#i was so busy with sdcc and giffing i only just now checked my inbox

[clarabosswald]

hello! i have a hopefully quick question. I've never read His Dark Materials (but believe me i really want to, just haven't found the time yet), but i own the 2007 movie of it, and i loved it and watched it non-stop as a kid. I was wondering why it's thought of so negatively? I take no offence to people saying it was a bad adaptation because i didn't, and don't, know any better. But i was just wondering so i can appreciate what the new adaption is doing right! I hope you have a wonderful day!

yeah, i can see why plenty of people who’ve only watched the movie loved it - as a glimpse into the world pullman has created in the books, it works. there’s this band of characters, and the daemon concept which is of course captivating, and the armored bears and the north and oxford - visually, they’re all dazzling. but what always TRULY captivated me about the books is the deep undercurrents of ideas and philosophies about free will, and authority, and human consciousness, and tyranny, and innocence versus experience. and science - parallel universes and dark matter and even alien biology! those things are what truly drives the plot, the characters, the reasons behind what every different character does what they do. and without all of that... the movie is just a pretty, empty spectacle. and disappointing, because you’re aware - and you love - everything that could and should have been there.

additionally, because the movie had such time constraints, the characters never really felt like they do in the books - lyra, my all time favorite female character, doesn’t feel wild and fiercely emotional and rude and innocent... she’s just, kinda there to ask questions and get the plot going. marisa, like i wrote earlier, doesn’t really feel like the truly terrifying threat she is in the book. she isn’t as twisted and downright evil. daniel craig as asriel - i always found him incredibly wooden and unconvincing. which is Bad considering asriel is supposed to be this incredibly charismatic character. eva green as serafina - totally the wrong vibe. she isn’t supposed to have this melancholy and distance about her. she isn’t supposed to be so... goth. serafina is wild and free, but in a joyful way. she cherishes nature, the stars and the cold. she feels things strongly. also, the lack of her daemon kaisa, which is definitely a presence, especially in the first book, was a disappointment.

so what i appreciate and cherish about the tv adaptation is that they don’t shy away from the complex messages of the books like the movie did so harshly. it’s not here just to be a pretty spectacle, a christmas adventure with pretty talking animals. they take pride in exploring the ideas pullman established in the books, and that’s a thing to celebrate. they also have the time to properly explore the characters, let them breath and grow, have small character moments which were so vital to understanding them in the books. they’re even giving mrs coulter - such a fantastically complex character - extended backstory, with pullman’s blessing! that’s amazing.

i grew up with the books. many people say this about themselves, but this story really shaped me, it had a huge and lasting impact on how i view the world. so seeing it being given the respect it deserves in form of a lengthy high-quality adaptation makes me so profoundly happy.