In the third season of His Dark Materials, based on “The Amber Spyglass,” the final novel in Philip Pullman’s award-winning trilogy, Lyra, the prophesied child, and Will, the bearer of The Subtle Knife, must journey to a dark place from which no one has ever returned. As her father’s great war against the Authority edges closer, they will learn that saving the worlds comes at a terrible price.
For in-depth thoughts on His Dark Materials: The Complete Third Season, please see my colleague Ben Belcher’s review here.
Video Quality
His Dark Materials: The Complete Third Season arrives on Blu-Ray with a stunning AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This final season closes the series out on a high note in terms of visual majesty. The detail this presentation is able to showcase is quite striking, as all of the subtle details in the production design and costumes are easily identifiable. Skin tones appear very natural and consistent across the entire cast.
The color palette leans more towards the cooler side of the palette, but there are instances of warmer climates and colors this season. There are numerous beautiful colors popping off the screen throughout the season with hues never failing to impress. Black levels are deep and give way to a nice amount of detail in shadows. The highlights do not fall victim to any blooming in this presentation. There are thankfully no egregious instances of aliasing or compression artifacts detectable here. The Blu-Ray is a winner which brings a carefully crafted series to life in a gorgeous manner.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a very active DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that creates a fully fleshed out world. The series music from Lorne Balfe works perfectly to establish the tone for the story, and it creates a nicely enveloping sound that draws you further into the adventure. Dialogue comes through clearly without being stepped on by the powerful score or any sound effects. Action sequences and more kinetic moments are given the appropriate weight in the mix with a mighty showing in the low end. Ambient sounds are 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. The audio presentation here is beyond reproach. There are optional English SDH, French and Dutch subtitles provided.
Special Features
There are no special features provided for this release.
Final Thoughts
His Dark Materials finishes its run after a prolonged break between seasons, but the finale proves to be more than worth the wait. The epic journey these characters have been on throughout these three seasons culminate in a very satisfying manner that will have you gasping and maybe even shedding a few tears. The attempt to tell this story on film was abandoned after one movie, so it is especially nice to have this story complete in some live-action form – the fact that it succeeds on this level is a bonus. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray set featuring a terrific A/V presentation but nothing in the way of special features. If you are a fan of carefully crafted fantasy storytelling, you should indulge in this magical journey. Recommended
His Dark Materials: The Complete Third Season will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on April 25, 2023.
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.
