Tuesday, August 28, 2007

His Dark Materials

Phillip Pullman's classic trilogy, His Dark Materials, is a trippy collection of Young Adult Fantasy books that deal with notably mature themes and subject matter. I know that several of us have read the books, so I thought it was a good time to put a few thoughts down, especially with all the attention they're getting because of the forthcoming films. I have to say that I am really happy that I read (via audiobook version) the books before the films came out.

I will definitely watch the movie versions of these books. I am a sucker for a good Fantasy film, and Ian McShane is in these -- well worth the price of admission all by himself in my book. However, I am not optimistic about the adaptations. In the recent Fall Films issue of Entertainment Weekly, Nicole Kidman assures readers that the films won't be anti-Catholic. So, in other words, they're taking out, or watering down, the main villian in the story. What is up with that?? Nicole, of course, wouldn't have been in the films had there been any anti-Catholocism because she is Catholic. What a loss that would have been, eh?

I liked these books quite a bit, but had to reflect on them for quite a while before being able to say that. The one thing that continues to bug me is this: why did Pullman name is super-angel Megatron? Is it just bugging me because I recently saw the Transformers movie?

1 comment:

Riotrant said...

When I read the trilogy, I was struck by the fact that these books don't seem to be entirely for children. (Sly B...I believe you touched upon this subject in an earlier post.) It seemed to me that his publisher didn't know what to do with this series...so they marketed it to children--on the talking bear and Lyra characters alone.

I love the world Pullman created--resplendent with religious metaphor that isn't hokey or contrived. That being said, I have to admit I'm a bit hesitant about the movie.

1. How can this movie not be anti-religious...as the story is about the dangers of theocracy and is, on a most basic level, anti-religious?

2.I friggen hate Nicole Kidman....watching her act is like watching paint dry. And given the choice...I'd rather eat the paint than watch her attempt to portray Ms. Coulter (and I LOVE that the biggest villian in the series is named Coulter).

In my opinion...the only plus to see the movie may be the allure of Daniel Craig. Uhhhhh....Daniel Craig. Yow.