Ness

Extremely disappointed with just about everything. I understand the depth of the story cannot be translated into a TV series, especially to captivate a new audience, but yet again Philip Pullman's work is ruined by a lazy attempt to capitalize on his complex universe. Lyra is bastardized right in the pilot by the actress' subpar execution of the character along with the downright lame script. I'd be more forgiving of the child's acting if they made any effort at giving Lyra her silvertongue. Instead of our fearless and cunning protagonist, we get a bland, empty shell of a girl whose spirit has been replaced by a whiny dust-in-the-wind (haha) attitude. The scene where she initially REJECTED the alethiometer because "her uncle wouldn't want that" killed the series for me. By altering such a significant moment in her development, they failed to build the foundation of Lyra's paradoxical personality. What a blatant and unforgivable disregard to Lyra's character development. That being said, I enjoyed the bits and pieces of Pullman's universe they managed to capture, and seeing the alethiometer on screen. I just wish this compass, and the series, was in the hands of a competent executor.