.

I thought season 1 and 2 were quite good, but season 3 has proved to be a disappontment. Every episode is too long and very slow. I can understand that the purpose is to give it a more spiritual or psychological complexity, but I think it feels mostly melodramatic.

And I can't really come to terms with the acting. Most of the actors seem bored themselves with the show and act rather sloppy or are over-doing it. Such a shame because I think the storyline is interesting and entertaining and should have been handled with better care.

I must add that i haven't read the books so I don't know if the show is true to the original story.

The BBC's Dark Materials series is an ambitious and evocative adaptation of Philip Pullman's classic fantasy trilogy. The show follows the adventures of Lyra Belacqua (Dafne Keen) and Will Parry (Amir Wilson) as they search for answers in a magical universe of witches, armoured polar bears, and mysterious particles known as Dust.

The production values are superb - the show's world is brought to life with stunning visuals and beautiful special effects. The performances are also strong, especially from Keen, who delivers a nuanced and powerful performance as Lyra.

The show also does a great job of capturing the themes of Pullman's books, including the battle between faith and reason and the complexity of human morality. While the story takes some liberties with the original books, it manages to remain faithful to their spirit.

Overall, Dark Materials is a captivating adaptation of Pullman's beloved trilogy. It's visually stunning, powerfully acted, and stays true to the books' themes. It's a must-watch for fans of the original books, and a great introduction to the series for newcomers.

I'd say any hype around this series is based purely on the fact that more of the book's content is going to be shown (versus the film) and not about the acting or the portrayal of the ideas in the book (e.g. the intimacy of human-dæmon bond).

Visually it's quite good, and it's nice they're able to show parts of the book that a film wouldn't be able to, but I've found there's something lacking in this series. The acting is a little bit stale and it fails to draw you in and keep you invested. It's just not as gripping as the book. There's also a big verbal emphasis on the significance of dæmons but it isn't physically shown, i.e. there's almost no affection shown between (in particular) the kids and their dæmons, which means the relationship Mrs. Coulter has with her dæmon is shown as less significant than it should be.

Given the frustration of The Golden Compass being an incomplete movie, I was excited to see another attempt at the source material with this TV series. But after several episodes I still find myself preferring the movie. Now I'll admit this is an unfair starting comparison. There are three major problems I have with the series so far.

The first is Lyra's complete lack of personality. Book Lyra is a nearly uncontrollable adventurer and liar/storyteller, the latter of which is a crucial element to her personality that proves decisive throughout the story and her later growth as a person. Yet Dafne Keen's Lyra is simply missing that part of the character! The show may be following the original story reasonably closely for now, but major deviations in both story and character personalities will be required further down the road unless the producers are counting on viewers already knowing what will happen.

The second problem is that the daemons are conspicuously absent for all but the main characters, and even then only Pantalaimon and, to a lesser extent, Hester and the Golden Monkey, are really given any screen time. This is problematic because daemons are extensions of every person in the universe; cutting them out quite literally reduces a character to nothing. Like Lyra's missing personality, daemons are crucial to the story and cannot be ignored.

Finally, the show is just so slooooow. The first two books in the series are not long books and don't dawdle at any particular event. I think 8 episodes is too many to cover the first book. Perhaps the first book would have been better suited for 5, maybe 6 episodes.

Or better yet, a 2 1/2 hour movie! Which is what we nearly got over a decade ago until New Line Cinema panicked when they realized they weren't getting the movie that they expected and then chopped off the ending and (somewhat clumsily) rearranged the remainder of the second half. If they ever were to release the original version of the movie, I think I know which adaptation I'd prefer.

That all being said, the series is still well-designed, if perhaps a different vision of the world from the books and the film, with a solid score and visuals (minus the missing daemons). I question the drawing of material from outside the first book, but am willing to go with it. The early scenes involving Will also look promising for his character.

I had always opined to anyone who would listen that "The Amber Spyglass" (vol 3 of the Trilogy) was essentially unfilmable (with a War in Heaven, a great escape from the Land of the Dead, and heavy doses of Gnostic Metaphysics), and whilst the first two seasons of this production were excellent, I had grave reservations about how they were going to wrap it all up, and especially about what would have to be excised and elided to finish the story in one season.

Well, I was so wrong! This is an amazing spectacle and a lovingly crafted homage to the source material. They even manage to expand on some aspects of the story that the book glosses over, such as Asriel's Republic. So much attention to detail and creativity, and it was the little touches which I so appreciated - the wheels of the Mulefa, and the pathetic demise of the Authority for example.

I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes for the last half an hour, which almost never happens,and I am so glad they took the time to wrap up the story properly - contrast with the postscript to "Return of the King", say, where I was groaning with boredom and itching for it to be finished.

The Themes and Plot have aged really well, becoming even more mainstream and relevant - considering how many movies and other aspects of pop culture have been playing around with the multiverse, and how the many worlds interpretation of Quantum Physics is gaining credibility.

Thankyou to all involved for making this such a triumph of storytelling - an ambitious and noble endeavour. Now I am just so looking forward to the 3rd Book of Dust sometime in 2023, please, pretty please Mr Pullman?

Ruth Wilson is so good as Mrs. Coulter!! I hope she gets some recognition in her excellent acting on this complex role.

As someone Who has read all the books I can definitely tell you that this is A very Faithful Add application It's funny and full of action and And keeps you guessing I can't wait for the 3rd and final season.

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!

I have loved these books and I never write reviews. But this series was great and disappointing at the same time. The acting was phenomenal with a great cast ( series 3 both actors who play Lyra and Will were obviously too old though). What let this down was how much was missing from the original story and the pacing ( some of the worst I have seen). It meant that parts of it were confusing or made no sense because it wasn't fleshed out enough or shown well enough to make someone who hadn't read the books understand the plot properly. It also made us not care about the characters as much as we should have. I think the fact that each book was only 8 episodes was a detriment to this adaptation as fitting a whole world into the timeframe didn't work. I wanted to love this a lot. I was really looking forward to these adaptations but it didn't translate to screen as well as I would have hoped. That isn't to say that this series doesn't have some moments of real heart and greatness. There is so much of it that feels rushed, clunky and leaves you feeling unsatisfied or confused. I don't do this rating lightly.

Just completed watching His Dark Materials and it's very good indeed.

I watched as someone who hasn't read the books. My wife has - and she absolutely loved this TV series. SO, I'm conflicted.

As a retired teacher, I know that the three original books were written for the young adult reader: 12-16 years old - but still strongly appeal to all. I have it on good authority that Pullman is a brilliant writer.

His Dark Materials shows us alternative parallel universes. There is mystery & wonder, strong characters, young people coming of age through overcoming their pasts and discovering where they come from and who they are.

I love stories & characters that "move" a long way from a starting point to a completely unforeseen conclusion. His Dark Materials most certainly does this. The story lines are strong, acting strong, imagery strong. This is good stuff.

Pullman the writer clearly had it in for organised religion! He is taking a massive swipe at it. Watch and decide for yourself as Lyra, Will, Mrs Coulter and Asriel take their paths.

If His Dark Materials has any weakness, it is that sometimes we the viewer are left wondering about a few too many things. In books you wouldn't have this problem. TV adaptations can't give you every ounce. But this is a small point.

Overall, I thought this was excellent and I strongly recommend it.

I've read all the books and seen The Golden Compass quite a few times, but this definitely surpasses the film. The young actress playing Lyra was so good - absolutely perfect for the part. The actress playing Mrs Coulter was far better than Nicole Kidman's Mrs Coulter. James McAvoy was well cast too. I am looking forward to the other episodes and hope that they can keep up the high standard set by this first one. Incidentally my son who is not a reader, after seeing the film said it was the first time he felt like reading the books. The animation of the daemons was well done. I will be interested to see how they cope with the creatures mentioned in Book 2 as I believe another season has already been commissioned. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I wanted to like this. I really did. This book series has been my favorite for a long time, having read through the series three times now. And while I criticized the Golden Compass movie adaptation years ago, I now oddly miss it, for all it's shortcomings. What this adaptation does is assume that it's audience is stupid and unimaginative. Unlike the books where we get to experience the world that is so like ours but so very different through Lyra's eyes, we're told immediately right off the bat in text that that's the case. This first episode should be held as a shining example of how to "tell, not show". The amount of overblown exposition and lack of any emotional connection to the characters is staggering. The pacing is incredibly fast... I felt like they covered FAR too much in the first episode for you to get any meaningful sense of the world and Lyra. Unlike the books where you uncover the tension and plot along with Lyra, the plot is thrown at you through arguably trite performances. I felt like few actors had any subtly, and honestly I never thought I would yearn for Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig back. While Dafne Keen looks the part in my minds eye far more than her predecessor, she's given little to do and some fairly uneven and obnoxious dialogue. The CGI daemons are beautiful at times but also somewhat unsuccessful. The smaller pole cats and ermine's feel believable enough but Azriel's snow leopard lacks any of the weight and presence that the movie version had years ago.

I'm curious to see where this goes, and while I'm glad to see this story get screen time once again, I hardly think that this is the adaptation this book deserves. I admit the book is a glorious spider's web of chaos and complexity, but there is still a spark amidst all of it, and a passion that shines through. I get none of that from this show. The editing, cinematography and color grading all scream BBC. And I don't mean that in a good way. Everything just feels mildly pedestrian. The movie at least succeeded at having a cohesive point of view in its art direction, the art direction here seems a bit all over the place with little real point of view.

Maybe the book is unadaptable. I don't know. But I knew I was in for a bumpy ride when I had the world described to me in four sentences before I ever even set foot in it.

Maybe in another ten years we'll figure it out.

Having never read the books, I've loved this series. Someone said in one of the reviews that the show is bleak, and it is. In the best possible way. The production, the script the acting are all fantastic, but it kind of has that understated gloomy feel that I've loved in the Frankenstein Chronicles and Penny Dreadful. It's different, has more humor than these two shows, but the mood is there.

Also, for me the casting choices are far better than those in the movie. The characters feel real and relatable. I think that some of the distinguishing characteristics of the characters were toned down on purpose to achieve that effect. They are much more nuanced and interesting, unlike the over the top characters from the movie, which just felt fake for me.

The plot might get a bit slow for some people, but give it a chance. Season two is even better than the first one, and I can't wait for season three.