Oh man, this is just the type of entertainment I was looking for. Fantasy is a near-impossible genre to pull off on the big or little screen because the worlds and characters can be so fantastical that it’s hard to translate or the stories can be dumbed down and turned into utter disasters.

Just look at films like Warcraft, Eragon, or The Chronicles of Narnia sequels (I happened to like the first one.) Each of these movies could’ve been great but they lacked heart, good storytelling, and great world building.

And then there’s those two great series like The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter movies which are absolutely breathtaking in scale, storytelling, and casting. Even their sequels, The Hobbit/Fantastic Beasts, were disappointments.

After enjoying the heck out of Sherlock I’ve been looking for a new show to sink my teeth into and ran into His Dark Materials, a show on HBO that swept me away in two days. (I happened to watch the last five episodes of the first season yesterday alone!)

Now, I have to let you know, I’ve no knowledge of the Philip Pullman trilogy this series is based on other than the film The Golden Compass which my father and I watched a few years ago and didn’t finish.

There are some who are loyal to the books and don’t like the casting for the series or the way the story is being handled but dang! I enjoyed this show so much.

No, the acting isn’t the best I’ve ever seen but I will say this, the show shocked me in ways I wasn’t expecting. After a while, I couldn’t hold back the tears, or the horror. And James McAvoy…I’m still a bit traumatized after seeing his terrifying role in Split and this show didn’t help matters. I am so upset!!! Plus, I’m loving Lin-Manuel Miranda’s role in this show. I didn’t think I’d like him at first but honestly, if anything happens to Lee Scoresby…

Basically, this show has got my searing approval and with the second season arriving in less than a month I’m so excited to follow the story live.

I’ll give it 4 out of 5 stars and 93 out of 100. It’s not perfect but it’s got my attention.

I thank you for reading and I hope you have a fantastic day.