The following show critique portion of this review was written by my colleague Ben Belcher.
Phillip Pullman’s groundbreaking young adult series His Dark Materials stands as one of my favorite book series ever. There was a previous attempt at adapting the first of three books in the series into a movie, but it didn’t do well critically or with audiences. I thought that would be the end of it, but thankfully I was wrong. When HBO announced they were going to be doing a series I was immediately excited. Season one did not disappoint. I was blown away.
When it came time for season two I was a bit worried. The Subtle Knife is by far my favorite book in the series and that was going to be the predominant focus of the season. How could it live up to my imagination?! Especially amidst a once in a lifetime pandemic that has been systematically forcing production stoppages?!
I’m pleased and relieved to report that despite all of these challenges season two still shines. It had to be shortened and condensed a bit, but the magic is still every bit as present.
Season two picks up where the last season left off. Without spoiling as much as possible, this season takes place across three alternate universes: Lyra’s world, an intermediary world called Citagàzze, and Will’s world. All of the characters work across these worlds in their attempts to accomplish their goals. The Magisterium wants to prevent anyone from following Lord Asriel. The Witches, Lee Scoresby, and Ms. Coulter all want to find Lyra. And Will searches for his long-lost father in an alternate universe connected to a local park by his house!
We get a lot of world building across the seven episode season and we really start to see the scope of what it is everyone is trying to accomplish. We also see the emotional toll that the events of season one left on everyone, especially our leads Lyra and Will.
There are crazy twists and turns keeping you on the edge of your seat for all seven hours. The final moments of the finale were enough to keep me pumped for an entire year. I really can’t wait to see how this series comes to a close.
His Dark Materials is no stranger to CGI. Even with COVID looming over it though, it still manages to look more polished and well-crafted than most big-budget blockbusters. The effect of the subtle knife cutting through the cosmos has real weight to it. Seeing the Spectres devour people is horrifying. The “angels” are incredible and subtle at the same time.
This show really deserves some high praise for its sound design too. That knife effect wouldn’t have that weight without the sound to go with it. The whoosh as people move from one reality to another is really transportational. You feel like you’re moving with them between these places.
While the subject matter may not be for everyone, I really think that anyone could pick up this show and enjoy it thoroughly. His Dark Materials is thought-provoking and intelligent. It treats its subject matter with the gravity it deserves, and weaves a masterful narrative into it. Season two gets a solid 4 ½ stars from me. It wasn’t perfect, but it was damn close.
Video Quality
His Dark Materials: The Complete Second Season arrives on Blu-Ray with a gorgeous AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. One of the first things you will notice is that skin tones appear very natural across the entire cast. There are thankfully no egregious instances of aliasing or compression artifacts detectable here. The color palette still runs on the cooler side, but there are more instances of warmer climates and colors this season. There are some magical instances of beautiful colors popping off the screen. Black levels are appropriately deep and give way to a nice amount of detail in shadows. The bright white of the snow does not fall victim to any blooming in this presentation. The levels of detail this presentation is able to eek out is quite striking, as all of the subtle details in the production design are easily identifiable. The Blu-Ray is quite stunning as it brings a meticulously crafted series to life in a gorgeous manner.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with an incredibly active DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that creates a truly enveloping world. Dialogue always comes through crisp and clear without being stepped on by the powerful score or any sound effects. Action sequences and more kinetic moments are given the appropriate power in the mix with a forceful showing in the low end. Ambient sounds are also precisely placed in the rear channels. The added voices from the daemons often come from the side channels to make it feel like they are right beside you. Special consideration should be paid to the series music from Lorne Balfe. His work perfectly sets the tone for the story, and it creates a nicely enveloping sound that draws you further into the show. The audio presentation here is fantastic on all levels.
Special Features
- Noble Rogue – The Legend of Lee Scoresby: A 13-minute featurette which takes a look at the role that Lin Manuel Miranda’s character plays in the series. It is nice to get impressions from the cast and crew of some of their favorite moments, the antihero nature of the character, his loyalty to Lyra and more.
- Exploring His Dark Materials – Daemons: An 8-minute piece that explores the role of a human’s personification of their soul in this world. These daemons also provide a window into the thoughts and feelings of these characters that you otherwise may not see.
- Exploring His Dark Materials – Panserbjørne: An 8-minute piece that delves into the polar bear-esque creatures in the series including the importance of their armor. This also explores the Magisterium, the Gyptians and more.
- Exploring His Dark Materials – Portals & The Multiverse: A 9-minute look at the multiple worlds depicted in this series including the different set designs, the Subtle Knife, Jopar, the prophecy and more.
- Exploring His Dark Materials – Witches: A 9-minute look at how this series depicts witches including their strengths and weaknesses, special abilities and more. This piece also delves into Dark Matter, Spectres, The Authority and Angels.
- Exploring His Dark Materials – Bringing Daemons and Bears to Life: A nearly 6-minute look at the visual effects of the series and how the creative team pulled off the massive scope of the world. It is great to see how the visual effects team works to give the performers something to act against.
- His Dark Materials – Exploring Cittàgazze: A 4-minute look at how the creative team built an entire new town that never feels less than real.
- His Dark Materials – Worlds Collide: A 3-minute piece at how the characters from different worlds interact and grow throughout the second season.
- The Powerful Mrs. Coulter: A nearly 6-minute exploration of the villainous character played by Ruth Wilson and how she develops throughout the series.
- Lyra: A 3-minute featurette which takes a closer look at our main protagonist and her relationship with the ensemble of characters.
- The Subtle Knife: A 3-minute look at how the story continues throughout the second season including some of the important developments that pop up.
Final Thoughts
His Dark Materials continues to impress in its sophomore outing by expanding the story into more fascinating areas that will have you on the edge of your seat. Even with a slightly shortened season, the narrative never shows any seams as it maintains its quality throughout. This complex story has a lot to juggle, but it does so quite deftly without anything ever feeling slighted or confusing. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray set featuring a striking A/V presentation and an impressive array of supplemental features. It is lovely to see this story get handled with such care by a network such as HBO. If you love an epic fantasy, do yourself a favor and check this one out. Recommended
His Dark Materials: The Complete Second Season will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on June 29, 2021.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
