The Golden Compass
After overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) trades her carefree existence roaming the halls of Jordan College for an otherworldly adventure in the far North, unaware that it's part of her destiny. Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Sam Elliott co-star in this fantasy-laden family adventure based on the first book of the Philip Pullman trilogy His Dark Materials.
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While I can certainly appreciate fantasy films (I'm a huge Lord of the Rings fan), I could not appreciate The Golden Compass at all. Not even mildly entertaining. There's no character development and the film seems incredibly rushed. There's repeatedly not enough exposition given to explain the nature of the universe, and I eventually just gave up trying to figure it out. It's clear the film needed a much longer running time (a la LoTR) to do Pullman's novel any justice. Lastly, there's no way Daniel Craig should have received top billing on the poster -- he's got maybe five to seven minutes of screen time.- hipolito7
This review contains a spoiler, read it at your own caution... Let me save everyone a little bit of time... this movie doesn't end; questions are left unanswered and there is no resolution. Normally I wouldn't mind (Lord of the Rings and The Empire Strikes Back are some of my favorites), but since but since the movie did so poorly at the box office, you'll never find out what happens (unless, of course, if you read the books or use Wikipedia). The other problem with this movie is the audience. Who was this movie made for, children or adults? I found the beginning of the movie very childish and I quickly lost interest. Then, towards the end of the film, it became increasingly violent, to the point where I wouldn't feel comfortable letting a young child watch it. I enjoy Daniel Craig, its a shame to see him in such a poorly crafted movie.
- Mr Awesome
Yow, what a disappointment! If I hadn't read the book this beautiful-looking action amalgamation would have made absolutely no sense. Having read the book, the screenwriter's choices make absolutely no sense to me. It's as if someone took a stack of 3x5 cards containing key plot snippets and dropped them all over the floor. Then they picked up only half of them and tried to make a movie out of it, bending and diluting the book in order to cram it into two hours. Dakota Blue is beautiful (although disturbingly looks twice her age) and does her best and Nicole Kidman is beautiful and disturbingly evil, but the CGI can't save this movie. Do yourself a favor and read the book - skip the flick.
- Cannes-on-Swamp
I was a little sceptical that this book would translate well to film especially because it deals with some pretty deep subjects. I think if I had not read the book first I would be really confused or completely unaffected. Meh.
- NSmall47
A good movie, but I was expecting something excellent. Not a major disappointment, but a minor let-down.
- earthclimate
I didn't dislike it enough to give it only two stars but, at the same time, I don't recommend it. It's a little disjointed and there's very little depth. It feels like a one-hour episode of a TV series. Unlike others, I didn't mind the CGI animals, but, not having read the book, I didn't understand much of anything about the daemons, Dust, etc. Questions re the alethiometer, like doesn't it remove free will if you have a device that can truthfully answer any question you have about where to go or what to do, aren't addressed. All in all, I don't recommend it.
- Miriam G NYC
Read the book. Otherwise the movie will make no sense at all. Even then, the movie still fails because the story's been truncated so badly. A pity, since the actors are great, and the film looks beautiful. So I'll say it again: read the book.
- Pat X
The special effects are fantastic as they should be for a large budget movie, but I was terribly disappointed with the film as a whole. I felt that there was a wealth of information just beneath the surface that was never revealed to me. It strikes me as a poor job by the writers to produce a screenplay with the same involvement as the books must clearly have held (international best sellers and award winners). Also, the books form a trilogy and the Golden Compass is just the first of the three, so the story does not conclude all of its different parts in this film. I tried very hard to find some form of an antichristian message, but there is little to be found; the best I could do was see where the book might possibly have a subtle hint.
- Mastermindobu
I don't often say this about movies but this one would have been a whole lot better if it were about 45 minutes longer. The ending, and I realize that its is based on the 1st book of 3 in the Dark Materials series, but honestly the movie just ends.. No questions were really answered about anything. I have never in my life saw a movie that in 113 minutes didn't complete a single plot line throughout. Now I will definitely have to see the sequel, because these unanswered plot lines are interesting, I just wish some questions were answered in the first movie. On another note I think that PG-13 might be a little underrated in this case. A bear gets his jaw ripped off, and multiple people die. R would have been to high though, I wouldn't recommend this movie for the 10 and under crowd.
- Partypeanut
Ughhh. This movie was a disaster. Too much information in too short a time. The story is PRETTY to look but that is quickly lost in the maze of information that is handed to you. It was very hard to keep and interest and the lead girl I felt was not the best actress for this role. A lot of things didn't really make sense either as to why certain things were certain ways. I know probably having a background in the book would help, but I feel that if your going to make a movie about a book you should have enough detail but not tooo much information to have it all make sense. It seemed like this movie tried to hard to be like "Narnia" and it which case I thought it failed. Would I recommend this film? No, not at all. If you want to pique your curiosity then at least use this one as a filler in your queue but don't bother rushing for this.
- *~*Sullivans*~*
Blah, blah, blah - English accent, English accent, English accent. Stuff happens but it's really fantastical and pretty. A convoluted, almost indecipherable plot, gets in the way of amazing visuals.
- simplygreg
Lyra Silvertongue is an orphaned, eleven-year-old girl residing at Jordan College, Oxford. She decides to hide in a room she shouldn't be in and sees the Headmaster attempt to poision her uncle (so she was told) Lord Asriel. He dosen't punish her but tells her to hide and spy on the rest attending the meeting.Lyra meets Mrs. Marisa Coulter,who offers to take Lyra away from Jordan College to become her apprentice. Before she leaves the college she is given a golden pocket watch by the head master & was sworn to keep it secert. Lyra finds out Mrs Coulter is head of GOB "General Oblation Board". She became suspicious when Mrs. Coulter's dæmon (a golden monkey named Ozymandias)searches Lyra's room for the alethiometer. The writers didnt go deep enuff for me to explain the connection with ones dæmon expect to say it holds ones soul. The special effects really made this movie,makes it worth viewing. I feel it was rushed and the ending was unclear. I will say its not a kid movie 5/25
- RoUgH WaVe
I was not familiar with the books, but saw from the previews on TV this would be a fun ride with talking animals, a really good cast, and a basic good vs. evil plot. Sounds like (and basically is) a made-for-children Harry Potter/Narnia story. This is all true and all enjoyable including the winterland scenery. The only knock from me is following the motivation and storyline of the bad guys. It's true I'm a simpleton so maybe this one is too stuffy for me and aimed more at people who want their fantasy dished out with complicated underlying back stories. Perhaps it will become clearer with the next movie, which I fully intend to see on DVD when it comes out. 6/08
- Skorpean
Compass is an outstanding showcase of visual effects, with great acting, and a pretty reasonable tale to go along with them. Whatever religious themes were going on that led to controversy over this movie - I didn't notice them and didn't care in the least. I just know that the movie tells an interesting story, though some of it is definitely muddy and rushed for those who have not read the novel. It's a beautiful movie though, and most of the CG is amazing. The Polar Bears, the "Fairy" dust, etc. They should have won many awards for the visual effects alone.
- MCWHAMMER
This is a very good looking film. Unfortunately it is so rushed that there is no character development. I didn't care what happened to the characters because I never got to know them. This wouldn't be too big a problem if the rest of the movie wasn't so boring. The only parts worth seeing are the segments with the armored bear. I was not a huge fan of the book, but it was far superior to the film. Overall, this film was a great disappointment and I don't recommend it.
- Brody
Misc church people warned people against this movie, and I must say they are full of IT! There is no religious references in this movie, well maybe besides the word Dæmon which in this case has nothing to do with Satan's minions. This movie was way better than Narnia and up there rivaling Harry Potter, I recommend it for the entire family. But if you get it please PAY ATTENTION, it is very easy to get lost and confused.
- Digitalbrian
A fantasy movie about a little girl who goes on a scarey adventure to save a group of kinapped children, which turns out to be a part of a much bigger global conspiracy. It takes place in an alternate universe where every human has an accompanying pet that talks. There are also friendly witches and enormous talking polar bears. I haven't read the books and don't know if philosophy becomes a major point of the following installments, but this movie was well made, entertaining, and innocent.
- GS Chicago
It seems almost inevitable that The Golden Compass will be compared to the novel version. And as anyone who has ever read a book knows, it just cant measure up. The film version of The Golden Compass has only a fraction of the complexity, intensity and beauty of the novel, but that shouldnt be how a film is judged. The film does not really feel like a independent entity. It moves very quickly, almost as though the filmmakers were trying to jam as many scenes from the book into a set amount of time. There is a lack of moral complexity to the characters and the plot arc of the film; everything is drawn in binary terms. Nonetheless, there is a certain escapist appeal to the film; it has some great effects and beautiful scenery, and solid acting performances. It is an entertaining film, but falls short of the complexity of the novel, and never really feels like the filmmakers wanted the film to stand on its own, it moves so quickly and just glances at the themes it seems to want to develop. See it, but dont bring too many expectations.
- Dlukenelson
Based on the first book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, this religiously controversial soft-core epic spends most of it's time introducing us to its steampunk-esque alternate reality. It's an environment dominated by splashy FX and grand set pieces but is an otherwise emotionally barren landscape unlike Middle Earth or Potter's Hogwarts. The plot works reasonably well for what seems mostly intended to be setup for future films. And Nicole Kidman is suitably cold as the nazi-like villian of the film. There are tedious periods of lengthy discussion here and there but these spots are typically punctuated with enough action to keep the viewer interested. The scenes with the armor clad polar bears are especially appealing, borderline awesome, and probably will be the highlight of the movie for most. Lastly, regarding the religious controversy: I didn't see the big deal but from what I understand, the church-like parallels are actually downplayed vs. the original written material. If you think this may be offensive on principle, avoid. Otherwise, it's a grand spectacle most should enjoy for one reason or another; 3.5 stars.
- Creeper
I've not read Phillip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" books, so I cannot speak to the translation from book to film. I'm judging this as a Fantasy/Adventure movie with no prejudices. This movie FELT like a prequel...like set-up for future movies. Of course, there are supposed to be two more, but it shouldn't FEEL like that. The plot, on a basic very level, was decent enough. The problem was pace; the movie flows for a bit, then stops for boring dialogue and then flows a bit more, then stops for more boring dialogue. It all seems very rushed. This movie would have been better if it were two movies (I know, it defeats the purpose of a trilogy if you break the first book into two movies, but still...) or a lot longer. The plot sounds like it would make for an interesting read; I'll have to pick up Pullman's book someday. The look of the movie is fantastic. The armor-clad polar bears are just stunning! Craig and Kidman both gave good performances. Unfortunately, there is little character development. This movie barely earns 2 stars for the stunning visuals. 18 June 2008
- poohbear7882
The special effects in The Golden Compass are truly dazzling and actually go a long way towards making the film worth seeing anyway. But even so, one can't help notice that the same magic and ease of storytelling present in Lord of the Rings, or The Chronicles of Narnia are missing. Those stories progressed naturally, almost telling themselves. But here the plot seems very uneven, progressing along at breakneck speed as it bites off huge chunks of timeline, only to come to a screeching halt for the characters to explain what is happening and where they are going. A lot of ground must be covered in a fairly short amount of time and it always feels like it. But that's just the kind of tale it is, and to omit too much would leave the viewer in even more of a lurch of confusion than he already is. The Golden Compass is meant to be read, not seen, and unfortunately even the big money bags of New Line Cinema, that set precedent with the outrageously successful Lord of the Rings series, can change that.
- Frank W
For my money, THE GOLDEN COMPASS is much better than STARDUST, but it's still not my brand of fantasy. I prefer sword-and-sorcery to talking animals, I guess. The controversy surrounding this movie probably helped it at the box office. As a religious allegory, it seems pretty tame to me. The special effects are dazzling and the acting is top-notch, especially from young Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra and Nicole Kidman as the evil female lead. Is her name really Miss Coulter? Sam Elliot also has a memorable role. If you like flying ships and talking bears, this one is for you.
- Firewater