Terry Pratchett is said to have always wanted to see a live-action adaptation of his work with Neil Gaiman and Amazon Studios has delivered the goods with ‘Good Omens.’ Gaiman knew precisely what was needed to bring their work to the small screen and this six-episode mini-series which will be launching at the end of the month is full of heart and humor in all the right parts.
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While it is usually hard to jump into a review like this without jumping into spoiler territory, it isn’t actually that hard to praise every aspect of this production without going into specifics.
Before I start, I’d like to send out a huge thank you to Amazon Studios for sending over an early copy of the series. I was not compensated for this review in any way, shape, or form but did receive a glorious press release of it that looks absolutely stunning and I suspect is an early version of the DVD set which I’m sure will eventually be on sale.
Legal disclaimer aside, I am a massive fan of the original novel and went in with high expectations. From the trailer to the box art to the actual show, they have all been surpassed. I’m on my fourth copy of the novel as the first three were loaned out never to be returned and still love the story.
While the show does put a focus on Michael Sheen as the angel Aziraphale and David Tennant as the demon Crowley, every actor has their time to shine while on screen. The overall plot has these two creatures having lost the Antichrist and are trying to find him before he can kick off Armageddon and end the Earth which they’ve both fallen in love living on.
Sam Taylor Buck plays Adam Young who fills this role, and he steals the scenes just as much as the two veteran actors above are able to. Fans of the novel will love seeing Jon Hamm as the archangel Gabriel, who has an expanded role over what his character had in the book. Frances McDormand voices God while Benedict Cumberbatch voices Satan and the two don’t have as quite a significant role as one might expect with the Antichrist involved, they both rise to the occasion and deliver some great dialogue.
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Fans of the original novel not only are going to be getting a great adaptation but a slightly expanded story as well. Pratchett and Gaiman had spoken about a sequel on and off over the years, and it is easy to see while watching this that a few new ideas have been brought into the production and some of these stems directly from those talks. As we’ll never get an official sequel to the novel, this will serve as the expanded edition that fans both want and likely never suspected that they will get.
As a fan of the novel, this is everything one could have hoped for from casting to set designs to the look of the characters. Sheen and Tennant become the iconic angel and demon from the book and not only embody them but play off one another exactly how you would have read it on page. I purposely held back from re-reading the novel before watching the series and picking up the book again after having a chance to see it made me read it in their voices.
If you are looking for something that is funny, tackles current issues in a lighthearted way, and just embodies a genuinely human story told by following a couple of very inhuman characters – you will need to take time to watch this!
‘Good Omens’ will premiere on Amazon Prime on May 31st, 2019!
