MovieChat Forums > His Dark Materials (2019) Discussion > The most excruciating denouement I have ...

The most excruciating denouement I have ever suffered. SPOILERS

posted 2 years ago by R_Kane (15828)
8 replies | jump to latest

I was enjoying this up to the final ep. Apparently HBO insisted on having 8 hours of miniseries. The final 80 minutes felt like 3 hours. The narrative exposition was so bloated, it makes the “goodbye” segment in the extended Lord of the Rings seem like a Readers’ Digest précis. We get it: we saved a universe and hearts were broken. It’s not rocket science. Move on.

This series has excellent production values, mostly good casting and snappy pacing—till they tossed the boat anchor out the window and made it screech to a halt with a sappy teen angst tale that makes a Lifetime movie look like Masterpiece Theater. A shame.

[–] Spiffy666 (400) 2 years ago

I really like the series overall, but there were many parts that could have been done a bit better.

The ending was one part that was done pretty much perfectly.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

If you mean that Will and Lyra had to close all of the windows everywhere that were opened by the Subtle Knife (except one) to save existence from the Spectres and remain separated forever, then I find that quite a poignant sacrifice on their part, even though their love for each other would never diminish.

If you didnt like that, then maybe you should consider reading the original books before watching an adaptation.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (14793) 2 years ago

Well....there's a reason fans of these books only really like the first one. The two sequels suck, as you can see on the show.

[–] R_Kane (15828) 2 years ago

Thank you. I haven’t read the books. I did love The Golden Compass movie, and I more than love Dafne Keen as Lyra; also, Sam Elliot; but who does not? Speaking as an author, I have always felt that the falling action should be handled precipitously, not stretched out.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (14793) 2 years ago

I read the first book, and they left a lot out of the 2007 "Golden Compass" film that should have been left in. I'm guessing Philip Pullman spent all his creative energy on the first book and then it all petered out in the sequels, and he ended up using his dislike of Christianity to muddle through a plot in the last 2 stories.

[–] R_Kane (15828) 2 years ago

You know, that both sounds and , more important, feels right. I am Christian and it is hard for me to understand the hatred for my religion in any terms other than political—for the church has always worked to spread its power and wealth by recruiting new believers—but I acknowledge that antipathy is a reality. It just makes me sad, and I didn’t understand why there was such a hubbub about The Golden Compass being “atheist” when the film was released.

And, mea culpa time regarding my take on the third book: I am a romantic softie. I believe in true love. It killed me that Lyra and Will are forever together and apart. Ladyhawke killed me, too. But “amour vincet omnia.” My gut feeling is that we need to be cultivating more mature fantasy authors whose visions have staying power instead of having publishers and producers jumping on the “young adults” bandwagon of flash-in-the-pan hits. But, hey, where’s the profit in that?

Creative energy: JRR created A WHOLE LANGUAGE. Do you see any “YA” author with the passion and credentials to do the same?

[–] AmeriGirl26 (14793) 2 years ago

The problem with the YA authors whose books get translated to film (save for J.K. Rowling and a few others) is that they have no real staying power. Their books end up being either a "successful" flash-in-the-pan story that's forgotten in 5-10 years, or the book is so badly translated that the audience it was supposed to cater to was made upset and any chance at a franchise is ruined.

If you look into who are the largest critics of Christianity, you'll find they fall into several distinct groups. Atheists (most notably in the West), ex-Christians, members of the LGBT community, Jews, Muslims, and a few others. Philip Pullman obviously falls into one or more of them, and sadly, you hear more from guys like him than you do from people who see the positive in it, mostly due to volume and visibility, no thanks to Hollyweird and the media.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

My favourite of the books was The Subtle Knife, ACTUALLY. Don't claim to speak for the rest of us, AmeriGirl26 DUMBASS!