Good Omens (2019) - Review

The brainchild of legendary authors Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett, 'Good Omens' is the tale of an angel Aziraphale and his demon friend Crowley, who are both deployed by Heaven and Hell respectively to start Armageddon. Quite frankly though, the world is full of too many nice things to get destroyed in the apocalypse, so Aziraphale and Crowley agree to prevent it by any means necessary.

Despite many attempts to get an adaptation produced in the years since the book's publication, its only recently that Amazon finally produced one, with the wishes of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman working as its screenwriter and executive producer. It's a masterful adaptation, and about as accurate as you can realistically get to the original novel without simply recreating it. New scenes are added, concepts are elaborated on and elements are removed for the sake of telling a cohesive and amusing story in six installments. It's not a word-for-word adaptation, but it's pretty darn close at points. Even the new material feel like natural inclusions, especially with regards to Aziraphale and Crowley. Their dynamic here is elaborated even further, including a humorous montage at the start of Episode 3.

Michael Sheen and David Tennant are absolutely brilliant as the angel and demon, and work so brilliantly together that it's so easy to forget that Sheen was originally cast as Crowley. Tennant channels a lot of his 'Doctor Who'-persona into Crowley (and just in case you didn't notice, Neil Gaiman slides in a wonderful gag about it), making him a very charming and charismatic presence on-screen. He also makes a great contrast to Sheen's more polite, reserved Aziraphale. Had either actor faltered in their part, the show would fall apart, so it's fantastic to see them both played pitch-perfectly.

Frances McDormand plays God (because of course she does), whilst Jon Hamm makes for a brilliantly arrogant Gabriel, and Brian Cox plays Death (because of course). Adria Arjona makes for an interesting version of Anathema Device, and whilst she didn't instantly scream Anathema from the novel, she soon finds her footing, and the new characterisation works very well without sacrificing the original character. I was a little uncertain too of Jack Whitehall as Newton Pulsifer, but thankfully he plays the part brilliantly without any forced jokes. It's brilliantly cast all-round, with the likes of Nick Offerman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Derek Jacobi, Miranda Richardson and the League of Gentlemen turning up in a variety of roles. There's cameos galore, but never in a pandering or unnecessary way, and always expertly cast.

Whilst I was initially uncertain about the production values - would this be a big-budget epic or a small-budget niché fantasy show - the final product blew me away. Director Douglas Mackinnon (who helmed 'Doctor Who''s 50th Anniversary special a few years ago) makes the wise decision to shoot the whole thing in cinemascope, giving the show an exceptionally cinematic look, alongside some terrific cinematography and very strong visual effects work. Like most CGI, some of it will age in time, but it looks quite a bit better than some feature films recently, so it's not much of a complaint. Nothing ever sticks out as a terrible effect, and it never feels too small or even too big. Mackinnon balances scale and intimacy beautifully, and showcases a real talent for directing the material.

I also have to give credit to the score by David Arnold, which is just wonderful. Simply wonderful.

It's very difficult to find much more to say about 'Good Omens' other than gushing about bloody good it is. Neil Gaiman clearly put a lot of hard work and effort into these six episodes, and spent years developing them. The final product is fantastic, and a treat for fans of the book and new fans alike. Perhaps certain elements could have been elaborated upon, and due to the nature of the TV series format, the whole story feels restructured - meaning that the story ends very early on in Episode 6 and then spends perhaps a little too long to wrap everything up. Not that that bothered me as such, but I imagine that some people will be expecting something considerably more "epic" in conclusion than what Pratchett and Gaiman actually wrote. The expanded ending also helps to feel more satisfying, and whilst the emotional aspect of the finale feels a little off (we're expected to heavily invest in an aspect of the story barely touched on in book or series), it still works well.

To try and summarise 'Good Omens' feels odd. It's an absolutely astounding production, and I feel like we're never going to see something like this again. Say what you will about the streaming revolution, but if companies like Amazon are going to pump good amounts of money into elaborate, admittedly niché productions like 'Good Omens', then I think there's definitely something to appreciate. I can't imagine 'Good Omens' being adapted as well as this in any other format, but thanks to Amazon (and BBC Studios), as well as an exceptionally-talented production team, I think this is an absolutely stellar production, and well worth watching.

'Good Omens' is out now on Amazon Prime, and will air later this year on the BBC.

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