His Dark Materials.

flazio

So fun fact, the actor playing Father MacPhail is the real life father of Dafne Keen (Will Keen) and both are fluent Spanish speakers (if you've ever seen 'Logan' you'd probably already know Dafne can speak Spanish.) as her mother is Spanish.
EDIT: Something wrong with the youtube embed so here is a link to a video instead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CSYmXtYcJg&t=91s

duridian

No spoilers for tv or books, just general terms.

Since the end of Series 1, I have been reading the books of the HDM trilogy over the Christmas and am now 7 or 8 chapters into the third book, The Amber Spyglass.

I am really enjoying it despite being an old fart, decades beyond what anyone would call a “young”adult and would definitely recommend them to others who might overlook them and think that they are only books for kids.

flazio

I bought the trilogy for my kindle but I don't intend to read past the first book. I actually want the TV series to tell me the story first as strange as that sounds.

duridian

No spoilers ahead, just some general observations on my experience so far of the books and the tv show.

@flazio I was kinda the opposite. I couldn't wait to know what happens next, even though I knew there would inevitably be some variations between the two (TV show vs the books), I figured I'd adjust as I found them along the way through Northern Lights.

Man Vs ManUre

3 Books = Fantastic. Tv series = Crap.

flazio

Man Vs ManUre wrote: »

3 Books = Fantastic. Tv series = Crap.

BBC ratings suggest otherwise, biggest new show on the station in 5 years.

The official podcast was hard to find but it is out there as a Spotify exclusive. It's called His Darker Materials and has some interesting guests including Ruth Wilson, Dafne Keen and the original Lyra from the Golden Compass, Dakota Blue Richards.

https://open.spotify.com/show/6kCE4iyT5cIwievxKklfSN?si=CHCcGYAvT1SqdO2MeSwtCg

pixelburp

I haven't finished it, but it's a far from perfect show from my own experience. It has been a bit of a slog at times, with a bit too much exposition and characters just saying how they feel, while the whole thing with the daemons a bit muddled. Maybe it's a side effect of its kid-lit origins.

ixoy

flazio wrote: »

I bought the trilogy for my kindle but I don't intend to read past the first book. I actually want the TV series to tell me the story first as strange as that sounds.

The first season incorporates elements from the second book, primarily Will who isn't in the first book. It meant that the show dragged a bit trying to set up his character but it'll be better in the second season (I thought it dragged 'The Subtle Knife' too when they introduced him).

flazio

To make a Lord of the Rings comparison, the story of Frodo and Sam climbing the stairs of Cirith Ungol and meeting Shelob was in Two Towers book but in Return of the King film. Made me put down that book until the film came out.

Man Vs ManUre

Very disappointed with both this and war of the worlds on bbc recently.
Hopefully Dracula starting tonight will be a good one.

corkie

If you want more of Dafne Keen (~ Lyra Belacqua) she is also in 'Ana (2020)'

duridian

Dafne I think is a young lady who has a very big career ahead of her.
Especially since she is... ahem... in her own way spanning two worlds, being both an Anglophone and a Hispanophone.

flazio

Certainly has good parents supporting her. As mentioned, her father has a role in the Magesterium while her mother was her acting coach throughout the series. (source: mariafernandezache on Instagram)
The most obvious other actress to compare her to would be Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown and in my opinion Keen is a much more settled down person and it's making her a better role model.

is_that_so

flazio wrote: »

Certainly has good parents supporting her. As mentioned, her father has a role in the Magesterium while her mother was her acting coach throughout the series. (source: mariafernandezache on Instagram)
The most obvious other actress to compare her to would be Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown and in my opinion Keen is a much more settled down person and it's making her a better role model.

She seems to have a better range already. The Stranger Things lass is limited by the materials.

pixelburp

To be fair, Keen hasn't had to deal with the same kind of pop-culture hype Brown has been exposed to; Stranger Things became a full-blown viral phenomenon when its first season took off, milked by Netflix for all its worth. No idea what kind of support network Brown has had, if any, to deal with that level of fame.

Slydice

Finally getting around to this!

Binged episodes 1-3 and they felt like they worked as a kinda first section to the series.
They introduced the background, the characters, the setting,

the multiple worlds including ours and started the mission to the North to find the kids

.

I've not read the books and I only hazily remember the film (probably parts will come back to me).
From the film, I remember the golden compass (am I allowed call it that now? ) and that the hook

was more towards the end where it was revealed that they were experimenting on kids.. ripping their Daemons away I think

So from that, I'm see how this show does it and how well.
So far, the cast are doing fine.
The camera work and cinematopgraphy feels like a proper film which is good cos sometimes BBC can feel a bit plain or raw or just boring and I don't think that would work for this show.

skipped this - is it worth it?

Fluorescence

glasso wrote: »

skipped this - is it worth it?

100%. Best show of the year, and it was a brilliant year for TV.

Slydice

I think it's good so far!

Went through episodes 4-6. They felt like a second section to the series.
This time, introducing the

North, delving more into our world, showing the Station camp and liberating it.

My memory of the film is hazy and I don't remember the

witches... but Damn! could she fight!

From what I remember of the film then, that just leaves

the big battle with the bears. I think that stretches my memory out.

What's new for me is this idea of

our world.. and then the city in the sky.. which seems to be in the opening credits.. along with a bunch of worlds. So for the future, I'm wondering if they are gonna explore a bunch of different worlds.

flazio

Something just struck me on rewatch, right at the start of episode 1.
Asriel brings baby Lyra to Oxford on board a helicopter. Now forgive me but are Helicopters a thing in that world? Or does Asriel know more about the fate of Wills dad then we know? Or was using a helicopter just a silly oversight by the production?

Slydice

Finished! Good show! Definitely want a second season of that!

Definitely think it can be binged in the 3 sections I did:
[1-3] Background, Setting and Intro
[4-6] World building/expanding, plot development and expansion
[7&8] More expanding, plot conclusion and future setting

Episodes 7&8! Right!

The Bears Fight!

Well they did that better

without the graphic jaw knocking off. If they had included it, it woulda thrown the feeling of the series to that point right out the window. That multiple worlds exist

has been firmly introduced at this stage but they've definitely held off pushing into it. Feels kinda clear that it's the

'We're not hiding it.. but it's for Season 2'

kinda message that they wanted to give.

For season 2, I'm curious to see what happens on two fronts:
- are

Lyra and yer man going through the same portal or not and will they end up in the same destination or not. My guess he is going to Lyras world and Lyra is going to a 3rd as-yet unseen world.

- what happens

on the Daemon front when they get to the other sides.. will he get one AND will Lyra keep Pan

Aside from that, Two novel themes I noticed during the show:
- [earlier] How they had adult themed arcs and somehow separately had children themed arcs for the audience.
- [later] Lyra's reaction in fights/battles .. kinda freezes up/zones out. They seemed to convey and handle that well.

ArmaniJeanss

flazio wrote: »

Something just struck me on rewatch, right at the start of episode 1.
Asriel brings baby Lyra to Oxford on board a helicopter. Now forgive me but are Helicopters a thing in that world? Or does Asriel know more about the fate of Wills dad then we know? Or was using a helicopter just a silly oversight by the production?

That caught me my surprise as well, but apparently helicopters are mentioned in the books in Lyra's world, referred to as gyropters.
Book 3 minor spoiler

Asriel has a battalion of gyropters in his army

NIMAN

Can I ask about the 8 episodes I have recorded on my TV box at home?

What timeline in the books do they cover?
Is it to the end of book 1 just?

ixoy

NIMAN wrote: »

Can I ask about the 8 episodes I have recorded on my TV box at home?

What timeline in the books do they cover?
Is it to the end of book 1 just?

End of Book 1 but also a significant, parallel really, plot thread from Book 2.

NIMAN

Thanks, was asking for someone reading Book 1 at present, so we can start watching as soon as they are finished!

So is the plan to have 3 series, one for each book?

S.M.B.

NIMAN wrote: »

Thanks, was asking for someone reading Book 1 at present, so we can start watching as soon as they are finished!

So is the plan to have 3 series, one for each book?

If the plan was to start watching to TV shows to ensure that the book reading experience is not spoiled in any way then I would suggest not watching the TV series until finished the second book.

As ixoy has said, there is a significant plot thread from book 2 in the first series.

NIMAN

S.M.B. wrote: »

If the plan was to start watching to TV shows to ensure that the book reading experience is not spoiled in any way then I would suggest not watching the TV series until finished the second book.

As ixoy has said, there is a significant plot thread from book 2 in the first series.

Thanks.
I have read all 3 books, but son just finishing 3rd and OH only starting 1st:mad:

EoinMcLovin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2L4EBtSTkg

pixelburp

Ah, I had been wondering about this, and if CoVid got in the way of shooting; growth spurts causing issue for young casts. I guess not then. Enjoyed season 1 but had a real exposition problem, hopefully season 2 has less of that with all the basics now covered

flazio

Season 1 and 2 were filmed back to back, because, as you say, to cover off any growth spurts.