Good Omens review: Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s whimsical book brought to life

Good Omens starts with a warning. “Kids,” a Sixties-era television set floating through outer space beams, “causing Armageddon can be very dangerous. Do not attempt it in your own home.”

With that simple message, writer Neil Gaiman sets the tone for what’s to come: a fantastical show filled with pithy comic lines and self-referential jokes right out of the Monty Python handbook. Gaiman wrote the source material with the late Terry Pratchett, and has managed to retain the whimsical humour that made the book – about an angel and demon who try to prevent the antichrist bringing about the apocalypse – so beloved. What’s more, Pratchett’s witty observations and footnotes – those same flourishes that distinguished his Discworld series from all other fantasy novels – are present throughout, thanks namely to Frances McDormand’s fourth-wall breaking narration as an ineffable God.

The story starts with the creation of the universe and the beginning of mankind. McDormand’s God explains that around 6,000 years ago, Eve left the Garden of Eden with Adam. However, counter to the Bible’s telling of the story, Adam wielded a flaming sword that the angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) gave him. Meanwhile, the snake that tempted Eve to eat the cursed apple was actually the demon Crowley (David Tennant).

The narrative jumps forward to the night Crowley is responsible for delivering the antichrist, a human baby (no hooves or tail), to a cult of satanic nuns. They are supposed to swap the infant devil with the child of an American ambassador (Nick Offerman) with the hope that the ambassador will raise the antichrist as his own. However, after some confusion, the wrong child ends up with the ambassador, and the antichrist – named Adam on the suggestion of a nun – grows up with a different family. Crowley and Aziraphale, though, are not aware of the mix-up and, after deciding neither of them wants to bring about the end of days, steer the wrong child (named Warlock) towards being normal.

Gaiman holds nothing back, bringing his and Pratchett’s wonderfully obscure imaginations to the screen. He made a promise to Pratchett, before the author’s death in 2015, that he would make this adaptation happen, and he has fulfilled that promise admirably. Along with evil nuns, antichrists, angels and demons, the opening episode also features scenes in heaven, hell and St James’s Park – which God informs us is a favourite location for British intelligence officers to meet undercover.

Sheen and Tennant anchor the episode as the central duo, and make for extremely entertaining company. Tennant’s portrayal of the reluctantly evil, sunglass-wearing demon is reminiscent of Bill Nighy in Love Actually: a swaggering, eccentric, borderline drunk performance that’s carefree. Sheen counters the bravado as the awkward angel, whose face often folds into itself whenever the conversation turns sour. Both actors fully commit to their roles, gamely wearing multiple silly costumes.

Some of the wigs and visual effects may slip into uncanny valley territory at times, but director Douglas Mackinnon (Doctor Who) presents this as a stylistic choice – one that apes Terry Gilliam, who was initially approached to direct a film adaptation of the book. The result is a hugely enjoyable, imaginative premiere, as close to Pratchett’s vision as anyone could have dared dream. And while the melancholy tone may not be for everyone, fans of the book will surely be sated.