Enter a Rotten Tomatoes movie slug to inspect the stored movie, batches, snapshots, and reviews.
Movie ID: 1440
RT slug: his_dark_materials
RT URL: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/his_dark_materials
Release year: 2019
Runtime: —
Wide release date: —
Limited release date: —
Festival premiere date: —
Streaming release date: —
Tomatometer final: 83%
Audience score final: 82%
Genres: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Directors: —
Writers: —
Producers: —
MPAA rating: TV-14
Executive Producers: Ben Irving, Carolyn Blackwood, Dan McCulloch, Deborah A. Forte, Jack Thorne, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Julie Gardner, Otto Bathurst, Philip Pullman, Piers Wenger, Toby Emmerich, Tom Hooper
Created: 2026-09-30 21:05:13
Updated: 2026-09-30 21:05:13
During her search for a kidnapped friend, a seemingly ordinary but brave young woman from another world uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children and a mysterious phenomenon called Dust.
—
Canonical reviews: 98
Canonical fresh: 79
Canonical rotten: 19
Canonical calculated Tomatometer: 98 (79/19), 81% (80.612% raw)
Latest snapshot UTC: 2026-09-29 14:40:12
Snapshot Tomatometer: 83%
Snapshot review count: 98
Snapshot fresh count: 79
Snapshot rotten count: 19
Source note: Imported from manual review paste batch #4219 (full_snapshot)
— No companies stored.
| Billing | Name | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dafne Keen | Lyra Belacqua |
| 2 | Ruth Wilson | Marisa Coulter |
| 3 | Lin-Manuel Miranda | Lee Scoresby |
| 4 | James McAvoy | Lord Asriel |
| 5 | Clarke Peters | The Master of Jordan College |
| 6 | James Cosmo | Farder Coram |
| Batch ID | Status | Mode | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1456 | processed | — | 2026-09-30 21:05:13 | Processed successfully into movie_id=1440 using update_mode=merge_non_empty. |
| Batch ID | Local Snapshot | UTC Snapshot | Entered % | Entered Count | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4219 | 2026-09-29 09:40:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-09-29 14:40:12 | 83% | 98 | processed | Mode=full_snapshot. Processed 98 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=98, fresh=79, rotten=19, tomatometer=81%. Net new reviews added=98, fresh=79, rotten=19. Current canonical totals=98 reviews, 79 fresh, 19 rotten, tomatometer=81% (80.612%). Entered review count matched parsed batch count (98). WARNING: entered tomatometer 83% did not match parsed batch 81%. |
| ID | Critic | Outlet | Fresh? | Score | RT Time Raw | Approx Published UTC | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 284139 | Rick Marshall | Digital Trends | Fresh | — | 2021-07-13T00:50:52.000Z | 2021-07-13 00:50:52 | HBO hasn't lost its knack for world-building on a grand scale, and His Dark Materials is yet another story that sweeps its audience along in all the right ways. |
| 284140 | Tony Black | Cultural Conversation | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-02-16T14:01:54.000Z | 2021-02-16 14:01:54 | A slick adaptation lacking in magic. |
| 284141 | Luke Y. Thompson | SuperHeroHype | Fresh | — | 2020-08-20T08:10:49.000Z | 2020-08-20 08:10:49 | ...the best version of Philip Pullman's Northern Lights (a.k.a. The Golden Compass) to exist in any form...and that includes the book |
| 284142 | Jeff Beck | The Blu Spot | Rotten | 3/5 | 2020-08-03T19:32:13.000Z | 2020-08-03 19:32:13 | While the debut season of His Dark Materials boasts exceptional visuals, it's hindered by problematic pacing and odd structural choices, resulting in a great-looking, but unnecessarily-elongated, adaptation of the first novel of the trilogy. |
| 284143 | Scott Bryan | BBC.com | Fresh | — | 2020-07-15T12:35:44.000Z | 2020-07-15 12:35:44 | It's really good in its accuracy, plotting and acting - but the first episode has so much set up. |
| 284144 | Akhil Arora | Gadgets360 | Rotten | — | 2020-07-03T08:20:45.000Z | 2020-07-03 08:20:45 | [Though] the visuals are on point, the writing isn't. Despite the elements at its disposal ... it's made to feel ordinary, especially the farther it gets from its fantasy trappings. |
| 284145 | Caitlin Kennedy | Nightmarish Conjurings | Fresh | 6/10 | 2020-06-25T20:23:30.000Z | 2020-06-25 20:23:30 | His Dark Materials is a valiant effort that scrappily rises to the challenge, but only time will tell if it has the strength to go the distance and carry itself over the finish line. |
| 284146 | Gena Radcliffe | The Spool | Fresh | — | 2020-01-21T03:31:00.000Z | 2020-01-21 03:31:00 | Much of the first hour of His Dark Materials is given over to world-building, and what a feast for the eyes this world is. |
| 284147 | Tilly Pearce | metro.co.uk | Fresh | — | 2019-12-28T00:32:28.000Z | 2019-12-28 00:32:28 | His Dark Materials started and ended strong, but suffered a little in the middle to keep our attention. |
| 284148 | Beth Elderkin | io9.com | Fresh | — | 2019-12-28T00:32:27.000Z | 2019-12-28 00:32:27 | We might have to wait until season two to see if the series can dust off its rough edges, but I have faith we can turn things around. |
| 284149 | Steve Murray | ArtsATL | Fresh | — | 2019-12-23T20:28:10.000Z | 2019-12-23 20:28:10 | The story takes on alternate universes, fascist religious orders, witches, armored polar bears and the very essence of love. Take a look. |
| 284150 | Carissa Pavlica | TV Fanatic | Fresh | 3.75/5 | 2019-12-07T00:13:34.000Z | 2019-12-07 00:13:34 | This production is mysterious, highly engaging, and incredibly beautiful to watch. |
| 284151 | Boyd Hilton | Empire Magazine | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-12-07T00:13:32.000Z | 2019-12-07 00:13:32 | Pullman's elaborate world of talking spirit animals, arcane gadgets and massive airships is beautifully realised, and half-way through the series, Lin-Manuel Miranda arrives as thrill-seeking adventurer Lee Scorseby, just to ratchet everything up a notch. |
| 284152 | Soumya Srivastava | Hindustan Times | Rotten | — | 2019-12-07T00:03:40.000Z | 2019-12-07 00:03:40 | While the visuals did take you into a grand and glossy another world and the actors slid into their roles as evil aunties and absentee uncles with ease, it failed to be more than the superficial sum of its parts. |
| 284153 | Audrey Fox | AwardsCircuit.com | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2019-12-07T00:03:38.000Z | 2019-12-07 00:03:38 | The best and most compelling reason to stay tuned into "His Dark Materials" is the lead performance from Dafne Keen as Lyra. |
| 284154 | Hunter Johnson | Dallas Morning News | Fresh | — | 2019-12-06T23:53:25.000Z | 2019-12-06 23:53:25 | For every exceptional scene, another is either too familiar or too meh. |
| 284155 | Patrick Crossen | Film Inquiry | Fresh | — | 2019-12-06T23:43:21.000Z | 2019-12-06 23:43:21 | In terms of looks and overall ambience, HBO should be proud of what they've got on their hands. |
| 284156 | Kevin Yeoman | Screen Rant | Fresh | — | 2019-12-06T23:43:17.000Z | 2019-12-06 23:43:17 | The series is a beautifully realized adaptation of the source material. |
| 284157 | Andrew Bundy | The Playlist | Rotten | C | 2019-12-06T23:33:09.000Z | 2019-12-06 23:33:09 | Lacking the youthful discovery that comes hand in hand with a chosen one protagonist entering a new world, the first half of HBO's "His Dark Materials" is bogged down by a snail's pace and faint world-building. |
| 284158 | Rachel Cooke | New Statesman | Fresh | — | 2019-12-06T23:23:31.000Z | 2019-12-06 23:23:31 | [Ruth] Wilson is one of those actors who can make you shiver even as she smiles. Plus, there's no one on this earth who looks better in a belted trench coat. |
| 284159 | Amy Glynn | Paste Magazine | Fresh | — | 2019-12-06T23:22:57.000Z | 2019-12-06 23:22:57 | The adaptation nails an often-failed imperative of screen translation: it successfully communicates subtext by mindful use of visual language. |
| 284160 | Katie Collins | CNET | Fresh | — | 2019-12-06T23:12:55.000Z | 2019-12-06 23:12:55 | Ruth Wilson... is inspired casting. Glamorous and glacial, she has the allure of a perfectly sharp icicle. |
| 284161 | Alan Sepinwall | Rolling Stone | Fresh | 3/5 | 2019-12-06T23:03:20.000Z | 2019-12-06 23:03:20 | The story feels thin, as creator Jack Thorne focuses more on establishing the particulars of the series' alternate world. Yet the world-building also does a very poor job of explaining how things work and what the stakes are. |
| 284162 | John Boland | Irish Independent | Fresh | — | 2019-11-12T22:44:47.000Z | 2019-11-12 22:44:47 | I have high hopes, though, for His Dark Materials... Watching this week's opening episode, I got echoes of Harry Potter, but more interesting, too, and with a splendid turn from Ruth Wilson as the villainous Mrs Coulter. |
| 284163 | Luke Walpole | HeyUGuys | Fresh | 5/5 | 2019-11-12T15:10:42.000Z | 2019-11-12 15:10:42 | Sumptuously designed and faithfully adapted, His Dark Materials is skilfully bringing Pullman's worlds to life. Let's hope it continues (no, you can't check your Alethiometer). |
| 284164 | Melissa Camacho | Common Sense Media | Fresh | 3/5 | 2019-11-11T20:54:13.000Z | 2019-11-11 20:54:13 | Uneven fantasy adaptation has strong cast, some violence. |
| 284165 | Liam Fay | The Times (UK) | Rotten | — | 2019-11-11T18:12:37.000Z | 2019-11-11 18:12:37 | The inaugural instalment was slow, corny and bewildering. Much of its creakiness stemmed from the onerous weight of complicated backstory required for a sprawling saga that incorporates multiple realities and a dizzying abundance of gee-whiz conceits. |
| 284166 | Deborah Ross | The Mail on Sunday (UK) | Rotten | 2/5 | 2019-11-11T17:31:56.000Z | 2019-11-11 17:31:56 | Even putting the daemons aside, if we can, the storytelling often felt flat... For now, it seems like one of your bog-standard, child-of-destiny fantasy epics. |
| 284167 | Euan Ferguson | Observer (UK) | Fresh | — | 2019-11-11T17:21:41.000Z | 2019-11-11 17:21:41 | The appallingly ambitious His Dark Materials has burst fully formed on to our Sunday nights, and it is a thing of some glory. |
| 284168 | Hugo Rifkind | The Times (UK) | Fresh | — | 2019-11-08T16:42:26.000Z | 2019-11-08 16:42:26 | HDM is very exciting. |
| 284169 | Camilla Long | The Times (UK) | Rotten | — | 2019-11-08T16:33:04.000Z | 2019-11-08 16:33:04 | I'm afraid it all felt a bit like the televisual equivalent of eating your greens - like homework. |
| 284170 | David Levesley | GQ Magazine [UK] | Rotten | — | 2019-11-08T01:15:43.000Z | 2019-11-08 01:15:43 | As a His Dark Materials stan, I am one of the masses who awaited this new adaptation with baited breath. But honestly? It failed to deliver. |
| 284171 | Alison Herman | The Ringer | Rotten | — | 2019-11-07T21:35:19.000Z | 2019-11-07 21:35:19 | Being not-bad isn't the same as being great. His Dark Materials is faithful, yet it fails to be as artful or innovative in its adaptation as Pullman was in his invention. |
| 284172 | Jazmin Kopotsha | Refinery29 | Fresh | — | 2019-11-07T20:55:14.000Z | 2019-11-07 20:55:14 | The show does not disappoint. |
| 284173 | Sherin Nicole | Geek Girl Riot / RIOTUS | Fresh | — | 2019-11-06T21:26:08.000Z | 2019-11-06 21:26:08 | The worldbuilding is lush and deep and expansive. You get a sense of the magic, the steampunk technology, but also the culture. There's a lot of darkness and twisty corners. This [show] does a good job...I can't wait to see where it goes. |
| 284174 | Alison de Souza | The Straits Times (Singapore) | Rotten | 3/5 | 2019-11-06T20:36:09.000Z | 2019-11-06 20:36:09 | Flat and uninspired, weighed down by stiff dialogue and constant exposition of the quirks of this multiverse. |
| 284175 | Tim Appelo | AARP Movies for Grownups | Fresh | — | 2019-11-06T18:42:45.000Z | 2019-11-06 18:42:45 | It's far more promising than the 2007 film version, The Golden Compass, that starred Nicole Kidman. |
| 284176 | Kevin Lever | Tell-Tale TV | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-11-05T22:54:57.000Z | 2019-11-05 22:54:57 | The show balances the wins and the losses against the enemy, and so while there is joy at this moment, it may not last. |
| 284177 | Rachel Leishman | The Mary Sue | Fresh | — | 2019-11-05T22:34:45.000Z | 2019-11-05 22:34:45 | His Dark Materials gives new life to Lyra and her journey in a way the film The Golden Compass never could. It's going to be exciting to see where the show is going to take us but overall after this strong start! |
| 284178 | Joel Keller | Decider | Fresh | — | 2019-11-05T21:15:03.000Z | 2019-11-05 21:15:03 | Despite some of the confusion about the world's details, His Dark Materials is still a well-paced, well-acted way into Philip Pullman's universe. |
| 284179 | Ani Bundel | WETA | Fresh | — | 2019-11-05T20:04:28.000Z | 2019-11-05 20:04:28 | It also lays the sentimentality on thick, finally using daemons correctly. |
| 284180 | Kate Sánchez | But Why Tho? | Fresh | 10/10 | 2019-11-05T19:54:18.000Z | 2019-11-05 19:54:18 | His Dark Materials...beautifully crafts a new world for new fans to come into, while also providing enough depth and life to Pullman's work that existing fans feel embraced by the story they know and love. |
| 284181 | Molly Catherine Turner | Culturess | Fresh | — | 2019-11-05T18:02:35.000Z | 2019-11-05 18:02:35 | Finally, after seven episodes, they give the people what they need. |
| 284182 | Lisa Weidenfeld | AV Club | Fresh | B | 2019-11-05T17:41:54.000Z | 2019-11-05 17:41:54 | In the early going, it's hard to gauge whether this show can rise above "high production value adaptation of beloved property..." But hopefully future episodes will unfold a little more organically. |
| 284183 | Jeva Lange | The Week | Rotten | — | 2019-11-05T17:31:53.000Z | 2019-11-05 17:31:53 | For all the openings [Philip] Pullman's universe presents, the series' biggest fault is remaining safely on its surface. |
| 284184 | Libby Hill | IndieWire | Fresh | B | 2019-11-05T16:51:10.000Z | 2019-11-05 16:51:10 | It's a series that's not perfect and it isn't the adaptation of the books that we deserve, but it's good, and that's a start. |
| 284185 | Devon Maloney | New York Magazine/Vulture | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-11-05T16:51:08.000Z | 2019-11-05 16:51:08 | "Lyra's Jordan" demonstrates that while this new series is going to take certain liberties remixing and expanding the source material, it'll do so with a literacy around Pullman's philosophies. |
| 284186 | Myles McNutt | AV Club | Fresh | B+ | 2019-11-05T16:41:03.000Z | 2019-11-05 16:41:03 | It trusts the bones of the story its telling, creating an effective if not necessarily breathtaking entry point into the world at hand. |
| 284187 | Alci Rengifo | Entertainment Voice | Fresh | — | 2019-11-05T16:41:02.000Z | 2019-11-05 16:41:02 | It's a tricky enterprise considering the density of the material, and while it may get confusing, it's never a chore to watch. |
| 284188 | María Fernanda Mugica | La Nación (Argentina) | Fresh | — | 2019-11-05T15:00:39.000Z | 2019-11-05 15:00:39 | In addition to having an impeccable production and notable visual effects, the series of eight episodes has very good acting performances from Dafne Keene, James McAvoy, and Ruth Wilson. [Full Review in Spanish] |
| 284189 | Amanda Sink | The Hollywood Outsider | Fresh | 7.5/10 | 2019-11-05T01:14:23.000Z | 2019-11-05 01:14:23 | Despite the initial lack of clarity in His Dark Materials, you're in for a sinister treat with the delivery of spectacular production and performances. |
| 284190 | Alison Rowat | The Herald (Scotland) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-11-05T00:25:31.000Z | 2019-11-05 00:25:31 | First impressions were favorable. |
| 284191 | Pat Stacey | The Herald (Ireland) | Fresh | 5/5 | 2019-11-04T22:24:44.000Z | 2019-11-04 22:24:44 | His Dark Materials is fabulous. It does an absolutely wonderful job of bringing to life [Philip] Pullman's parallel world, which is a lot like the one we inhabit, yet also completely unlike it. |
| 284192 | David Nice | The Arts Desk | Fresh | 3/5 | 2019-11-04T20:05:05.000Z | 2019-11-04 20:05:05 | The thrills aren't here yet - it isn't entirely fair to judge...maybe the ingredients so many of us now take for granted are compelling enough in themselves. |
| 284193 | Rob Owen | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Rotten | — | 2019-11-04T19:55:05.000Z | 2019-11-04 19:55:05 | It benefits from a mesmerizing Lorne Balfe-composed theme song and early on introduces an intriguing element of travel between dimensions but then bogs down as it moves forward to bring all the requisite characters from the book together. |
| 284194 | John Doyle | Globe and Mail | Fresh | — | 2019-11-04T19:24:52.000Z | 2019-11-04 19:24:52 | The adaptation is less than successful in conveying Pullman's motives and arguments, but it sure is charming. |
| 284195 | Kevin Melrose | CBR | Fresh | — | 2019-11-04T19:14:29.000Z | 2019-11-04 19:14:29 | Smart, with high production values and none of the violence, nudity and profanity of, say, Game of Thrones. It's family viewing that neither dumbs itself down for younger audience members nor slows itself down for the older ones. |
| 284196 | Andrew Husband | Uproxx | Fresh | — | 2019-11-04T18:53:40.000Z | 2019-11-04 18:53:40 | What results is a His Dark Materials adaptation more focused on significant character moments and dramatic developments, instead of a story incessantly worrying over yet another McGuffin. |
| 284197 | Peter Crawley | Irish Times | Fresh | — | 2019-11-04T18:53:39.000Z | 2019-11-04 18:53:39 | Director Tom Hooper corresponds with lavishly filmed, meticulously designed scenes, over a zippy momentum, and frequently the low camera angles of a child's view. |
| 284198 | Tom Jorgensen | IGN | Fresh | 9/10 | 2019-11-04T18:44:17.000Z | 2019-11-04 18:44:17 | The pilot throws a lot of mythology and world-building at viewers up front... but stick with it and you'll be rewarded with a rich world that grows far wider and deeper as the story progresses. |
| 284199 | Judy Berman | TIME Magazine | Fresh | — | 2019-11-04T18:43:42.000Z | 2019-11-04 18:43:42 | It's a wonderful story, rendered with the liveliness-and the budget-Pullman's books deserve. |
| 284200 | James Croot | The Post NZ | Fresh | — | 2019-11-04T18:43:41.000Z | 2019-11-04 18:43:41 | Boasts an excellent cast, some impressive visual effects and seems far more aligned to Pullman's trilogy than the much-maligned movie. |
| 284201 | Sonia Saraiya | Vanity Fair | Rotten | — | 2019-11-04T18:43:38.000Z | 2019-11-04 18:43:38 | At least the TV series is thorough and clear, making it a great introduction to the books-especially for children. But this adaptation leaves most of the bloody heart of His Dark Materials on the table. |
| 284202 | Ed Cumming | Independent (UK) | Fresh | 5/5 | 2019-11-04T18:34:02.000Z | 2019-11-04 18:34:02 | This is a beautiful, brooding vision of Pullman's universe, which retains the mix of childish wonder and darkness that make his books so beguiling to young adults. |
| 284203 | Brian Lowry | CNN.com | Rotten | — | 2019-11-04T18:33:34.000Z | 2019-11-04 18:33:34 | The whole thing tends to be a rollicking bore -- pretty to look at in terms of its production design, but too room-bound and talky to feel like an epic. |
| 284204 | Allison Shoemaker | RogerEbert.com | Fresh | — | 2019-11-04T18:23:32.000Z | 2019-11-04 18:23:32 | His Dark Materials remains a world worth exploring, but whether you're comparing it to the source material or coming to it fresh, this series is weak tea. |
| 284205 | Carol Midgley | The Times (UK) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-11-04T18:02:59.000Z | 2019-11-04 18:02:59 | Even the most anal nitpicker would struggle to pick a fight with the inspired casting and lavish production values, especially Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter and Dafne Keen as Lyra, who put in the standout performances. |
| 284206 | Matt Roush | TV Insider | Fresh | — | 2019-11-04T17:22:39.000Z | 2019-11-04 17:22:39 | Dafne Keen is terrific as restlessly rambunctious teenage heroine Lyra, who seeks exciting new experiences when she leaves the stuffy Oxford college in which she was raised as an orphan under murky circumstances. |
| 284207 | Keith Watson | Metro Newspaper (UK) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-11-04T17:12:53.000Z | 2019-11-04 17:12:53 | Elevated to prime time and given the full CGI, at times the epic production threatened to overwhelm the central story of Lyra's dealings with duplicitous adults - the journey from innocence to experience - but it wasn't hard to be swept along for the ride |
| 284208 | Anita Singh | Daily Telegraph (UK) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-11-04T16:21:26.000Z | 2019-11-04 16:21:26 | Dafne Keen is a find, perfectly portraying that tricky period on the cusp of adolescence when you're desperate to grow up but a tiny bit afraid of it too. Lyra is a wonderful character, rule-breaking and brave, unaware that a great destiny awaits. |
| 284209 | James Poniewozik | New York Times | Fresh | — | 2019-11-04T16:21:24.000Z | 2019-11-04 16:21:24 | So far though, "His Dark Materials" manages to conjure a spectacle (two words: armored bears) without burying the source's ideas. |
| 284210 | Caitlin Welsh | Mashable | Fresh | — | 2019-11-04T16:11:19.000Z | 2019-11-04 16:11:19 | For now, at least, His Dark Materials is playing an absolutely straight bat. It's a canny, gorgeous, well-cast and gently paced telling that gives the mythology of this world space to breathe. |
| 284211 | Kelly Lawler | USA Today | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2019-11-04T16:11:16.000Z | 2019-11-04 16:11:16 | Keen is as likable here as she was in superhero film "Logan," but in the few episodes made available for review, the series struggles to give Lyra a voice or any agency. Events happen to her, adults explain things and she goes along for the ride. |
| 284212 | Lucy Mangan | Guardian | Fresh | 5/5 | 2019-11-04T16:11:12.000Z | 2019-11-04 16:11:12 | Despite the new series being a BBC co-production with HBO, it looks so far as though these ideas will not be compromised this time round. |
| 284213 | Alberto Carlos | Espinof | Rotten | 3/5 | 2019-11-04T00:52:03.000Z | 2019-11-04 00:52:03 | The show has a lot of ambition and spectacle, but the story struggles. [Full Review in Spanish] |
| 284214 | Norman Wilner | NOW Toronto | Fresh | 3/5 | 2019-11-02T01:33:41.000Z | 2019-11-02 01:33:41 | I suppose this is a recommendation, though I reiterate. If high fantasy isn't your thing, watching this is definitely going to feel like work. |
| 284215 | Suzi Feay | Financial Times | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-11-01T22:14:31.000Z | 2019-11-01 22:14:31 | Visually, it's Art Deco meets steampunk, with the airships and canal barges feeling a little less fresh than when this world first tumbled from Pullman's rich imagination; but his themes are ever-pertinent. |
| 284216 | Laura Miller | Slate | Fresh | — | 2019-11-01T21:44:12.000Z | 2019-11-01 21:44:12 | Proof that TV is now the best medium for bringing epic literary fantasy to the screen. |
| 284217 | Liz Baessler | Film School Rejects | Rotten | — | 2019-11-01T20:03:21.000Z | 2019-11-01 20:03:21 | For a show in which people have visible, tangible souls, 'His Dark Materials' own soul is awfully hard to find. |
| 284218 | Vinnie Mancuso | Collider | Fresh | 3/5 | 2019-11-01T16:31:40.000Z | 2019-11-01 16:31:40 | His Dark Materials seems like a daemon who hasn't settled on a form quite yet, and that's oddly endearing in its own way, too. For now. |
| 284219 | Daniel Fienberg | The Hollywood Reporter | Rotten | — | 2019-11-01T16:11:33.000Z | 2019-11-01 16:11:33 | What never fully worked for me in the four episodes, out of the eight-episode first season, sent to critics is the necessary feeling of narrative and thematic momentum. It's vastly better than the movie, but neither fun nor smart enough to quite succeed. |
| 284220 | Zack Handlen | AV Club | Fresh | B | 2019-11-01T16:11:31.000Z | 2019-11-01 16:11:31 | It's a good story, told with restraint and respect. Pity about the magic, though. |
| 284221 | Kaitlin Thomas | TV Guide | Fresh | 85/100 | 2019-10-31T21:05:57.000Z | 2019-10-31 21:05:57 | In short, this is the adaptation fans have been waiting two decades to see. |
| 284222 | Kathryn VanArendonk | New York Magazine/Vulture | Rotten | — | 2019-10-31T18:24:25.000Z | 2019-10-31 18:24:25 | His Dark Materials' first episodes are a mixture of unabashedly gorgeous visuals, several strong performances, and writing that demonstrates time and again that it has no confidence in either of those things. |
| 284223 | Linda Maleh | Forbes | Fresh | — | 2019-10-31T17:23:35.000Z | 2019-10-31 17:23:35 | What a screen adaptation of Pullman's books was truly meant to be... It fully realizes the scope of this fictional world with grand visuals, an adventurous plot, smart writing, and excellent casting. |
| 284224 | Gavia Baker-Whitelaw | The Daily Dot | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2019-10-31T02:52:09.000Z | 2019-10-31 02:52:09 | The new BBC/HBO series takes the source material more seriously, but with a thinly-written script from showrunner Jack Thorne, it still doesn't capture the magic and emotional depth of the books. |
| 284225 | Nicole Drum | ComicBook.com | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-10-30T10:51:52.000Z | 2019-10-30 10:51:52 | His Dark Materials is a well-crafted, expertly-acted adaptation that will satisfy fans of Pullman's novels while also creating a space for newcomers to Lyra's world. Dark, rich, smart, and filled with intrigue. |
| 284226 | Alexis Ong | Slant Magazine | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2019-10-28T18:53:47.000Z | 2019-10-28 18:53:47 | The series underlines the loss of creativity and boldness that marks the transition from childhood to adulthood. |
| 284227 | Robert Lloyd | Los Angeles Times | Fresh | — | 2019-10-25T18:12:51.000Z | 2019-10-25 18:12:51 | I didn't say this would be easy. Or fun. But it's worth your while. |
| 284228 | Caroline Framke | Variety | Rotten | — | 2019-10-25T18:02:48.000Z | 2019-10-25 18:02:48 | Despite the rich complexities of the novel's world of daemons, power-hungry players and warring faiths, HBO's His Dark Materials feels like it could have been plucked from most any other fantasy epic out there. |
| 284229 | Alex Maidy | JoBlo's Movie Network | Fresh | 9/10 | 2019-10-24T15:00:44.000Z | 2019-10-24 15:00:44 | It is an all ages adventure that will appeal to adults and kids alike and will surely spike interest in the novels. His Dark Materials is by far the best fantasy adaptation since Game of Thrones and maybe even the Harry Potter films. |
| 284230 | Hoai-Tran Bui | Slashfilm | Fresh | — | 2019-10-23T17:53:04.000Z | 2019-10-23 17:53:04 | The real MVP of the series is Wilson, who is absolute dynamite as the villainous Mrs. Coulter. |
| 284231 | Huw Fullerton | Radio Times | Fresh | — | 2019-10-23T17:53:02.000Z | 2019-10-23 17:53:02 | While there is a slight element of table-setting in the series' first hour the appeal of the actors and setting are beguiling enough to pull you through all the exposition and explanation. |
| 284232 | Christopher Stevens | Daily Mail (UK) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-10-18T17:43:12.000Z | 2019-10-18 17:43:12 | The soundtrack is symphonic, the imagery is panoramic, the magical effects are mesmeric. If you're going to gamble 40 million, this is the way to do it. |
| 284233 | Louisa Mellor | Den of Geek | Fresh | — | 2019-10-17T16:42:08.000Z | 2019-10-17 16:42:08 | In terms of family viewing, His Dark Materials is the real thing: as Douglas Adams might have said, it's both complicated enough for children and simple enough for adults. Its richly constructed fantasy world is magical without being cutesy. |
| 284234 | Ben Lawrence | Daily Telegraph (UK) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-10-16T16:41:42.000Z | 2019-10-16 16:41:42 | While His Dark Materials is not, on the basis of the first episode, an all-out extravaganza, it is a fine piece of drama, capturing the strangeness and childlike wonder of the books, but also their rigour and bite. This is intelligent populism writ large. |
| 284235 | Kristen Baldwin | Entertainment Weekly | Fresh | B+ | 2019-10-16T16:41:41.000Z | 2019-10-16 16:41:41 | HDM quickly and clearly establishes Pullam's rich, complicated world (if you haven't read the books, do yourself a favor and skim Wikipedia before watching) and sets Lyra on her hero's journey. |
| 284236 | Matt Rodgers | Flickering Myth | Fresh | — | 2019-10-15T21:52:45.000Z | 2019-10-15 21:52:45 | Enchanting, funny, and with a score full of suitably epic flourishes, this is a promising first step into Pullman's fantasy world |
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