His Dark Materials season 1 review: HBO brings another epic fantasy drama

HBO recently canceled Game of Thrones prequel The Long Night but fans of fantasy drama should not be disappointed as the studio is coming with yet another epic fantasy series, His Dark Materials, that will keep you on the edge of your seats. Based on the first couple of episodes, His Dark Materials looks phenomenal and fans can expect several big moments from the upcoming series. His Dark Materials TV show is set in an alternative world where all humans have animal companions which they refer to as dæmons, which are basically the manifestation of the human soul.

These dæmons changes as per the need of their humans but there comes a time when they remain in one body — their final body signifies what their human has grown into. His Dark Materials season 1 follows the life of young Lyra (Dafne Keen), who is an orphan living with the several scholars at Jorden College, Oxford. Just like the published works of Philip Pullman, this Lyra also discovers several secrets that involve her uncle Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) and Marisa Coulter (Ruth Wilson) that will take her on a path that will change her life.

Just like other celebrated fantasy series, even His Dark Materials has prophecies that need to be resolved and Lyra's journey will uncover secrets of her own and her uncle. The forthcoming series will begin by showing the kidnappings pf several kids from in and around Oxford, and how everything is connected with the mysterious substance called Dust. As per Pullman's works, Dust are elementary particles associated with the consciousness that plays an important part in moving the story forward.

From the opening credit sequence to the end titles, His Dark Materials takes you to an epic journey that seemed farsighted after the end of Game of Thrones. The North that we see in this series resembles a lot with HBO's epic fantasy drama series, but it has a unique voice of its own. The series does not try too hard because the content and performances are enough to feel you connected.

The tone of the series touches on the higher note and it won't be wrong to say that His Dark Materials could become the next Game of Thrones without the nudity. His Dark Materials has everything that a young adult viewer could ask for. The brilliant acting of Dafne Keen will remind you of Maisie Williams' Arya Stark, and just like Williams, Keen proves that she is here to stay for a long time.

There are several mysterious elements that play a crucial role in the story. At the same time, religion plays a very important part in the narrative and it is handled very carefully. The second season of His Dark Materials will show how the religion believes of the character will shift as the story will progress to a much darker tone. His Dark Materials season 1 premiere on HBO on November 4, 2019, and fans from India can tune into Star World to watch this most awaited series.