TELEVISION REVIEW: Good Omens
(Marooned - Pink Floyd)
Regardless of what you think of their work, no one can rightly argue that authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett are both absolute monsters in the genres they occupy. No one can argue with the fact that genres each man occupies are quite different from each other as well. Gaiman is best known for his Sandman comics and his book-turned-television show American Gods. Both are serious, heavy, clever, graphic, and very intelligently written. On the other end of the spectrum, you've got Terry Pratchett, best known for his far-reaching Discworld series, books filled with fantasy, hilarity, and general silliness while also being clever, and intelligently written.
So...what happens when you slam these two talents together?
You get a story about a well-intended demon, an angel just a bit too far away from heaven, and the end of the world. Can such a thing possibly be any good?
THE SHORT VERSION:
YES! Oh my GOODNESS, yes!
THE LONG VERSION:
As with 'American Gods', 'Good Omens' is adapted from a book. This particular book was co-written by Gaiman and Pratchett. In an admission that might surprise some, they were very close friends in the real world before Pratchett passed away in 2015. For serious fans, 'Good Omens' is bittersweet indeed, as Pratchett's fingerprints are absolutely everywhere.
The book is an amusing, thought-provoking, thoroughly entertaining read on its own. Bringing it to life couldn't have been an easy task, but Gaiman did it the best he could, relying just as heavily on a stellar cast as he does CGI scenery. It's the cast that ultimately lifts this up from being a good story to being one that you'll want to revisit again and again. Chief among said cast are a few stand-out performances:
- David Tennant and Michael Sheen are Crowley the Demon and Aziraphale the Angel, respectively. They spend the entire series in a backwards Fish-Out-Of-Water arrangement with their respective employers and as each other's best friend. It's probably the greatest Buddy duo that I've seen on television. After the series ends, you'll find yourself wishing for more of these two just shooting the breeze together because they're so effortlessly perfect together.
- I'm not sure who convinced Jack Whitehall to tone it down and play Newton Pulsifer, but he's absolutely perfect. Equally perfect is Adria Arjona who plays Anathema Device. (The names are pure Pratchett.) Both actors do a perfect job without taking anything even an inch over the line. Given the subject matter, some may have even excused them for doing so, but they were both spot-on the entire time.
- The four children that play Adam, Wensleydale, Pepper, and Brian are perfect for the roles they've been assigned, and are every bit the stereotypical British children.
- Jon Hamm, famous for his serious turn in Mad Men, is fall over funny as the angel Gabriel, stealing scenes left and right without any effort at all. Again, he could have chosen to go just a little farther or stop a little shorter and it would have been wasted, but like everything else in this movie, it's absolutely perfect.
Good Omens' only potential sticking point -- and this is a problem that both Gaiman and Pratchett have -- is that its cast is quite large. There's a lot going on in the first two episodes of the show, and it's easy to get your eyes crossed if you're not paying attention. Fortunately, the story is so well-written that you can actually let your eyes glaze over a little and content yourself with just following the kids, Crowley, and Aziraphale and you'll still get 95 percent of what you need to.
'Good Omens' is just good television, and at six hour-long episodes in length, you won't have to sink tons of time into it. There are only a few small things you could call pickable nits, and only one very large thing:
It's only six episodes long, which isn't nearly enough time to enjoy it all. Thank goodness you can simply rewind it.
Regardless of what you think of their work, no one can rightly argue that authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett are both absolute monsters in the genres they occupy. No one can argue with the fact that genres each man occupies are quite different from each other as well. Gaiman is best known for his Sandman comics and his book-turned-television show American Gods. Both are serious, heavy, clever, graphic, and very intelligently written. On the other end of the spectrum, you've got Terry Pratchett, best known for his far-reaching Discworld series, books filled with fantasy, hilarity, and general silliness while also being clever, and intelligently written.
So...what happens when you slam these two talents together?
You get a story about a well-intended demon, an angel just a bit too far away from heaven, and the end of the world. Can such a thing possibly be any good?
THE SHORT VERSION:
YES! Oh my GOODNESS, yes!
THE LONG VERSION:
As with 'American Gods', 'Good Omens' is adapted from a book. This particular book was co-written by Gaiman and Pratchett. In an admission that might surprise some, they were very close friends in the real world before Pratchett passed away in 2015. For serious fans, 'Good Omens' is bittersweet indeed, as Pratchett's fingerprints are absolutely everywhere.
The book is an amusing, thought-provoking, thoroughly entertaining read on its own. Bringing it to life couldn't have been an easy task, but Gaiman did it the best he could, relying just as heavily on a stellar cast as he does CGI scenery. It's the cast that ultimately lifts this up from being a good story to being one that you'll want to revisit again and again. Chief among said cast are a few stand-out performances:
- David Tennant and Michael Sheen are Crowley the Demon and Aziraphale the Angel, respectively. They spend the entire series in a backwards Fish-Out-Of-Water arrangement with their respective employers and as each other's best friend. It's probably the greatest Buddy duo that I've seen on television. After the series ends, you'll find yourself wishing for more of these two just shooting the breeze together because they're so effortlessly perfect together.
- I'm not sure who convinced Jack Whitehall to tone it down and play Newton Pulsifer, but he's absolutely perfect. Equally perfect is Adria Arjona who plays Anathema Device. (The names are pure Pratchett.) Both actors do a perfect job without taking anything even an inch over the line. Given the subject matter, some may have even excused them for doing so, but they were both spot-on the entire time.
- The four children that play Adam, Wensleydale, Pepper, and Brian are perfect for the roles they've been assigned, and are every bit the stereotypical British children.
- Jon Hamm, famous for his serious turn in Mad Men, is fall over funny as the angel Gabriel, stealing scenes left and right without any effort at all. Again, he could have chosen to go just a little farther or stop a little shorter and it would have been wasted, but like everything else in this movie, it's absolutely perfect.
Good Omens' only potential sticking point -- and this is a problem that both Gaiman and Pratchett have -- is that its cast is quite large. There's a lot going on in the first two episodes of the show, and it's easy to get your eyes crossed if you're not paying attention. Fortunately, the story is so well-written that you can actually let your eyes glaze over a little and content yourself with just following the kids, Crowley, and Aziraphale and you'll still get 95 percent of what you need to.
'Good Omens' is just good television, and at six hour-long episodes in length, you won't have to sink tons of time into it. There are only a few small things you could call pickable nits, and only one very large thing:
It's only six episodes long, which isn't nearly enough time to enjoy it all. Thank goodness you can simply rewind it.
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