His Dark Materials: A Slow Start But Shows Promise

When I saw the first trailer for His Dark Materials (a new HBO show), I knew the concept seemed familiar. After racking my brain for a while I realized this was the same book series that The Golden Compass film stemmed from. A movie that I liked, but didn’t love. Fantasy is one of my favorite genres but something missed the mark with that film. Unfortunately, the His Dark Materials series premiere gave me that same feeling. 

A Slow Start

Now I totally understand that more often than not the first episode of a series can be slow. They need to figure out where they are going, and give you a buildup of what is going on. Perhaps it was because I knew the base of the story, but this episode felt extra slow to me. I found myself looking at my watch and thinking that it had to have been an hour already. It had only been about 20. 

Fantastic Cast

One thing that I will say about His Dark Materials is that there is a fantastic cast! James McAvoy was the stand out in the premiere for me, and I cannot wait to see Lin-Manuel Miranda join the cast soon! Ruth Wilson was great as well, but I wasn’t totally thrilled about Dafne Keen’s performance. She is a child actor and hopefully she comes in to her own as the series goes on. For me, she wasn’t 100% believable as Lyra. I am not sure what it was… but she just seemed off. 

Season One Trailer Shows Upcoming Action

All this being said, the trailer that shows us what we have to look forward to is jam packed with action. Because I know where the story leads, I am really excited for the future of the series. A slow start, sure, but we have a lot to look forward to if it is done right. Fantasy, betrayal, and action — sign me up!

Overall Thoughts

Overall I will say that His Dark Materials starts off slow for sure. But I have high hopes that it will get where it needs to be. Seeing clips from future episodes has me more than excited for what is to come. With a cast like this, the only way to go is up! 

While the first episode of His Dark Materials is extremely slow and boring, the series as a whole shows promise.

About His Dark Materials

Based on author Philip Pullman’s beloved trilogy, His Dark Materials follows Lyra, a brave young woman from another world. Lyra’s quest to find her kidnapped friend leads her to uncover a sinister plot of a secret organization, encounter extraordinary beings and protect dangerous secrets.

His Dark Materials airs Mondays at 9pm ET on HBO.