The Golden Compass [Blu-ray] Reviews

• The Fight for Free Will

  
  By A18G7GG53G2X8A on 2007-12-07
  The special effects and the cinematography of "The Golden Compass" are wonderful, but it's the subtext that really shines through, making for one of the most unique, fascinating, and entertaining fantasy films of recent memory. Just as it is in the film, the plot of Philip Pullman's original novel suggested that free will was kept under strict control. The film brings this idea to the surface and allows the audience to analyze it; in a parallel universe--in which a person's soul is separate and physically represented by an animal--a ruthless organization called the Magisterium tries to enforce rules against free will. Anyone who challenges its authority will be condemned as a heretic. Because they wanted to ensure total compliance, the Magisterium sought to destroy every last alethiometer, or golden compass--a magical, watch-like mechanism that literally tells the truth by pointing at strange symbols.
  
  The one alethiometer that survived is now in the possession of Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig), a college professor who defies the Magisterium by confirming the existence of dust. I'm not referring to the allergy-inducing particles that settle on ordinary surfaces; I'm referring to the magical substance that's somehow related to a rift between their universe and ours. Because this has put him at odds with the Magisterium, he gives the alethiometer to his orphaned niece, Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards), a young girl raised by the professors at a university. Lyra, who absolutely hates being called a lady, is clever, bold, and incredibly headstrong, with an adventurous spirit that occasionally gets her into trouble. Her spirit--or daemon, as referred to by the characters--is Pan (voiced by Freddie Highmore), who hasn't quite decided which animal form to take. He spends most of his time as a ferret, but he also turns into a cat, a bird, and a mouse.
  
  When Lyra hears that her uncle is traveling to the snowy north to find the dust and open this cross-dimensional rift, she wishes to join him. Asriel refuses to let her, and he warns her against speaking of dust to anyone. Here enters Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman), the wicked, controlling head of the Magisterium; she quickly learns that the alethiometer is in Lyra's possession and vows to reclaim it by tricking Lyra onto her good side. Mrs. Coulter's true nature is soon revealed, and upon escaping, Lyra is put under the protection of the Gyptians, a band of rebels who were once aided by Lord Asriel. As they journey north with Lyra, she also meets: Serafina (Eva Green), an elegant, almost ethereal witch; Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliott), a grizzled pilot who speaks like a Texan from the Old West; and Iorek Byrnison (voiced by Ian McKellen), a disgraced polar bear who was once a great warrior among an entire clan of polar bears. To rid himself of his shame, he decides to reclaim his stolen armor and protect Lyra at whatever cost.
  
  This is pretty much the foundation for the adventure that follows, an adventure so big that it isn't over even when the movie ends. But in the grand scheme of things, the adventure is fairly superficial and only part of what makes it so wonderful; "The Golden Compass" is just as thought provoking as it is enjoyable, filled to the brim with intelligent, meaningful undertones. This isn't to say that the film exists entirely as one big commentary--a good portion of it functions at a level of pure entertainment, from the convincing special effects to the stunning set designs to the fantastic mechanical creations. The story is not one of the future, the past, or even the present; its unique setting has essentially made any sense of time meaningless. And let's not forget a number of lighthearted moments between Lyra and her best friend, Roger (Ben Walker), both of whom are more like bonded siblings.
  
  But there is a dark side to this story. For one thing, the Magisterium is involved in a sinister plot to kidnap children and sever the connections between them and their daemons. The sooner they lose their spirits (pun definitely intended), the quicker they can be controlled. There's also a general sense of foreboding that runs through the entire film, as if to say that certain things are not as simple as they may first appear. Consider the fact that a person's physical pain is also felt by his or her daemon, and vice versa: What exactly will happen if one of them dies? Can one exist without the other? And how exactly are daemons a threat to free will?
  
  The fact that I'm asking these questions is a good thing, because it proves that "The Golden Compass" is a stimulating film. Rarely is a fantasy story allowed to transcend the limiting clichés of princesses, castles, dragons, swords, and predictable Hero's Journeys. Here's a film that actually brings something new to the genre, something fresh, exciting, daring, and determined. This is not a mind-numbing rehash; it's a thoroughly original experience, highlighted by delightful performances, a solid structure, and a well-rounded social commentary. I suppose I should make a note about the Catholic Church's poor reception of this film, but why bother? Religion--or lack thereof--has nothing to do with it. It has everything to do with being engaging, smart, and imaginative.
  
  

• A Fantasy with a Strong Cast of Humans and Animated Animals!

  
  By A328S9RN3U5M68 on 2008-05-03
  Not being one who seeks out the seemingly endless line of Harry Potter/Narnia/Lord of the Rings tropes (a little computer generated monster realm goes a long way), THE GOLDEN COMPASS came somewhat as a pleasant surprise. Yes, this is still a fantasy film, but the emphasis is more on stylish creation of various animals (in the forms of 'daemons' that accompany children as their souls, morphing into various animal life at will) than tiresome explosions and flying beasties.
  
  Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) is clearly the star of this adventure that explores the possibility of other, parallel worlds whose interaction with the world as we know it is controlled by various groups of good guys and bad guys, all seeking the source of secrecy contained in a Golden Compass that can only be read by a single girl - Lyra, a poor child living in the presence of scholars. Lyra's uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) places the Golden Compass in Lyra's knowing hands and heads off to the far North to investigate the element that binds all life together - Dust. The tale is set in motion by the enigmatic Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman) who gains Lyra's confidence and offers to take her to the great North. All manner of adventures occur on the journey - friends of Lyra's are threatened to be separated from their various daemons in the cruel hands of the bad guys, Lyra's encounter with a witch Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green), her assistance from a friendly astronaut (Sam Elliott) and an armored bear - and with all fantasies, good prevails - or does it? Tune in for the very obvious next installment.
  
  The pleasures are many, not the least of which are the voices and changing forms of the little animal daemons. The cast is excellent and the whole movie sails with yet another beautiful musical score by Alexandre Desplat. It is a nice diversion, but you have to love fantasy. Grady Harp, May 08
  
  

• Dust in the wind

  
  By A37PV5GMP2ILJC on 2008-02-16
  Short Attention Span Summary (SASS)
  
  1. A governing body called the Magesterium sets the rules and tells people what to think and when to think it.
  2. Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig), Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman) and Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) aren't very good at following rules.
  3. In this world, a person's soul lives outside of their body in the form of an animal called a daemon.
  4. Mrs. Coulter has one heck of an ugly soul, and a monkey on her back
  5. Ashes to ashes is one thing, but when it's time for Dust it's a totally different matter
  6. The Magesterium embarks on an ambitious "Save the Children" campaign
  7. The result is an outbreak of separation anxiety and a bunch of missing kids
  8. Lord Asriel sets off to get to the source of the Dust infestation
  9. Mrs. Coulter tries to play Pygmalion with Lyra, but has her work cut out for her
  10. Lyra is entrusted with the last surviving golden compass (alethiometer to those in the know) - no batteries required, but no instruction manual either.
  11. Lyra sets off to find her missing friends with the help of the Gyptians (gypsies on water), witches (the pretty kind), an aeronaut (roguish Sam Elliot) and a cranky polar bear
  12. A bear in need is a friend indeed
  13. Bear fight!!!!!
  14. Grand finale
  15. Abrupt ending
  
  
  I would recommend that you read the book before watching this, as the movie is merely a watered-down précis version and you'll have to fill in all the missing spaces yourself. What you'll get here is some average acting, but with lots of special effects and CGI for a very good viewing experience. Overall however, it's not so hot if you're going to be judging the book by its movie.
  
  Book beats movie by a landslide. Rated: 3.5 stars
  
  
  
  Amanda Richards, February 16, 2008
  
  
  

• Classy

  
  By A3NH7PYU4AD5GA on 2008-01-04
  Phantasy is not my favorite genre, definitely not in printed form (couldn't even handle the Lord of the Rings), and hardly in movies (except Lord of the Rings). Potter is mediocrity itself, and Narnia was a bit too sweetish with its good Jesusy lion. I did not bother with other recent phantasy movies.
  This one attracted me because there was some religious propaganda against it. Apparently some good Christians think that the story is anti-Christian. Well, let them. Not a relevant attack, in my view, but of course a soul outside its body is reason for concern to the literalists.
  The story is definitely different and it is charmingly free from sentimentality and cuteness. Kidmann is great as the bad guy. The polar bear beats Knut, the star of Berlin zoo. The story has a strong libertarian flavor, nothing wrong with it. The fight is against a pre-fascist government structure which suppresses knowledge and individuality. I saw nothing remotely justifying an uproar from proper religious points of view.
  P.S. in the meantime, a friend has convinced me that the author of the book does indeed stand for odd views. I still think that the movie is free of those.
  
  
  
  

• Huh?!?

  
  By AJ88Z1U0SS1IY on 2008-02-12
  Let's start with my "credentials" (such as they are). I'm a very big fan of fantasy. I read Lord of the Rings as a teen in the mid-80's and loved the movies. I've read most of the existing fantasy stories and have seen the movies as well. I've studied Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell long and hard. As a leadership coach and consultant, I constantly try to support the underdeveloped metaphorical, symbolic approaches in people and organizations.
  
  Okay, actually, I'm a PUSH-OVER when it comes to fantasy. I'm pretty much willing to give any fantasy story the benefit of the doubt.
  
  So remember: I WANTED to like this movie.
  
  Having said that, after watching this movie with my 12-year-old son, all I can say is, "Huh?" This movie barely made any sense. Characters remained under-developed (most of the adults). The heroine appeared simply to be a brat who got lucky. I'm a big fan of Nicole Kidman, but she seemed to overpower the role she was placed in ... and almost everyone she appeared in a scene with.
  
  The stereotypical pseudo-archetypes were rampant in this one. Let's see, we've got ...
  
  * evil, nasty mother figure.
  * Uninvolved, unknown father figure.
  * Evil, power-drunk priest-figures.
  * Highly skilled warrior who gets dragged out of a drunken forced retirement to save the day (okay, he WAS a polar bear in this movie, but still ...)
  * Overly young children precociously being heroes (what IS it with this culture's fixation on young children in hero roles? Anyone ever heard of an older teen-ager or young adult?)
  * Precocious young children just "knowing" how to use a special magic item that other people had to spend years studying.
  * An evil being who killed the king and usurped the throne. (okay, HE was a polar bear, TOO. But still ...)
  * A kindly cowboy (I mean, "aeronaut").
  * A sexy witch.
  * Friendly pirates (excuse me, "Gyptians.").
  * Evil-yet-incompetent henchmen/scientists who seem to be unable to: (1) lock doors; (2) stop kids from getting away.
  
  Yep. I think we covered them all here.
  
  But, Lord, the star power. The aforementioned Kidman, Daniel Craig, Derek Jacobi, Sam Elliot, Ian McKellen, Kristen Scott Thomas, Jim Carter (an under-rated actor) and on and on. Talent mostly wasted in this movie.
  
  During the "nasty-woman-discloses-she-is-the-mother-of-the-young-heroine" scene, I practically started laughing. I wanted to stand up and shout, "Luke, I am your father!"! One could probably superimpose the same scenes from both movies and find that they are pretty close to each other.
  
  Some of the scenes were interesting. The neo-Art Deco props were interesting to look at, although the start of the movie seemed unclear whether it wanted to give a nod to Charles Dickens or Harry Potter.
  
  Finally, the ending was lame. Extremely lame. When the movie finished, my 12-year-old son (who has read the books) simply sat staring at the screen with his jaw hanging open. He said that the book ended much better (as some other reviewers have also reported).
  
  The books may have some real mythological material in them. Sometimes watching this movie was like trying to watch a ½ hour TV sitcom cover Romeo & Juliet - you know there's something of value there, but can quite seem to get to it.
  
  If one was a cynic, one might wonder if all of the "anti-God" hoopla was created simply to salvage an ailing movie. One wonders. I'm going to give the books a read, just to see if there's anything to salvage after this atrocious movie.
  
  
  
  
• Missing the point of the novel
  By A2GL6V07RZ6D2T on 2008-03-04
  The movie abruptly ends and completely ignores the final and most important chapter from the original book. The last chapter is what makes you read the next book. I could not believe they removed this from the movie. If you have not read the novel then the movie does not disappoint, but from a fan of the book, I was utterly annoyed and frustrated.
  
  
• Enjoyable fantasy
  By AUTBHG6070SL4 on 2007-12-11
  There's a lot to like in this movie, so let's start there. The CGI is outstanding, for example. The technology keeps getting better every year, and this movie rides the wave. The bears are about as convincing as anything I've seen, down to the rippling of their thick hides when two crash together in combat. The adventure never stops, keeping a solid pace from one scene to the next, right to the very end.
  
  That's where the not-to-like part of the movie comes in. It seems to end about two chapters before where the book ended. That omission cut out one of the most dramatic sequences in the book, albeit an obvious cliff-hanger and sequel bait - maybe those scenes really do belong at the start of the inevitable next movie rather than the end of this one. One other scene translated badly to movie form, too: finding the "cut" child and what followed. The book's version was much darker, maybe a bit much for the film's intended audience. Those were probably the two most crucial scenes in the book. I'd say the movie got pretty much everything right except for those two scenes - the two that really mattered. Oh, and the scene where she discovers her parentage, that suffered badly in translation to the big screen, too.
  
  Like the plot elements, the characters were bleached to pale, bland ghosts of their book form. It's probably just as well. If Lyra had much of a real personality about her, it might have been hard to swallow her effortless skipping from one dramatic victory against crushing odds to the next. A real girl might have had a case of the nerves in single-handedly facing down hundreds of sword-bearing warriors and wolves, or in other of her dramatic moments. Just a little, at least. Not our Lyra - something as credible as a bit of fear or doubt would have smudged the Barbie-like slickness of our little heroine's image.
  
  It's fair adventure and fantasy, with lots for the eyes to enjoy. Not much gets past the optic nerve and into the thinking mind, though.
  
  -- wiredweird
  
  
• A Criminally Underrated Genre-Bender : A Well Deserved Oscar
  By A2ULSA0IRUE09E on 2008-02-26
  Learning that "The Golden Compass" won the Oscar for Best Special Effects in 2008 should push the makers to produce its' sequels. As a huge fan of science fiction and fantasy story-telling, this was one book-to-movie adaptation I had waited for, and this was one rare instance where I found the film excelling the book in certain aspects.
  
  One of the prime reasons I liked the book was because of its new take on Christianity and the Catholic Church in general. It didn't really say anything new, but the fact that a 'childrens' book could even address such topics was of course controversial to a certain degree. That said, the film does away with explicit reference to the Church, though everyone acts and behaves in a manner suited to the old guard of the Catholic Church. Believe me, the religious subtext in this movie is quite subtle - but if you pick up on certain lines and bits of dialogue, they did manage to slide a lot in here that I'm glad censors didn't pick up on it. For this alone, it breaks new ground.
  
  Second, I am probably the only person around who doesn't think too highly of both the 'Harry Potter' and 'The Lord of the Rings' movie franchises. I never particularly cared for LOTR as a book, and the film versions seemed overwrought and way too pretentious for their own good. But thats just me. "The Golden Compass" is far superior to both those book series, in my opinion, and in a movie it soars past both of them. THIS is what a fantasy film should look like - challenging situations, amazing use of CGI (most of which was created by an obscure design firm in Mumbai, India of all places) and a spectacular acting job by the young leads.
  
  The concept of a 'daemon' (pronounced 'demon') was always interesting to me from the start - but the wondrous use of imagery elevates this concept to a whole new level here - it really is something you've never seen on the screen before. Nicole Kidman's daemon is a golden monkey - one of the more luminous creatures in this film - and she is caught in a battle of love and hate with it.
  
  The young actress who plays the lead should be especially commended. In her scenes as conniving wench who acts as instigator between the two great polar bears, she is superb. Eva Green plays a witch who believes in eternal love, and this beautiful French actress should have been given more screen time. However, its in its' scenes with Nicole Kidman that give this movie an edge of fear and suspense - she plays it straight, with no emotion in her eyes except calculation and scheming - and her scenes crackle with intensity.
  
  "The Golden Compass" is a big-screen movie, but no doubt it rightfully will find a place in your DVD library. It definitely deserves to. As an adult, the film spoke to me of so many mature, adult themes, leading me to believe that Pullman wrote these books with the world at large as his audience, not just children. In fact, the thought that your daemon can change its' shape repeatedly when you're young, but settles down into one form as you grow older - is a direct confirmation of social conditioning and personal self-worth and identification. The film challenges religious beliefs, but doesn't condemn religion. If you're worried about anti-Christian sentiments here, don't worry. Your children won't pick up on any of it - but they might come back to you with lots of questions. In my book, a great thing.
  
  Films like this are one in a million. Granted not all 'special effects' films have a heart, but this one has a heart, mind and soul that is SO very different from other films of the genre. It truly is a very different, special movie, that not many people will 'get'. If you think of yourself as reasonably intelligent, and a little 'different' from people around you - well, then this is the movie for you.
  
  Five Solid Stars.
  
  
• Fans of the book....Watch out!
  By A3NZP9VADWAE6K on 2007-12-09
  The casting for this movie was fantastic; the acting was great, and everyone did a really good job. The special effects were even good...But if you're a huge fan of the book (like me) then I'm afraid you'll find this movie to be a disappointment...I was so sad after watching it; I had waited forever for it to come out, and then it hardly follows the plotline for the book at all. The ending was cliche as anything (kids all running out of Bolvanger while the facility blows up...what?!?!?!), and it wasn't supposed to end where it did. The movie rushed into everything and left out so much that was in the book.
  
  I would have expected a lot better of New Line, especially with their good adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.
  
  
• Harry Stardust And The Lord Of The Dead Man's Chest And The Wardrobe
  By A3W13VVBRY5GL7 on 2007-12-09
  Pfffft.
  
  Watching this movie is like listening to Paris Hilton reading Othello: we're fairly certain that we ought to be impressed by the material but there's no punch or muscle behind the vaguely epic plot to explain the various grandiose settings and overblown production.
  
  Starring a whole slew of "Hey! It's..." A-list actors, "The Golden Compass" tells the tale of Lyra, an orphan girl living in a University in a version of Earth that's very different to our own. She's invited by the sinister Mrs. Coulter, an employee of the shadowy Magisterium, to accompany her on a mission to the North, where Lyra's uncle Lord Asriel is researching the mysterious properties of Dust (a mystical and feared substance). When Mrs. Coulter turns out to be something more than she first believed, Lyra escapes and goes on a quest to find her kidnapped friends, reinstate the king of the bears, free imprisoned children from the Magisterium's grasp and return the legendary truth-finding device known as the Alethiometer to her Uncle.
  
  So much for the basic plot. Performance-wise, Dakota Blue Richards is very good as Lyra, and Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig (for the two-and-a-half seconds he's actually IN this movie), Eva Green and Sam Elliot do perfectly passable jobs in their roles. There's not much of a chance to really act, given the limitations of the script and editing, and so the supporting human roles, as well as those voice roles filled by the likes of Sir Ian McKellen and Kathy Bates, fall kind of flat.
  
  The script, for what it is, feels often like a mere explanation for the visual effects, as opposed to developing characterisation or furthering the story: it's not terribly memorable and contains nothing you'll not have seen before.
  
  The visuals are amazing, for the most part: top-drawer art and production design coupled with some gorgeous CGI make for some very compelling scenes - there are really only one or two points (Lyra riding on the back of Iorek Byrnison immediately springs to mind) where things look fake. The bottle-of-orange-soda effects when the Alethiometer is doing its thing do begin to grate after a while, though, and the Witches look just like every other Evanescence Emo-wannabe you'd love to smack with a broomstick. But, for the most part, "The Golden Compass" is a visual treat.
  
  The editing is really what lets "The Golden Compass" down: scenes jump from conflict to resolution at a disappointingly rapid pace, and there's absolutely no chance to develop a sense of connection with any one character because of the lack of time spent on any one situation. Also, the direction is infuriatingly pedestrian: in "About A Boy" Chris Weitz proved himself capable of more than silly little American Pie tragedies, but here, he seems to be out of his depth as the potential of Lyra's world and the stunning effects and art of "The Golden Compass" go largely unexploited.
  
  This is a very disappointing movie: if you've read the books then don't waste an evening in theatres watching this: a one-time DVD rental will be enough to satisfy your curiosity. Check out "Stardust", "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" or "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" instead of this one: they;re far, far more rewarding and much better made movies.
  
  
• Pretty to look at, but not very exciting.
  By A2R1HAXRNU0QX7 on 2007-12-09
  I have never read any of the books, so I entered the film with very little in the way of an expectation of what the plot would be. Obviously I had seen the movie trailers, so I knew this was probably something in the NARNIA, ERAGON, perhaps even LORD OF THE RINGS vein.
  
  First of all, it is absolutely ridiculous to suggest that this movie is in same category as LOTR. Those films dared to take their time to tell a story, stretching to epic length. They developed characters we truly cared about. And much of the films actually took place in real landscapes. Think of all the breathtaking New Zealand locations that were used.
  
  GOLDEN COMPASS is almost totally located in a CGI world. Not for one second does it feel solid or tangible. It's all very pretty to look at, but honestly it just feels a bit cold. NARNIA was the same way...it needed some sets that were REAL.
  
  In addition, COMPASS zooms through its story, taking virtually no time to establish characters beyond simple archetypes. For instance, think of the character Sam Elliott plays. He's an "aeronaut," basically a pilot for hire (except he flies a motorized hot-air balloon concoction). Basically, his character is that same guy that Sam Elliott always plays...twinkly eyes, big mustache, grizzled look. That's it. We like him, because we always like Sam Elliott.
  
  Anyway, I haven't touched on the plot, which is what has gotten so many people in an uproar, apparently. The story takes place in a "parallel" world, where people's souls live on the outside of them, are called "daemons" and take the shape of an animal of some sort. This is a neat idea...and allows for some of the more fanciful special effects, as we get to see each animal that is attached to a person. (For children, their "daemons" aren't settled yet, so the animal form will change.) In this world, things seem to be run primarily by The Magesterium...a powerful group of what seems like semi-fascist folks who are against "free will."
  
  It's my understanding that in the books, this Magesterium is clearly a reference to the catholic church. That may be, but in the movie, it feels like a generic "big brother" type of organization. Their goal seems to be to figure out how to separate children from their "daemons" so that they are left "soulless" or at least without the gumption to resist the Magesterium. There seems to be any little real logic to any of this...we just have to accept it.
  
  The young girl Lyra is entrusted with The Golden Compass, a device that "sees what is hidden." Naturally, the Magesterium are eager to get this from her, and to thwart her, they send Nicolle Kidman as a charismatic, glamorous woman of means to entice the girl to serve as her assistant. Lyra learns fairly soon not to trust this woman, and suddenly she sets out on a quest to free the children who've been kidnapped so that their souls can be stolen.
  
  I'm guessing my plot summary is a bit confusing...and frankly, trying to sort all the tangents, politics, allegiances, etc. is tricky, and ultimately not very interesting. Mostly you just end up watching the movie in order to see all the spectacular scenes. Are there are some. The Ice Bears are impressive creations, and the big duel between a couple of them is a highpoint. Daniel Craig, as Lyra's uncle, has a brief but exciting chase scene out on the frozen tundra.
  
  So the special effects ARE pretty special, for the most part. (Although I say again, I missed the tangibility of REAL landscapes.) But the script is trying to pack in too much in short span of time. The actors are more or less lost in the shuffle. Kidman looks the part, and she's always been good at playing cold, insincere parts. Craig has nothing to do, but his eyes look great. The young lady who plays Lyra is pretty game and well cast. But no one is going to win an Oscar for this film. Costumes and makeup do most of the acting.
  
  Even though the film runs just under two hours, I frankly found myself bored at times. Ironically, I think that if the movie had been longer and taken the time to make us care about the character and to delineate what was at stake a bit better, I would have been more engaged. As it was, it was mostly a piece of eye candy.
  
  
• An Awful Adaptation
  By A3B55JCE7SO5TT on 2007-12-15
  The FILM Golden Compass is about an armoured bear who is actually a king in exile. With help from a little girl, the bear regains his throne, after a long, spectacular combat scene.
  
  Afterwards, the bear helps the little girl win a long, spectacularly staged battle. Along the way, we meet several interesting characters: Lord Faa, who is a really great fighter; Ma Costas, who is great with a pair of six guns; the flying witch, Serafina Pekkala, who is fantastic with a bow, and of course the Texan, Lee Scoresby, who is a dead-eye shot.
  
  The BOOK, by the way, is nothing like the film, although the two have characters in common. Apparently, New Line Cinema believed viewers missed all the battles in Lord of The Ring.
  
  
• awful storytelling - bad scripting
  By AFM9DJYPNM7VT on 2008-01-13
  This was promoted well, but isn't well expressed on the screen. I was very disappointed in the movie, because (1) the child star is a bratty, willful girl (2) the evil mom with the split personality (Kidman) is too strong a personality to the other actors' performances (3) said evil mom and bratty child meeting is too much like Luke and Darth Vader's "I am your father, Luke" scene (4) It is unclear if the adults should be taken seriously, becaues the girl is the driving character in the story - and though menacing, the adults are not well-formed characters apart from Kidman. (5) the romance between the girl and the fellow student she rescues portray the weak male relationship at a too-young age. (6) the armored bear is the best character, as far as strong character, clear motives, and noble standards. The humans seem stripped of those. Worst, the movie ends on a vague cliffhanger without resolving any tensions in the film satisfactorily. The children's rescue does not fill the need for closure to story. The dad is in imminent, undefined peril. Then screen goes black. A very unsatisfying ride. I did not feel empathy for anyone but the ferret and the bear. Phooey.
  
  
• cheap johnny come lately knock off of Narnia or Harry Potter
  By A38FTM9TP69KMD on 2008-03-07
  At best, its a knock off of some CGI filled fantasy films that came out long ahead of it. At worst, its a disjointed attempt to take pot shots at organized religion. This might have been a good story if it hadn't already been written by CS Lewis. For those reviewers who seem to think there isn't an anti-religious theme, they simply haven't done their homework. Pullman makes no bones about his atheist views and his opposition to organized religion. For the most part, big bucks Hollywood seems to have reigned him in for the sake of profits. So what is left is a convoluted, hard to follow collection of scenes that depend on special effects to make up for the utter absence of a cohesive plot. Atheists won't like it because it doesn't score any points against the church. Christians will hate it because Pullman is quite outspoken in his intentions to use whatever money he can make to launch further attacks on organized religion. Fans of the genre will either be taken in by the effects and ignore the lack of a story, or they'll see it for what it is. My advice, catch this one on free TV when it comes around. It didn't seem to play that well at the theater and I wouldn't expect DVD sales to keep it off of CBS for long. Save your money. You'll be glad you did.
  
  
• Am I the only one with a golden compass
  By A2XRS4IWZQF7K9 on 2008-04-27
  I can see through all of the negativity and find a nugget of truth. Everyone thinks this movie was bad and boring, well, I have a question for you. What movie were you watching? When I saw this movie it captivated me and filled me with wonder. I haven't felt this way about of movie in some odd years. I mean, come on! Say this with me, all right? Polar bear battle that alone made me want to watch this, I really cannot believe all the bad reviews, there not even justified. You people are uninspired and so used to crappy movies that you misrepresent yourself. I have seen my fair share of crappy movies but this is a good movie and I can't wait for the next one. The story is an epic one and I am in it to the very end. The cast amazing starting with Mr 007 himself Daniel Craig and the vivacious Nicole Kidman. It was an amazing ride and I fell in love with the characters and felt a real connection. It was like Harry Potter with the Lord of the rings and Narnia all rolled into one massive new trilogy. It was faced paced, heart wrenching, and heartwarming tale of friendship and loyalty. The ending was not, I repeat not a cliff hanger, so shut up about it. It was a very solid ending and climax mixed in with shocking plot twist that honestly I didn't see coming. So please don't listen to any negative reviews and shy away from this passionate film adaptation of His Dark Materials. See it yourself and then decide. I really appreciate all the positive feed back from readers of my reviews. Thanks I appreciate it! Look for other reviews and check them out.
  
  
• Free thinking in an oppressive regime-POINT THE WAY,COMPASS!!!
  By A3RWR50VUII07D on 2007-12-08
  A rich, yet streamlined adaptation of Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass" has finally hit the screen, and boy is it a doozie! The cinematography is dazzling ,the story is complex yet absorbing, and finally a fantasy tale,that encourages children and adults to wake up and guard the one precious gift they have been given-their minds!!!
  Writer/director Chris Weitz along with his production designer Dennis Gassner have recreated Pullman's world of dogmatic institutions and the rebellious free thinking world with a hodge-podge of Edwardian and Victorian industry and architecture.This is the only place where I feel the film lacks.We never have much chance to rest and gaze upon this marvel of set design and this "mythical world" because the story simply runs at a breakneck pace in order to tell the story of the the "rough-edged diamond",12-year-old Lyra (the name of the beautiful harp whose dulcet tones could subdue angry kings in the Bible!) whose acute perspective keeps her from being swallowed alive by having her ability to think for herself destroyed.She navigates her way through this maze of oppressive authoritarianism.The fact that Nicole Kidman's character is named "Mrs.Coulter" got me to laughing thinking about the ultra conservative "journalist" Ann Coulter who seems to be the mouthpiece for modern day non-free thinking!!!( Oh, that comment will be sure to upset! OUCH!)
  Yes, this film is rooted in the deep allegories of questioning religious authority, but if you allow yourself a moment to put aside your bisases,no matter what they are, "The Golden Compass" can point you in the direction that says "decide for yourself-question what is told to you-do not take things at face value-keep yourself YOU at all costs".This is a lesson that this reviewer hopes all can learn from this film!Frankly, as a person who navigated my way out of years of authoritarian thinking, I welcome this book and movie with open arms.Long live the open mind with all of it's God-given possibilities (at least if you believe in God....you don't have to, ya know!)
  
  
• A Film Under Attack By Reactionary Elements Within The Catholic Church!
  By A3DGVB3T5QJNRE on 2007-12-08
  I have seen not one, but two, articles recently in MAJOR newspapers attacking this film by reactionary Roman Catholic organizations before it was even released! What alarms me most is that secular newspapers are printing articles asking people not to watch this movie on religious grounds! I find that quite astonishing! I'm sure there are numerous religious groups that would like the public not to watch, or read, something on religious grounds. What I'd like to find out is why these outrageous attacks on The Golden Compass are being printed as hard news, instead of being delegated to the Editorial page where it's appropriate to express one's beliefs!
  
  And I'd also love to know what public relations firms these Catholic organizations are using because it appears to be an extremely well-orchestrated effort!
  
  The Dark Materials trilogy is some of the most profound pieces of literature I have had the good fortune to read in my entire life! It's on par with the Lord of the Rings as far as emotional depth is concerned. While the movie can never capture the endless rich nuances of the book - it was a good try. But in my humble opinion, the story was incredibly rushed! The film should have been much longer! The Golden Compass is a masterpiece, not fast food!
  
  I enjoyed all three books in the trilogy, but The Golden Compass is just a warm-up for the next two books, which will knock your socks off. The theology and imagination that runs through this trilogy is absolutely subversive and incredibly moving. It will drive conservatives crazy because it attacks religious authoritarianism with such mind-boggling intensity, something truly unparalleled in modern fantasy literature.
  
  My concern while driving home after watching this movie is simply this - will the next two sequel's be neutered by Hollywood because it will drive conservatives within the Catholic church bonkers? I hope the author, Philip Pullman, makes sure this does not happen. I would rather see this be the first, and last, Dark Materials trilogy film if some weenies up in Hollywood Central intends to sterilize the remaining story by ripping out its heart and soul!
  
  
  
  
• The Best Fantasy Film Since Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" Saga
  By AKT8TGIT6VVZ5 on 2007-12-27
  I had been eagerly anticipating this film after seeing some impressive movie trailers earlier this year (I am also indebted to Richard Cleary for reminding me of the film's original source material: Philip Pullman's anti-religious young adult fantasy trilogy "His Dark Materials" from the 1990s.). Much to my amazement, the hype I have heard about "The Golden Compass" was quite true. This is, without question, the best recent fantasy film I have seen since Peter Jackson's instant cinematic classic, "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Director Chris Weitz has rendered a mostly faithful adaptation of most of Pullman's first novel, "The Golden Compass", via excellent direction, a superb script that he wrote, and excellent casting. If there is a complaint about this film, then I must echo the sentiments of others who've remarked that it ended too abruptly; the film itself could have easily added an additional twenty to thirty minutes in length to resolve some plot threads without being tedious at all.
  
  Weitz has done an admirable job in staying true to Pullman's original intentions, without emphasizing too much, the anti-religious themes of both the novel "The Golden Compass" and the "His Dark Materials" trilogy. Indeed, the church, or "Magisterium" comes across more as a benign theocracy, until a series of unexpected discoveries lead to the uncovering of a sinister plot involving the church itself. Other major reasons to see this film include its excellent cast. Newcomer Dakota Blue Richards is especially quite captivating as young, plucky heroine Lyra. Nicole Kidman is icily beautiful and brilliant as her nemesis, Mrs. Coulter. Daniel Craig appears all too briefly as Lyra's uncle Lord Asriel. And there's other excellent performances too, ranging from the witch queen Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green) to Texas aeronaut Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliot). If there is one film to take yourself and your family to this Christmas, then "The Golden Compass" has to be it.
  
  
• Inept Propaganda; Kidman is Excellent
  By ASQ8KNNP3A7FP on 2007-12-09
  Philip Pullman's stated plan is to "undermine the basis" of Christianity. "The Golden Compass," the movie version of part one of Pullman's trilogy of novels, is an inept and chaotic film whose flimsy philosophical underpinnings are nothing more than a self-deluding narcissism that could only appeal to a sophomoric consciousness.
  
  As bad as it is, "The Golden Compass" deserves at least two stars. Nicole Kidman -- the swanky, evil Mrs. Coulter -- reveals yet again that her gifts, in addition to flawless beauty, include acting finesse and fierce craft. Daniel Craig (Lord Asriel) is one of the sexiest men alive; it is criminal that "The Golden Compass" uses him for only about ten minutes. Given how little Craig is onscreen, he really should be listed as a cameo, rather than as a featured player. The suggestion of a relationship between masterful, macho, Asriel and tragic ice queen Coulter is delicious; Kidman and Craig's pairing in just these roles would ignite the screen. But they share no screentime.
  
  The special effects are very pretty to look upon, indeed.
  
  As a movie, though, "Golden Compass" is all computer generated gimmickry, geegaws and gimcracks. If watching a computer generated bear talk with Ian McKellan's voice makes your day, "The Golden Compass" is for you.
  
  Me? I felt like I was lost in a shopping mall overstuffed with cheap, lead-impregnated, Chinese import toys during holiday rush hour. For fantasy to work, the fantasy world has to have internal logic and address deep truths. Viewers who have never traveled to Oz all know, within minutes of first watching the "The Wizard of Oz", that Dorothy needs to cling to the Ruby Slippers, and that the Wicked Witch covets them. "There's no place like home" resonates for us all. There is no similar internal logic or truth in "The Golden Compass."
  
  Characters lack depth and arrive merely to fill some gapping hole in what passes for a plot. When the heroine, Lycra, is lost in the Arctic, a Texas cowboy on a dirigible shows up to rescue her. Sure, why not? It may as well have been Amelia Earhart. Some will find this disregard of coherence charming; I found it to be the most shameless deus ex machina. Ironic that Pullman wants to kill God; this cinematic "Compass" can't function without resort to a god from the machine.
  
  Much has been made of the fact that the main character is a heroine. We are supposed to celebrate Pullman's feminism. Hogwash. Lycra is as pretty as Botticelli's Venus and she's, for the most part, as passive as a 1950s Disney cartoon princess. A talking bear rescues her, a cowboy rescues her, a sky-ful of CGI witches rescues her, even the evil villainess, Mrs. Coulter, rescues her. If Lycra shows creativity, courage, or spunk, never mind a convincing adolescent girl's character, it must have been while I was dozing off. And Mrs. Coulter's purely feminine evil is misogyny at its ugliest.
  
  For a story that wants to be revolutionary, "The Golden Compass" is entirely retro. The fantasy world is, of course, England, just as it is in "The Lord of the Rings", "Narnia" and "Harry Potter." Nobody writes blockbuster fantasy novels about Yiddish-speaking characters; no one has yet given us a blockbuster fantasy world set in New Jersey. That would be too real, too gritty, too working class. And fantasy England is not today's England, of course, a multicultural land of active trade unions. This is Victorian England, when the sun never set on Pullman's ancestors' empire and the lower classes knew their place. Servants, in Pullman's world, are accompanied by docile and loyal doggy daemons. In short, meet the new boss, same as the old misogynist, classist, imperialist boss.
  
  The musical score kept trying to do what the story could not, standing there, hands on hips, shouting, "You should care about this scene! It's very climactic!"
  
  And I kept wanting to shout back, "Blast, it's the movie's job to construct a story that makes me feel like the battle is climactic, even if it is filmed silently, as Kurosawa did it! Lay off with the endless crescendos, already!"
  
  The bad guys are priests who inhabit a rectangular version of Vatican City, "The Magisterium." "Magisterium" is, of course, the Latin word for the teaching authority of the Catholic Church. Christianity kidnaps and tortures little children, lies about "dust" (had to keep from sniggering during the "dust" scenes) and is responsible for all evil in the world. In short, "The Golden Compass" is to Christianity what "Birth of a Nation" is to African Americans or "The Eternal Jew" is to persons of the Jewish faith.
  
  Outside the evil Magisterium, everyone is good and kind and noble and peaceful. So, they have to eliminate persons of faith in order to make the world a better place.
  
  Atheists tried to do just that during the last century, in the Soviet Empire, in Mao's China and in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge. Any knowledge of consensus reality renders "The Golden Compass" less a charming children's tale and more what it actually is -- propaganda. And that makes the film sound more exciting than it is.
  
  
  
• This is one you should see on the big screen
  By A3AVJCB1ZD6ZY5 on 2007-12-22
  "Golden Compass'" storyline is one that's a well-known favorite for fantasy readers. It's both an adventure-quest and a coming of age tale for a young orphan. What makes the movie such a standout is the execution of the story both visually and sonically.
  
  "Golden Compass" world is made up of a variety of life forms. Humans all have daemon bonded to them. Daemons shapeshift at will while the child's soul is still developing and at some point in their maturity take a fixed animal shape. Witches have the gift of magic, plus the daemons bound to them do not have to remain as close as those bound to mere humans. Ice bears (polar bears) are one of the fiercest and strongest of the peoples and armored ones are often hired as bodyguards.
  
  In the beginning, orphaned Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) has no knowledge of her true parentage. She and her daemon, Pan, are currently the ward of her uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig). She attends a boarding school, Jordan College.
  
  The story opens with Lord Asriel returning to Jordan College to advise the administration that he's found 'dust' in the Northern Country. 'Dust'is the constituent material of parallel worlds and Asriel believes he can travel between the worlds. He's asking the College to fund his research.
  
  The Magisterium is a body that's attempting to regulate the world's magical gifts and keep them under control Their representative at the College opposes this research and tries to convince the academics not to sponsor it. Failing at that, he poisons the wine Lord Asriel was to drink at his presentation. Fortunately, Lyra was spying and she warned her Uncle before he could take that fateful sip.
  
  The college agrees to sponsor Lord Asriel's research and he's setting about on another mission to the North. Lyra asks to come, but he will not permit it. She is to remain safe at school. Needless to say, this edict doesn't sit well with the strong minded young woman.
  
  After Asriel has departed, Lyra is given the Alethiometer, a Golden Compass, which tells the truth--as long as the person using it knows how to both frame the questions posed and read the answers from the symbols around the compass'outer ring. She's told to keep the device a secret. At one time there were several such devices. The Magisterium has them all now.
  
  Enter the lovely Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman), who Lyra first meets at a Jordan College dinner. Mrs. C. takes an immediate fancy to Lyra and offers her a chance to come along with her on a trip to the North to see the Ice Bears. Despite misgivings, the Headmaster releases Lyra into Mrs. C's care.
  
  Lyra quickly learns she has no freedom in Mrs. Coulter's house. Worse, the Compass keeps displaying GOB, GOB, GOB....Almost too late, Lyra realizes that Mrs. Coulter is one of the Magisterium and a Gobbler to boot--the Gobblers are people who are kidnapping children, who are never seen again.
  
  Lyra and Pan escape. They're helped by a band of Gyptians (wanderers) who get them to Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliot) who is willing to help her if she can get his ship out of hock and help his friend Iorek Byrnison (voice: Ian McKellen) armored ice bear.
  
  The rest of the story is for you to see, but it's very worth the price and the lines at the theatres this time of year.
  
  "Compass" is one of the most beautifully filmed fantasies since LOTR. The cast was very well chosen. I was impressed with Ms. Blue's debut and am hoping to see her in future films. Voice-overs were perfect for their respective characters and the music was also lovely.
  
  I would not want to miss this show at the theaters. I've got this one on my wish list for the time when it comes out on DVD. I am certain I will want to see "Golden Compass" again.
  
  
  
  
• Haven't read the book yet...
  By ACEA95FQS1AVP on 2008-05-08
  As a viewer that hasn't read the book yet, I enjoyed this film very much. So much so that I have already purchased the books so that I can get the full picture and continue the tale. There are very few films that can match the quality and story of the novel they are based on. So, it's important to keep expectations at a reasonable level. Hundreds of pages do not shrink to less than 2 hours without losing something. After speaking with some of my friends who read the book, I think they kept to the spirit of the story if not the letter. Ironically, the film made far more money in Europe where the books are much more popular. However, I wasn't watching this for life lessons or implied religious themes. I wanted an interesting story, engaging characters and a fun adventure. They delivered all three with some awesome special effects to boot!
  
  The acting by the adults in the film was a little over the top, but fit with the grand adventure style of story-telling. I completely bought Nicole Kidman as a snobby elitist who lives by "the ends justify the means." I liked that good actors were placed even in bit roles (such as Sam Elliot), but the young star and the animals truly stole the show. Lyra's character will appeal to fans of Hermione Granger and other smart little rebels. I found myself cheering for her and her daemon. The producers did a great job with the talking animals. They blended with the story very well. I never felt like they were zooming in on every animal every time - "see, the animals are talking!" This helped them feel more like characters in the movie than CGI stunts. The dialog between Lyra and Pan was much like between any two good friends at that age. And I loved the polar bear. Who wouldn't get excited about a massive polar bear wearing armor!? And voiced by Ian McKellan, priceless. The subject matter is a little more grave than other movies of this genre. The PG-13 rating was deserved, though much less so than movies like "Alien vs Predator"! The ending was a little abrupt, but seeing as it's based on the first book of a trilogy, I can't complain. The filmakers didn't leave viewers with a killer cliffhanger, just in case the second film isn't made (which I truly hope it is).
  
  This 2-disc DVD set is nice. The extra features have a nice variety with your usual "making of" and behind the scenes stuff, but also a feature on the book and adaptation. The packaging is standard, though I really like the outer sleeves that so many special editions come with these days. There is no chapter insert - just an advertisement for the World Wildlife Fund and their promotion based on the film (adopt plush animals that represent endangered animals depicted in the film). I'm happy I bought the 2-disc set.
  
  Overall, I thought this was an entertaining film, with great special effects and a unique story. I am glad I bought the DVD as I will certainly rewatch it. Though I missed seeing this in the theatre, I would definitely see the sequel on the big screen. Highly recommended to movie fans who haven't read the book and love a good adventure, and book fans who are open-minded about adaptations.
  
  
• "Lady, Lightning Bolt, Baby ~ Nothing But Us And The Child"
  By A141HP4LYPWMSR on 2008-05-12
  Not knowing anything about `The Golden Compass' nor the book `Northern Lights' by Philip Pullman upon which this film is based, I must say I was not only pleasantly surprised, but amazed by what I saw and heard on my initial viewing. The visuals are astounding and the storyline is original, highly controversial (at least in the mind of some religious groups) and abnormally complex.
  
  Maybe even more amazing to me than how good this film is, was the high volume of criticism and low ratings it has compiled from Amazon reviewers. I can discern only three possible reasons for this unlikely occurrence;
  
  1- It's to be expected if the film diverges from the book, something purist cannot tolerant. (Again, not having read the book in question I cannot comment on its faithfulness to the source material).
  
  2- It might be a case of not appreciating the complexity of the story. You can't just jump into this film and immediately know what's going on. You have to exert a little effort and brain power to work your way into this alternate universe before settling down for the ride.
  
  3- However I'm certain that the biggest body of complaints come from Christian factions that don't like their belief system challenged in any form. The portrayal of an evil ruling body known as the Magisterium may hit a little too close to home for some Catholics and those within the Protestant camp will most certainly be bothered by seeing every human accompanied by what appears to be an animal familiar referred to as a daemon* (no it's not a demon, think of the Hellenistic concept of the daemonic).
  
  *These animals are part of the individual. In this imaginary world the soul is separated from the body and exists as a companion creature that accompanies the individual throughout life.
  
  If that wasn't enough to cause some of the faithful to begin beating their war drums and rattling their sabres it doesn't help to see a heroine who's furry companion is named Pan (short for Pantalaimon), an alluring Queen of the Witches with the angelic sounding name Serafina (i.e.: Seraphim) who fights with the "good guys", and the heroine's courageous Uncle, Lord Asriel who's name is all too similar to that of the fallen angel Azriel, long associated with the Devil.
  
  These religious/mythological cross-references don't stop here. I noticed a couple borrowed from Norse mythology as well. There's Lorek Byrnison ( possibly referring to Loki, the trickster God) and the immense warrior, polar bear Ragnar Sturlusson could be a subtle reference to Ragnarok, the Nordic version of the Apocalypse.
  
  Of course there's always the possibility that someone simply doesn't like the film for reasons I've yet to comprehend, but I can't imagine how anyone wouldn't enjoy such an imaginative, allegorical, fantasy adventure. In case you haven't figured it out by now, I loved it!
  
  
• systematically incoherent ...
  By A3DPTDXY51FLY2 on 2007-12-02
  Not for children ... this became painfully apparent with the demise of the armored bear king who had his jaw ripped off ... no spurting blood, but the teens next to me fell out of their chairs. Otherwise, Orwellian, paranoid, violent, twisted ...
  
  I was thoroughly relieved when offered the fade to black. I was hoping we had arrived at the credits; and, thankfully, we had. I was exhausted.
  
  About halfway through the film I had reminded myself that art isn't required to be causal. There is no inherent rule that says that there must be cause and effect relationships in either a story or its universe. There are a number of films in which I have witnessed characters and situations introduced completely at random and often by coincidence that I have enjoyed immensely ... this is not one of them.
  
  As Scorsese might likely comment on this film ... at some point ... very near the beginning ... the writers and the director lost the narrative thread ... my not having read the book I am allowing that the problems may rest solely in its adaptation.
  
  The story reads like Robert's notebook in "Proof" and in writing this, I am likely insulting David Auburn and John Madden.
  
  OK, it's very clear where the voiced controversies arise and it's also clear where these are headed. At the same time, there were rich ideas that were simply discarded.
  
  The flaws in the film are not the fault of the visual effects team. The digital characters were exquisitely designed and performed. The landscapes were breathtaking. The art design, visionary. The visual aesthetic is everything anyone could ever want in classic fantasy.
  
  Nicole Kidman creates a truly frightening character.
  
  So, decide accordingly.
  
  
• Rip off
  By A1EVT922SA4UMS on 2008-02-25
  Am I the only one who finds it ridiculous that the studios are trying to charge $35 for a film that is one third of a trilogy? The cgi are impressive but the plot leaves the viewer hanging, as does the book. Unlike the Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia the Golden Compass really doesn't stand on its own. However, I suspect that Middle America will be very upset if the trilogy is filmed and the third episode is true to the book.
  
  
• Too bad you can't give it a 0/5 stars
  By AXHD7AQQXTHJ5 on 2008-04-06
  I will put this the nicest way I can.
  I did not read the book. You shouldn't have to read a book to go see the movie.
  Sitting in the movie watching it. the Char's will say something that you have NO idea what in the world they are talking about. (and on several occasions) It makes NO sense, it has nothing to do with ANYTHING.
  The writers "Assume" you have read the book.
  We all know what happens when you Assume now, don't we?
  0/5 Stars for a film that makes NO sense, Will more than likely have an equally horrid sequel to it, and the highlight is when a bear fights. Oooh Ahhh... I can't tell you how ashamed my 2 friends and I were that we wasted money on this movie. Please do yourself the favor and don't make the same mistake.
  
  
• Hollywood's Death Bed Cry!
  By A1Y8238JIQN0Y7 on 2008-04-12
  This is a perfect example of inept film making at its worst and the blame has to lie at the feet of the Director. He obviously has no experience directing Actors and the sorry performances attest to it. I could not believe that this wealth of acting talent could uniformly deliver such appalling performances. From Tom Courernay to Nicole Kidman the acting is terrible.
  
  The worst performances, if that is possible, are by the child cast. Dakota Blue Richards is a very bad actor. Period.
  
  This type of mess is typical of what Hollywood has been producing since the new millennium and is the main reason that less DVDs are sold and less people go to the cinema. It is not because of file sharing or pirate DVDs, it is because the product produced by Hollywood is of such an low standard that people are finding or making their own entertainment.
  
  This is proof that the people in charge at the Hollywood studios are ignorant and out of step with what the public wants. They need to be replaced by artists or else Hollywood dead, if it is not already.
  
  
• Very fun fantasy/adventure story.
  By A1D3XQC2DIT on 2007-12-05
  Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) is a stubborn girl who wants to be included in the adventures of her uncle, the Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig). For one particularly important mission Lord Asriel heads to "The North," and again Lyra is left behind. Her savior comes in the form of a woman, the Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman), who says she is about to travel to the North and could use an assistant. For safety on her voyage with Mrs. Coulter, Lyra is given a strange instrument and told to keep it a secret. The instrument is an Alethiometer and if you can read it, it always shows you the truth. With the help of the Alethiometer and some new friends she meets along the way, Lyra must find and save kidnapped children and then find her uncle.
  
  The movie is based on the world created by Philip Pullman in the His Dark Materials series, a three-book set with The Golden Compass being the first. While I have not read the books, I will assume that much of the movie was as it was in the books. For example, I will credit Pullman with the dæmons -- in this parallel world a person's soul travels alongside the body, in animal form, rather than inside it. This was a wildly imaginative element to the story and one of those "Why didn't I come up with that?" ideas.
  
  I really like Daniel Craig, but he is not in the movie very long. You get the impression that he might get more on-screen time later in the story, but Lyra is our star. As Lyra, Dakota Blue Richards was everything she needed to be, when she need to be. She was stubborn, sassy, strong, and lots of other things that don't start with the letter S.
  
  I don't like Nicole Kidman. In almost every role she is sneaky, rude, cold and nasty. And that is exactly how she was in The Golden Compass, and I loved it. Mrs. Coulter is each and every one of those things.
  
  The animation for the movie was very well done. There were many parts of the movie where the animators could have made it look less animated, but they didn't. I think it added to the fantasy element of the story to keep it this way.
  
  The story moves pretty quickly. There is a lot of information packed into just one movie. Normally I would gripe about the lack of depth given to certain parts of the plot, but I am making an exception for The Golden Compass under the assumption that things will be explained in the next two installments of the series.
  
  It was PG-13 and the only reason I could see was for animated violence. Many people died, but there was little or no blood.
  
  You can call this a children's movie if you want, but I think it is time we re-evaluated that category. You will like this movie if you like fun fantasy/adventure stories. I loved it.
  
  
  
• Magnificent Fantasy Epic
  By A1U360OMVQRPUB on 2007-12-23
  I'd tried to read THE GOLDEN COMPASS by Philip Pullman at an earlier date on the recommendation of a friend. I just couldn't hammer my way through it. The prose seemed too dense, or the pacing was too slow, or there were too many things coming at me at one time. Whichever it was, I put the book aside.
  
  I never found out that one of the characters was an armored polar bear that was a king who'd been kicked from the throne. I didn't find that out till the trailers started airing.
  
  Then, while in San Diego at ComicCon, I ran across the huge display they had up for the movie. I gawped. I don't often get to write that word, but it's the only one that fits when you turn a corner and run into a gigantic polar bear nose-to-nose.
  
  So I was a tad more curious. Then my 10 year old started seeing the trailers and I found out what the polar bear was all about. And we saw the trailers in the theater. I was blown away. The hook had been set and my appetite thoroughly whetted.
  
  A few days before I went to see the movie, I heard there was an anti-Christian theme tied to it and a lot of people were going to boycott the film. I was really curious at that point. I'd expected a lot of fallout over THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, but people seemed to be okay with that.
  
  Anyway, I tend to make up my own mind about such things. So I went.
  
  I had a blast. So did my son. And I didn't see any anti-Christian themes in the movie. Sure, the Church was kind of represented as the bad guy, but only if you think that was your church. Dan Brown did a lot of church-bashing in his book, THE DA VINCI CODE, which was way more edgy in my opinion.
  
  I chucked any theological assumptions at the door and just enjoyed the computer-generated imagery, fantastic characters brought to life by exactly the right mix of actors and actresses, and had a grand adventure in a world that was brilliantly different than my own.
  
  Dakota Blue Richards was absolutely marvelous as Lyra. Ian McKellen provided the perfect bear's voice for Prince Iorek Byrnison. Sam Elliott (one of my absolute favorites) played Texas aeronaut Lee Scoresby. And Nicole Kidman was marvelous as the villainess, Mrs. Coulter. Daniel Craig breezed through his role as Lyra's uncle, Lord Asriel. Serafina Pekkala portrays the winsome witch queen with proper regal ease.
  
  The movie is a road trip, more or less, and Lyra ends up moving from one obstacle to the next perilous path at a constant pace. Even though the movie is two hours long, I felt like I'd just sat down when it was time to get up and go.
  
  In addition to providing an adventurous and headlong story, THE GOLDEN COMPASS also provides a visual feast for the eyes. The city is stunning in all its detail and beauty. The mix of Victorian pageantry mixed with steam-punk was outstanding, and there was hardly a scene shot that didn't include some impossible or imaginative thing in the background.
  
  The battle at the end of the movie felt like it had a cast of thousands, yet everything that transpired was carefully choreographed. I watched from the edge of my seat as the events that had been set into motion had played out. By the time the movie was over, I felt wrung out.
  
  I can't say that anyone involved in the movie had ulterior motives for what they did. What I can say is that THE GOLDEN COMPASS is one of the best fantasy films I've seen all year. I think it's perfectly suitable for the whole family.
  
  Now my son and I are going to have to read the books. We want to know EVERYTHING that happens, and we don't want to have to wait two years for the next movie.
  
  
  
• Let Truth Point the Way
  By A28OB1QLXN5BM6 on 2008-04-06
  I have read all three books in the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman, and I enjoyed the entire series. I also have read several articles on the making of The Golden Compass, so I was aware, very early on, that this film would end earlier than the book, and that the ending of THIS book would be the beginning of the NEXT movie. Therefore, I was not as disappointed in the end of this film as many others apparently were.
  
  IMHO, the casting of this film is dead on: Dakota Blue Richards shines as the very determined, single minded Lyra, Daniel Craig is very good as the slightly touched, windmill tilting Lord Asriel, Nicole Kidman is excellent as the true believer, yet evil Mrs. Coulter. The entire supporting cast does a fine job as well.
  
  The cinematography and the animation are both very well done. The settings are truly gorgeous. Live action and animation blend well, but do have noticeable differences. This contrast adds to the fantasy element of the film and helps to keep the viewer firmly entrenched in the world of the story.
  
  Out of necessity, this movie hits the ground running and keeps up a fast pace. The book is action-packed and filled with adventures; I imagine that there was much difficultly keeping the viewing time down to a reasonable length. That being said, an audience who had not read the book could have a hard time keeping up. I, at least, was able to fill in any gaps.
  
  I look forward to the next installment. I believe that you will like this film, especially if you are a fan of fantasy/adventure stories. I highly recommend it.
  
  
  
• Boring, but cool toys
  By A16B04BJ3CLQBG on 2008-05-03
  I really didn't like this movie. It was boring, horribly predictable, and the only compelling performance came from a character you're supposed to hate. The other characters weren't bad, but the only time I found myself actually compelled to watch the movie was when Nicole Kidman was giving the "big reveal" monologue.
  
  The best thing I liked about this movie was the steampunk technology actually, though I wished the director and writers could have figured out a way to get some explanation of the tech in there. I think it helps draw viewers in when you at least give a cursory examination to the physics of the world you've been drawn into.
  
  I'm used to church-bashing in fantasy stories. Most of the time it's only a tongue in cheek reference or small part of the story, but when the entire story is an allegory about how the evil religion that somehow strikingly resembles the catholic church, it gets a bit tiresome. It's not even nearly a veiled attack with this movie. This entire film (series, now?) is meant to denigrate the church in all its forms, and point the reader to science and "reason" as the only logical choice of what to believe in. The specific form chosen is Catholicism (more recognizable architecture and outfits for one to take their cues from) but it's obvious that the author meant to point out all religion as fallacy.
  
  I'm not even going to ask why they insisted on calling the familiars "demons", or I guess embodied souls would be more apt than familiar. The implication that the church and modern adulthood actually inhibits and ultimately seeks to separate one from their soul is also a bit disturbing. I don't care what ideology you choose to believe in, but claiming that another's ideology is completely disingenuous is patently offensive.
  
  In specific, the idea that the leaders of the churches actually know the truth of "dust", and are simply enacting a conspiracy to keep the masses in line is particularly offensive. While it may be true in the writers world, I think he fails to realize that people actually believe in their religions, whether or not the author chooses to respect or believe that.
  
  Beyond that, billing this as a "fantasy" movie, where no-one seems to have magical powers except for the witches is a bit annoying. That's another thing, somehow wiccans are good but all other forms of organized relgion are evil just baffles me. When have wiccans been driven primarily by reason and athiestic ideals? Anyways, I guess you have to have some interesting characters.
  
  I somehow get the feeling that the atheists in Hollywood were pissed that the Chronicles of Narnia is such a hit (along with The Passion of the Christ) and deliberately went out and found a story that was even a mild literary success (I'm a fantasy fan, and had never heard of this book or "His Dark Materials" before all the movie hype), and chose to thumb their collective nose at Christianity and religion in general with it.
  
  In the end, I'd rather watch or read something about how someone overcomes the adversities, finds their true self, and wins the day without that story denigrating a large segment of the global population.
  
  

• National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets [Blu-ray]
• The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep [Blu-ray]
• The Spiderwick Chronicles [Blu-ray]
• Jumper
• I Am Legend [Blu-ray]