Visually spectacular is one of the best ways to describe HBO’s His Dark Materials which is back for a second season following the success of the first installment. The Showmax team offered us the opportunity to see the new season earlier which we naturally accepted. The series is one that includes some of the best cinematography around with a compelling story line to boot. Much like movies such as Lord of The Rings, Fantastic Beasts, Harry Potter and the like, His Dark Materials brings the same look and feel with the ability to transport you to far away magical places that take your sense of imagination to a whole new level.
For those who might not have a clue about what we’re referring to, His Dark Materials is an adaptation of Philip Pullman’s classic fantasy novels revolving around the main character, Lyra, whose search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children and sets off a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust.
The new season picks up where the first left off which ended with Lord Asriel opening a bridge to a new world. In a strange and mysterious abandoned city, Lyra meets Will, a boy from our world who is also running from a troubled past. Lyra and Will learn their destinies are tied to reuniting Will with his father but find their path is constantly thwarted as a war begins to brew around them. Meanwhile, Mrs. Coulter searches for Lyra, determined to bring her home by any means necessary.
You can’t help but appreciate the beauty the series presents (we’ve said this before we know but it’s true), the quality of production is fantastic. If you put in the time, it makes for a great and enticing watch, fans of the fantasy genre will especially enjoy it. Granted, we admit to not being big fans of the genre but keeping an open mind like we do with most things we watch certainly helps and we’re glad we also did in this instance both with the first and now the second season.
Since her breakout and spectacular role in the movie Logan, Dafne Keen was always going to be one to keep an eye on. Her role in this one further demonstrates her ability and adaptability with a certain mysterious feel to her character trait. She’s starting to build her acting career around this premise with her character on Logan also easily being in a mysterious mold. His Dark Materials heavily revolves around her and she carries it all perfectly making for an overall solid watch.
She (Dafne Keen) is joined by fellow child star Amir Wilson who plays the role of Will, together they’re supported by Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson (The Affair, Luther), Oscar nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton), and Golden Globe nominees Andrew Scott (Fleabag, Sherlock) and James McAvoy (X-Men), with Oscar nominee Terence Stamp (The Limey and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) joining this season.
We can’t wait to finish the rest of it and we have no doubt there will be another season, at least we hope. His Dark Materials S2 officially becomes available to watch first on Showmax, weekly from 17 November; you can then starting binge watching it from 29 December.
Our thanks to the always classy team at Showmax for the preview.
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