#i have not seen the second trilogy yet. tho i have been spoiled on a lot of i think aa4. waiting for the remaster :) soon. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lordeasriel · 4 years

Note

I started following you because I really enjoy your And Then There Were None gifsets and posts (I genuinely laughed at your reasons to watch ATTWN one), but I'm super intrigued by His Dark Materials now. What's the show like? I think it was based on a series of books. It looks delightfully dark.

Oh, that’s lovely! Thank you! I hope your enjoying the mess that is this blog lmao I love that attwn post, honestly my best content lmao I’m glad there’s people out there enjoying my attwn content, I feel like I’m all alone out here just talking to myself about it lmao

If you haven’t seen the show yet, and haven’t read the books, I think I recommend the books first - if you want to read, of course. The books are somewhat edgier - not necessarily darker - than the show, and they’re very fun (and I am very biased but the first one is the best one). The show is based on the main trilogy, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, and the first season covers the entire first book plus a bit of the second book as well (which is why I often recommend reading first, because the show will spoil book 2 for you a little).

The show is good, is considerably well adapted (back in 2007, there was a film adaptation called The Golden Compass that didn’t do so well and it wasn’t super well adapted either) and it definitely tries to be darker than the source material is. But, and I feel like I need to point this out especially cause you mentioned ATTWN and that’s a very dark book and even darker show, HDM isnt extreme. They do go a little harsher on the story, they make it less colourful and whimsical and much more stark and melancholic, but it’s nothing extreme, it is a family show after all. I do recommend it tho, I probably should make a powerpoint for HDM too lmao

A quick list of pros and cons because I write a lot, sorry about that:

PROS:

Great visuals and great acting for most of the cast, with Ruth Wilson pretty much stealing the show. (This makes a lot of sense cause her character is super popular in the fandom).

Beautifully scored!!!

If they continue to adapt this well enough, this is a story with great philosophical discussions and the story gets bigger with every book, so it is supposed to be of epic proportions if and when it gets to season 3 (assuming season 3 matches book 3 as well, of course);

A incredible female lead, as well as a great character design for Mrs. Coulter, especially in the books. The show is not so bad in their adaptation either, just less edgy.

While it has fantasy elements to it, they do not play a big part in it (except for the daemons, the animal companions) and all the fantasy/magical elements blend it seamlessly with the world, which makes it all feel real and grounded.

Enough shipping Material to last a lifetime, though the fandom is usually hyperfocused in a main pairing which I’ll not disclose, despite thinking you’ve already been spoiled by it lmao

The book has a very particular and methodical criticism of Cristianity, especially the Roman Catholic Church and it is spread throughout the three books (and the second trilogy as well) in the form of a copycat institution that oppress the world of His Dark Materials. This is and has been one of the most important element from the books, that unfortunately is always butchered to some degree in any of the adaptations, and the show does a better job than the film did, but I feel like this element still is missing and aloof in the story, but it can improve with the next seasons. If you’re into this sort of philosophical and social debate, you probably will have a good time anyway, but I think it’s worth mentioning because it’s what made me enjoy the series in the first place.

CONS for the show, mostly:

The writing can be a little cringe, at times, even for non-book viewers, but it’s nothing so tragic that it can’t be enjoyable.

There is an incredible lack of daemons in the show, which if you decide to read, you’ll notice it’s a severe adaptation problem because they are the second most important element to the story. As a non-book viewer, the lack of daemons and daemon interaction may make you feel confused because they matter to the story.

There is also a severe lack of worldbuilding and meaningful consequences to the world in the show, and sometimes it feels like they’ve written it with the book fans in mind, and didn’t bother showing you the bigger picture, which I can only assume it’s confusing for non-book fans!

For the book, there is this downgrade in characters in book 2 especially, specifically the main character, but I won’t elaborate much to avoid spoiling you! But it’s still readable and the show is rumoured to have fixed that for season 2, so I’m waiting to see how that goes!

And I think that’s it! I’m a hardcore book fan, so I am aware I am hard to please lmao But I tried to be fair and impartial so you can have a clean take on His Dark Materials. I do recommend you watch it, it’s a fun story with deep messages, and should you decide to just watch it, I’d love to hear about how you feel about it. It’s rare to find people who never had any contact with the books or the story through the 2007 film! Sorry I wrote a lot! I hope you have a nice day!

#asks #thank u for the message and for the follow!#and again sorry i wrote a lot lol i usually do #and if u have any more questions about it just let me know #always happy to help #endlessnightlock

6 notes · View notes