It's funny how I look for movies to watch and I have complete seasons of movies in the movie box just sitting there waiting to be watched.
So there was a time when my network connection was trash, and I went into my movie safe and chose to watch his dark materials, my latest favorite adventure series.
HIS DARK MATERIALS
PLOT
His dark material is a story about a girl, Lyra, from a different world where humans have their souls existing as animals called daemons.
Lyra grew up in Jordan College with her daemon Pan and her friend Roger.
Lyras's Uncle, Lord Asriel, who researches dust, makes her believe her parents are dead.
When her friend goes missing along with some other kids believed to be taken by the Gobblers. Lyra follows Miss Coulter to London on quite an adventure determined to find her best friend Roger.
To find her friend, Lyra must learn to survive alone with her daemon pan in a world where many aren't who they say they are, a world of so many secrets, deceit, lies, power, greed, and people with alternate intentions. She has to find who to trust in and beyond her world while moving closer to her destiny, which is far greater than she could ever imagine.
MY THOUGHTS
I watched The Golden Compass so long ago I can't remember when; I never imagined there was so much to the story. And I am glad it was concluded because it hasn't been easy watching shows I got hooked on getting canceled, like The Wheel of Time and many others.
Watching Lyra grow through the series was good. And sometimes I wonder how they get these kids to act so well, it's got to be raw talent. The actors were excellent. Mrs Coulter was actually my best character and had the best backstory for me.
And boy, was I excited to see Lorek the Bear.
I have to give it to Pullman for pulling this off; I didn't realize how complex his storywriting was; it had so many layered foundations he built on and knitted together to create this masterpiece. The mix of gnostic mythology, Greek mythology, Norse mythology, and I think even Christian mythology had a touch of everything.
The story holds so many meanings: religion, love, sacrifice, power and authority, truth, and the concept of losing innocence as you grow.
And my favorite thing about any fantasy film is flying creatures. The witches and angels were beautiful. My favorite scene was when the witch arrived at gobla, that fight scene was awesome.
Honestly, the series made me experience a lot of feelings, and I wouldn't recommend it to someone who can't handle such or handle a conflicted mind filled with deep questions about life because the series reflects so much about life.
Till the end, I found myself thinking that Lord Asriel didn't get enough hate as he deserved. It was like they all didn't see him for who he truly was regardless of his intentions and role, including Lyra. He fought for freedom, but to me, he was selfish and narcissistic, blinded by what he believed to be his destiny to be a chosen one. Even his wife, who was broken, still put her daughter first.
FINAL RATING
I'd give it a solid 9/10; it wasn't just an adventure fantasy series with stunning, beautiful visuals; it made me feel, it made me cry, think, it made me understand, and laugh as any good story should.