The Dark Materials are considered the most famous fantasy trilogy of the 20th century, right after The Lord of the Rings. It was therefore impossible for this fact to escape the attention of producers and film studios of the highest caliber. Contrary to the work of JRR Tolkien, the adaptation of Dark Matter first hit small screens thanks to the HBO GO platform and we had to wait a bit for it. Was it worth it? Let's check.
And it’s fantastic!
I am sure that every fantasy fan is extremely pleased with the fact that over the years, productions of this type look better and better. We have both films and series that are of a really high level, and I am pleased to say that the times of wooden dragons on wheels are long over. We can safely say that fantasy finally competes with the first league of cinematography without any complexes. It is worth adding that this process began years ago with the premiere of the adaptation of the first part of The Lord of the Rings . I have the impression that the Fellowship of the Ringit was the film that paved the way for other titles similar to it. I will correct right away that when I write about fantasy movies, I mean the atmosphere of dungeons and dragons, except for science fiction, which has been doing quite well and has been for many years. As for the series, of course, Game of Thrones is in the lead , although I would clearly cut myself off from the last season, which wooden dragons on wheels could probably help. Anyway, we have a lot to choose from, and the wealth of literature and the development of film art give hope for more interesting productions. It is worth noting that this year in particular was full of interesting titles. Not only did we get The Witcher, which has even risen to the rank of a pop-culture phenomenon in recent years, we have also had a series adaptation of Dark Matter , i.e. Philip Pullman’s fantastic trilogy. It’s definitely worth your while.
Source: imdb.com
Stardust just a little different
Although Dark Matter is often compared to JRR Tolkien’s work, it presents a different approach to the subject of fantasy. Compared to The Lord of the Rings , Pullman’s trilogy is much more “fairy-tale”. It is much closer to the prose of Terry Pratchett, so there is no room for hideous orcs, bloodthirsty archanoids or cruel uruk-hai. Instead, Lyra Belacqua, played by Daphne Keen, has numerous adventures. Actress, known from the movie Logan, he feels good in his role, which makes the viewer like him. This is quite an achievement, especially considering who else has appeared in the cast. Names like James McAvoy and Ruth Wilson are a guarantee of good acting in this series, but they don’t overshadow the rest of the cast. It is not without significance that the rest of the children’s actors, apart from the main character, also perform very well. It can therefore be admitted that this aspect of the production is very balanced and looks good. Returning to the story itself, the multi-threaded plot is consistent, although it should also be noted that not always. There are certain elements that look for a long time as if they do not have any special meaning and connection to the main thread. I mean the introduction of the second of the main characters, Will Parry, who appears in the original book only in the second volume. I watched with much more interest the intrigue around Lyra’s character, her mysterious origin and impressive, especially for a young girl, accomplishments than the introduction of the second main character. I hope that in the next seasons (if such are created, of course) the producers will decide to emphasize its character and plot. This is a problem, but in terms of the overall picture, it is not so terrible again. The main theme, i.e. mysterious and magical dust, is a kind of production brace, because it appears basically at the beginning and end of the series. What’s in the middle can be compared to David’s fight with Goliath. Against the powerful and evil organizations of the Magisterium and the General Oblation Council, which are kidnapping children, there is the itinerant people of the Gypsies. In the middle of it all, we have our heroine, her family problems and mysterious destiny. You can certainly not get lost here and this is a considerable plus.
Source: medium.com
Not everything is like a fairy tale
In the case of Dark Matter, the weakest side of the production is the bland sound setting, which is lame especially in the case of tracks and a bit less in terms of dubbing. In this respect, there was nothing intriguing or sublime in the series, which is a pity, because thanks to good sound, you can build a great atmosphere, and this was a bit lacking here. However, you can not fault the visual layer of the series, because here the production looks really good. Pictures and special effects, be it daemons, armored bears or all kinds of supernatural phenomena, are fine and there is nothing to complain about.
Source: newstatesman.com
Is it worth it or not?
I think so, especially if someone is fond of Pullman and epic prose, and more so to speak of fairy-tale. We have talking animals, magic dust and of course zeppelins, so I will not lie if I say that the Dark Materials will also appeal to younger audiences. An important aspect of the series is the fact that in order to enjoy watching it, it is not necessary to know the original book, because sooner or later we get all the necessary information. But the producers deserve a big plus.
