Spoilers His Dark Materials TV series

[The Nth Doctor]

Rereading His Dark Materials is definitely worth it. I did that after I read La Belle Sauvage because I realized I remember so little of the details of the trilogy (one character who shows up twice in the trilogy plays an important supporting role and I didn't even realize it until I finished the book and read reviews). I've read the trilogy three times now and it has improved with each reading. There's is so much richness to the storytelling, which I wish I could say for La Belle Sauvage. I really hope The Secret Commonwealth improves on that count.

 

[theenglish]

I am going to try to get a copy of The Golden Compass from my local library to read before the season starts. It has been a long time since I read it.

 

[JD]

It turns out the first episode actually opens with the end of The Book of Dust, rather than the beginning of The Golden Compass/Northern Lights.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

For clarity's sake, it opens up with the end of La Belle Sauvage, which is the first book of the The Book of Dust trilogy. The second (and presumably the third) book take place after His Dark Materials.

That said, I'm not surprised considering the conclusion of La Belle Sauvage. I wonder if we'll see or hear (or get a mention of) Malcolm and Alice.

 

[JD]

Oh, I thought Buck of Dust was the name of the first book, I didn't realize it was the name of the whole trilogy.

 

[JD]

While the first two books will be getting one season each, there is a chance that they might end up splitting the third book, The Amber Spyglass, into two seasons.

 

[Gaith]

Initial reviews (of the first 3-4 episodes provided to critics) are positive but not ecstatic, with a 68 Metacritic score at the moment. At the AV Club, Zack Handlen says this of its minuses:

Instead of trusting the audience to pick things up as they go, the first episode begins with a text crawl explaining the basics, going so far as to tell viewers that dæmons are our equivalent of souls and suggesting that there’s going to be a “child of prophecy” in play. Still, as far as opening exposition goes, it could’ve been worse, and for the most part, the series does an admirable job of presenting its story without getting tangled up in lore.​

An introductory text indeed doesn't sound great, but it surely beats the movie's spoilery voice-over montage.

His Dark Materials leaves most of Lyra’s story intact, at least in the first four episodes, but it adds in side scenes and subplots with other major characters. [... Some,] like a running background plot about a man investigating things, are less successful, largely existing to introduce intrigue for intrigue’s sake.​

Hm. Fan editing potential, perhaps?

Several curious casting choices also serve to undercut the story’s impact. Dafne Keen is an excellent Lyra, bringing all the murderous energy she showed in Logan to someone who actually talks (and shows considerably more emotional depth). But while both James McAvoy and Ruth Wilson do solid work as Asriel and Mrs. Coulter, respectively, neither of them is quite suited to characters who were designed on the page to be larger than life. They bring a down-to-earth intimacy to figures whose ambition and passion should necessarily border on mythic. Clarke Peters seems lost as the Master of Oxford, and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s turn as the roguish Lee Scoresby is, well, Lin-Manuel Miranda: charming as ever but not particularly convincing as a battle-scarred adventurer.​

Welp, Daniel Craig is a damned tough act to follow, even for Professor X himself...

 

[The Nth Doctor]

While the first two books will be getting one season each, there is a chance that they might end up splitting the third book, The Amber Spyglass, into two seasons.

That's not a surprise. The third book is massive with a lot of moving parts.

Most of the reviews I've glanced at have been very positive. I don't want to look too deeply into them, but I'm excited.

Also, I finished The Secret Commonwealth earlier this week. An excellent read and far better than its immediate predecessor. It's going to be hard waiting for the third and final entry, presumably another two years at least.

 

[Gaith]

^ Good to hear!

 

[Owain Taggart]

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s turn as the roguish Lee Scoresby is, well, Lin-Manuel Miranda: charming as ever but not particularly convincing as a battle-scarred adventurer.

I don't find that really surprising. Sam Elliot was almost perfect for the role the first time around, and Miranda feels like an odd choice. A little too smooth around the edges.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Bumping up this thread to let people know I've added a spoiler tag for the thread itself because the first episode just aired on BBC.

 

[Relayer1]

It was fairly well done - most of the budget made it on to the screen. I don't like it much, but that's due to the novel, not the adaptation.

Mrs Relayer's a big fan so I guess I'll be watching the rest...

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I can't remember whether Lyra's world in the books had helicopters. A helicopter seems a bit high tech when the main mode of air transportation otherwise appears to be airships. I would have preferred a CGI ornithopter to a modern helicopter with a G-* registration. Asriel dropping off an infant Lyra at the college was an unnecessary scene anyway. There seems to be quite a lot of padding that perhaps isn't really necessary for world building. Talking of which, the map of Lyra's world on her wall appeared to be quite different from our Earth. The Pokemon, I mean daemons, were well done on the whole. However, I suspect anyone watching this who doesn't have at least a passing familiarity with the books might have gotten very confused. It's a pity that Laura, I mean Lyra, isn't going to be bursting out her adamantine blades to slash the Gobblers.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Pretty strong start and I'm impressed how much they squeezed into one episode without feeling rushed or condensed. Dafne Keen is great as Lyra but Ruth Wilson, unsurprisingly, steals the show the moment she showed up, immediately intoxicating and alluring and quietly dangerous.

The only thing I'm disappointed in is the appearance of the alethiometer itself, which I always imagined as a large pocket watch with no lid or cover. It's a minor thing and I already knew what it looked like from the trailers, but it's still a little disappointing.

I loved how the opening titles hints at what's to come (and not just parallel worlds).

I can't remember whether Lyra's world in the books had helicopters. A helicopter seems a bit high tech when the main mode of air transportation otherwise appears to be airships. I would have preferred a CGI ornithopter to a modern helicopter with a G-* registration.

They did have helicopters but they called them gyropters. The airships were more ubiquitous but the gyropters were present when need for immediate flight. I think they were more combat ready, too.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

The only thing I'm disappointed in is the appearance of the alethiometer itself, which I always imagined as a large pocket watch with no lid or cover. It's a minor thing and I already knew what it looked like from the trailers, but it's still a little disappointing.

The version here isn't as flashy as the alethiometer in the movie but it looks more fragile and aged. It's just a MacGuffin anyway and it's never used to its full potential for some unstated reason. It'll do for me.

They did have helicopters but they called them gyropters. The airships were more ubiquitous but the gyropters were present when need for immediate flight. I think they were more combat ready, too.

Yes, thanks, you are correct. I think their use in battle is described in "The Amber Spyglass". They make a chopping noise, which perhaps indicates they are more similar to helicopters than to gyrocopters (which have undriven rotors) or ornithopters (which emulate the flight mechanisms of birds, bats, or insects).

 

[N-121973]

I enjoyed it, but was it me or did there seem to be lots of scenes where people were walking around without any deomons?

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I enjoyed it, but was it me or did there seem to be lots of scenes where people were walking around without any deomons?

Some token ones were depicted - in the form of dogs, cats, birds and the like - but, apparently, each daemon rendered on screen cost a f*ckton of money. I can overlook that aspect. I can't recall if the movie was similarly underpopulated in its depiction of daemons. The Mulefa and their world are probably going to be expensive to show as well.

I'm liking this series more than I did the movie but it's quite a few years since I last saw it. I wonder if the Book of Dust series will get picked up.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I saw an article saying the cast would love to adapt them (which, really, would only be Dafne Keen, Kit Connor, James Cosmo, Anne-Marie Duff, Helen, McCrory, and James McAvoy) but nothing is set.

 

[N-121973]

Some token ones were depicted - in the form of dogs, cats, birds and the like - but, apparently, each daemon rendered on screen cost a f*ckton of money. I can overlook that aspect. I can't recall if the movie was similarly underpopulated in its depiction of daemons. The Mulefa and their world are probably going to be expensive to show as well.

Or perhaps their daemons were all tardigrades - to scale . That's something what if somebody had a full-grown African bull elephant as a daemon, or a brachiosaurus. And what about a dolphin, that would be awkward?

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Or perhaps their daemons were all tardigrades - to scale . That's something what if somebody had a full-grown African bull elephant as a daemon, or a brachiosaurus. And what about a dolphin, that would be awkward?

A blue whale would be more awkward.