Before you know it, it has been half a year since the final season of "Game of Thrones" ended.
It's okay to call it "The Fall of a Divine Drama", or the hero is twilight.
As the most magnificent and soul-stirring epic American drama of this era, Game of Thrones is unsurpassed to this day.
Although the status of Game of Thrones in the hearts of fans is hard to shake, the giants in the streaming media industry don't think so.
Amazon and Netflix are all about to move, ready to charge the empty Iron Throne at any time.
To this end, the former spent huge sums of money to buy the film and television adaptation rights of "The Lord of the Rings" and "Wheel of Time" .
In particular, "The Lord of the Rings", a super big IP with a copyright value of 250 million and a development cost of over 1 billion US dollars, is the basis for its challenge.
The latter's "The Witcher" (also translated as "The Witcher") is also ready to go, leaving only 40 days left on the air.
Countless fans of the original books and game fans are concerned about whether the series can restore the magnificent fantasy world written by Andrews Pkovsky.
At the same time, they are also curious whether "Super Super" Henry Cavill can deduce the white wolf Geralt in their minds.
As for the former defender of the throne, HBO desperately needs to find its next pillar in the "post-Game of Thrones era".
Therefore, the "most expensive British drama in history" to be introduced today - "Dark Matter"
The show is based on Philip Pullman's Dark Materials Trilogy.
Just looking at the name, you may be confused.
However, Philip is considered to be "the best British fantasy novelist since Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings".
To get such praise, the gold content of the work can be imagined.
It is worth mentioning that, as a diehard fan of the original work, "One Beauty" James McAvoy agreed to participate in the filming of this drama almost without hesitation.
First of all, congratulations to Xiao Zhan, he finally has a chance to make up for the regret of missing the Harry Potter series in the past.
The heroine of this play is played by Daphne Keene , the "little wolf girl" in "Wolverine 3". Although she is young, her acting skills are quite spiritual.
The female partner is Ruth Wilson , the Golden Globes actress who starred in "The Affair . "
The two directors are Jamie Childs, who directed Doctor Who, and Tom Hopper , who directed "The King's Speech" and "The Danish Girl . "
The lineup of screenwriters not only includes Jack Thorne, who participated in the production of "Wonder Boy" and "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" , but also invited Mr. Philip to do the work himself.
All in all, they are all powerful.
Contrasted with the top lineup is the huge and profound worldview in the story, whether you are a fan of science fiction or fantasy, you can get it cool.
It is somewhat similar to "Carnival Murder" starring Blossom some time ago .
Both are full of mashups: magic, sci-fi, Victorian, steampunk.
Coupled with the exquisite and retro style of painting, the majestic soundtrack, the foreshadowing of the grass snake and the gray line, and the compact and smooth plot.
It will be a top feast full of imagination.
01. The Chosen Son
The opening of the story is full of fatalism.
The " chosen child " in the prophecy was born in a flood that endangered the order, and her fate will involve changes in the entire world pattern.
Seeking asylum, Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) decides to go to Jordan College in Oxford and hand the child over to the dean.
In this way, Laila Bellaquia , a young girl whose parents have lost both of her parents , lived a life of indifference in the world under the guardianship of the academy.
She never knew what "safety" was. Every day, she was like an adventurous tomboy, traversing freely in every corner.
In the dialogue between Laila and her companion Roger, the most critical setting in the play was quickly extended. In this world, the souls of all people exist in the form of animal-shaped spirits (Damon).
For example, Pantalaimon, the elf of Laila, is usually shown in the form of a super cute ferret.
And Uncle Asriel's elf is a majestic snow leopard.
Each elf has a special meaning to the owner, and the elf not only represents their thoughts, but also is an important companion and guardian, and is even closely related to their lives.
Once the elf is injured or is far away from the master, both parties will suffer varying degrees of damage.
Laila, who is full of curiosity about the outside world, always looks forward to Asriel's arrival, because the other party can always bring her surprises, and this time is no exception.
Asrian, who had just returned from the North Pole, couldn't wait to show everyone his latest scientific research result: a mysterious substance called " dust ".
The nature of dust is very special, it is only attracted to adults, it is not affected by children.
To the disquiet of the academicians present, Asrian brought another heart-shattering secret.
Through the observation of dust, he found that there is actually a "city in the sky" hidden in the northern lights.
The existence of the city in the sky means that there are countless parallel worlds in the world , and the world they live in is just one of them.
Once this secret is made public, it will undoubtedly shatter public perception and even threaten the dominance of the church.
But what they don't know is that the wily church has long been the first to find out the truth. They find "windows" that connect different worlds, and send people to sneak in from time to time.
For example, the parallel world that Father Borrell went to in the play is highly similar to our real world, with advanced technology and humanities.
So, as soon as he stepped into the world, he skillfully pulled out his smartphone.
The line of sight cuts back to the protagonist.
In order not to be labeled a heretic, Asrian had to leave the academy quickly to avoid persecution. Before leaving, Asrian decisively refused Laila's request, and repeatedly told her to stay in the academy obediently.
But at this moment, the mysterious organization "gluttonous" kidnapped children one after another near Oxford, and even Laila's friend Roger was suddenly taken away.
Just when she was upset, things took a turn for the better.
A socialite , Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson), offers to adopt Layla and promises to do her best to get Roger back. Laila, who cares about her best friend, agrees to accompany her to London.
During the time they spent with each other day and night, Laila experienced a long-lost warmth.
But more often, Mrs. Coulter represents discipline and restraint.
She became Laila's social mentor, imparting knowledge and often taking her in and out of high-class circles to broaden her horizons. At the same time, she tries to shape Layla by tough means, forcing her to become an innocent and pure noble girl.
In other words, she wanted to forcibly tame the "little wild cat" and erase her undisciplined, free-spirited nature.
Laila grew dissatisfied with this. With her stealth skill full, she took the opportunity to sneak into the study, and vaguely smelled the ominous aura.
Through the secret conversation with the female reporter at the party, the outline of the whole conspiracy gradually became complete——
Mrs. Coulter is actually the head of the "gluttonous" organization, which is controlled by the church.
This evil organization is planning kidnappings everywhere in order to use children for cruel human experiments.
Fortunately, the witty Laila managed to escape the cage while Kurt let his guard down.
As of now, this thrilling adventure story has only just begun.
Next, Laila, who has "escaped the world", will meet the wandering gypsies. Her goal is to take a boat to the wild polar regions and find a way to rescue the tortured children as soon as possible.
There, she will form a wonderful bond with the legendary magical creature, the Armored Bear .
For her, the entire vast and profound world has only uncovered a part of the hazy veil, and there are more parallel worlds waiting for her to explore in the future.
02. Lyra and Paradise Lost
From its inception, "Dark Matters" has been defined as "children's literature".
Not only Mr. Philip has repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction, but now even I want to grieve for him.
Just think, how can a literary work deserve to be called a classic without ideological depth?
Therefore, it is by no means a simple and easy-to-read fairy tale, which contains a lot of philosophies and metaphors related to religion and mythology.
Not to mention, it also involves many profound discussions of authority, truth, and human nature.
First of all, the inspiration for the story itself comes from Paradise Lost, one of the three major Western epics.
In particular, the title "Drak Materials", or "Dark Matter", also comes from it.
The characters of Laila, the future male protagonist Will and the supporting role Dr. Malone correspond to Eve and Adam in the Bible, as well as the snake incarnated by Satan.
Therefore, in the author's own words, this is equivalent to a "21st century creation myth".
On the other hand, Pullman has also mentioned that he wrote the book to "reshape Milton's story and subvert his morality."
Therefore, "Dark Matter" is not a simple copy of Milton's original work. The series of actions of Adam and Eve in Paradise Lost bring pain and loss to mankind, while Laila is just the opposite.
Her purpose is to save others, and her exploration of "parallel worlds" is not only to touch taboos, but also to try to break the autocratic status of the church and the restraint of ideas.
Secondly, in addition to the skillful dismantling and reconstruction of religious origin stories, the setting of "Dark Matter" is also full of strong mythological colors.
After all, religion and myth have been closely related since ancient times.
According to the author, the shape of "Damon" in the play was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting "The Woman Holding an Ermine".
The core set of skins is taken from famous paintings, and the essence of connotation can be said to learn from others' strong points.
At first glance, this concept, which represents the " separation of spirit and flesh " and is embodied in animal form, happens to coincide with ancient Egyptian mythology.
The ancient Egyptians had a unique understanding of death, and they divided man into two parts, Ka and Ba: Ka means "double" and represents the human body.
The image of Ba is a monster with a human head and a bird body, representing the immortal soul.
Of course, the concept of "soul" itself is one of the core of all religious mythology, so there are other enlightenment teachers in the world.
For example, " Fylgja " in Norse mythology , which can be literally translated as "guardian", usually appears in animal or female form.
"Fylgja" shares similarities with the elves in "Dark Matters": both can mirror the personality of their master.
Whether it is docile or combative, whether it is capable of leadership or accustomed to obeying authority, can be identified directly from the form of the elf.
for example.
The elves of the priests in the church are either reptiles such as lizards, snakes, or insects, which may be a hint of their ruthlessness.
Beyond that, the work has an ideological depth.
If the entire story relies on fantasy settings to pursue the spectacle of the visual realm, it will be difficult for it to resonate with teenage audiences.
To this end, Mr. Philip mixed with many of his reflections and investigations on "growth topics".
For example, children's sprites can change into various forms at will, and will not be permanently set until they reach puberty.
This implies the maturity of their thinking and the solidification of their worldview.
As the saying goes, "Children can distinguish right from wrong, adults only look at interests".
On the basis of different levels of cognition and conflicting values, the adult world will inevitably collide with the contradictory world of teenagers. Sometimes such collisions are even erosive or devastating.
The storyline in Makoto Shinkai 's film Weathering With You is a prime example.
In the story, the police who symbolize the adult world want to forcibly break up Hodaka and Hina. In the eyes of adults, sacrificing Haruna in exchange for Tokyo's future should be the best, but Hodaka betrayed the whole world, just to get Haruna back.
His choice should not be simply defined as "selfish" or "naive", but the resistance of teenagers to this boring world.
In order to reflect the fierce conflict of values, a more euphemistic form of expression is used in the play. Here is an example of the bridge in the second episode. Mrs. Coulter was furious at Lyra's refusal to follow orders.
But she did not choose any verbal or physical direct suppression, but let the elf teach the other's elf instead of herself.
On one side is Kurt, who is sneering on the sidelines, and on the other is Lyra, who is in deep pain.
This clearly shows that the persecution and control of children by adults is almost effortless. In other words, Pan's defeat is simply no suspense.
It's not just overwhelming power or force, it's a crushing of mind and soul strength.
Even so, as the prophesied "rebel", Lyra will no longer submit to the patriarchal, secular authority of Mrs. Coulter and the church after gaining power.
This is not only her destiny, but also the core theme that Philip wants to express most——
Human nature and free will are far above all authority.
Judging from the current plot trend and advancing rhythm of the show, it may not be too friendly to non-original fans.
If you are interested in getting into the pit, you may wish to learn more background stories by yourself. After all, the setting of the original book is quite grand and it is worth watching.
If the follow-up plot is very exciting, I may continue to update.
*Part of the above information comes from the Wikipedia "Damon" English entry and the paper "Dark Matter's Reconstruction of Paradise Lost" and an interview with Mr. Philip, you can also search if you are interested.
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