Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

His Dark Materials: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 23, 2023

One one level, His Dark Materials would seem to be a rather strange large scale multiple season production, in that at least some of its arcane and frankly labyrinthine plot aspects were in some ways summarized in another gargantuan offering, the feature film adaptation of The Golden Compass, the first installment of the ever popular trilogy strategy that has kept both so-called "Young Adult" readers and then potential viewers of filmed adaptations entranced throughout any number of franchises. As I mentioned in the review of the first season of His Dark Materials (see below for a link), despite The Golden Compass raking in literally hundreds of millions of dollars, it was considered a "failure", and so the rest of the novelistic trio was evidently never even seriously contemplated, and, at least considering the popularity of the books, perhaps the idea to flesh things out and present a more complete and arguably coherent version of Philip Pullman's wending tale(s) probably seemed like a great idea. Unfortunately, while the series started off very strongly with an impressive first season (which basically recounted a lot of what had been depicted at least fitfully in The Golden Compass), there was a bit of the infamous "sophomore slump" evident in the second season of the series, and then a little thing called a global pandemic intervened, meaning that this third season took almost two years to the day from the end of that second season to debut itself. That lag in time may mean even diehard fans may need to revisit at least the second season, and arguably both of the preceding seasons, to catch up with all the "previously. . ." material, but the good news in all of this is that for whatever reason, and maybe due in part to the finishing line being within viewing distance, this third season regains quite a bit of the energy of the first year and delivers both some well wrought visual effects and perhaps more importantly some potent emotion, especially toward the end of the season when various plot threads are finally woven together.

For reviews of the previous two seasons of His Dark Materials, please click on the following links:

His Dark Materials: The Complete First Season Blu-ray review

His Dark Materials: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray review

Perhaps just a little comically Lyra (Dafne Keen) is introduced this season evidently fast asleep, a trope of sorts which several episodes return to for some subsequent episodes, except in this case it becomes clear that when she apparently wakes up, she may in fact have only woken up in a dream, and that disorienting set of affairs may be as apt an analog as any for the multitude of worlds that this season explores. Kind of interestingly, there's really already been a rather astounding number of pretty major revelations doled out in the previous seasons of the series, not the least of which is the real relationships between Lyra, Marisa Coulter (Ruth Wilson) and Lord Asriel (James McAvoy), and in fact while a number of "dream within dream" layers are segued through early in the first episode, it's soon enough detailed that Marisa is actually nursing Lyra in a kind of island hideaway. Lyra is enchanted, not in a good way, hence a quasi-comatose state and that seemingly unending series of dreams within dreams within dreams.

Perhaps understandably given all of those foregoing denouements, this third season arguably finds most of its energy in the unfolding relationship between Lyra and Will (Amir Wilson), as the two struggle first to find each other and then deal with a number of subsequent ramifications, including a rendezvous with Mary Malone (Simone Kirby). There are of course a number of "background" subterfuges playing out regarding the underlying conceit of the Magesterium, and Lyra's assumed fulfilment of prophecy. The series has always been densely packed with allusions to religion (even if some have accused the franchise of being anti religious, which, considering the chicanery on hand may not be an invalid take), and that continues apace here. That may in fact ultimately be a bit of a stumbling block, as any number of names ranging from Eve to Metatron get tossed around with abandon, supposedly giving off some kind of mythic vibe which is perhaps arguably not all that necessary.

The two year hiatus between seasons may have actually redounded to the benefit of the actual production side of the series, since this features some really gorgeous cinematography that pretty effortlessly combines some real locations with more fanciful CGI elements. Performances are often genuinely moving, and the series' bittersweet finale is only slightly undercut by some needless text coda information that purports to offer at least some of "the rest of the story".

His Dark Materials: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

His Dark Materials: The Complete Third Season is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of HBO and Warner Brothers Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.00:1 (continuing the wider aspect ratio first offered in the second season). As mentioned above in the main body of the review, the imposed interim between the second and third season may have benefited the production in terms of offering more planning and execution time for CGI in particular, and some of the work in this season is beautifully rendered. While some may find passing moments of the daemons may not be 100% believable, on the whole the renderings of these vastly different creatures is often impressive, including everything from textures of fur and the like to facial expressions. Several "non beast" CGI elements enter the fray as well, and some of the various worlds that are visited offer some nice establishing vistas. Like some of the second season in particular, there are some intentionally hazy sequences, especially some of the dream material, but in general detail levels are precise and problem free.

His Dark Materials: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

His Dark Materials: The Complete Third Season features another nicely wrought DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that features nice moments of immersion in each episode to varying degrees. There are some very noticeable panning effects in sequences like Asriel trying to control a wonky quasi- helicopter, and several of the outdoor scenes which make up so many of the episodes offer really good discrete channelization of any number of ambient environmental effects. An appealing score also is nicely ensconced in the side and rear channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and French subtitles are available, and some passing "alien" languages feature forced English subtitles.

His Dark Materials: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Perhaps just a little surprisingly, this third season release does not sport any on disc supplemental features. The inside of the keepcase insert has a listing of episode titles and original airdates, and packaging features a slipcover.

His Dark Materials: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lovers of the original Philip Pullman novels will probably be overjoyed by the sum total of this series, even if occasional quibbles might be had with regard to certain adaptive choices. This third season builds upon the sumptuous visual allure of the two previous seasons, while also offering a more substantial emotional component courtesy largely of the relationship between Lyra and Will. Technical merits are solid, though rather curiously this final season is lacking any supplements on either of the two Blu-ray discs in this package. Nonetheless, His Dark Materials: The Complete Third Season comes Recommended.