The Golden Compass

[jedibear]

Saw this film today....

I enjoyed it very much. I think we're seeing another case of the critics making much ado about nothing as far as "controversy" and the complaints I've read...well, I just didn't see them. I think I liked Ebert's even-handed review best (despite a couple of his mis-steps in re-counting the movie's story):

https://www.goldencompassmovie.com/blog_images/RogerEbert.jpg

Is it a perfect movie? No...it does suffer from the "board room jitters" with the editing (especially the sudden end...more on that in a moment) and some of the effects are a little undercooked (most notably, some of the smaller animal daemons and some slight mismatching green screen work in the arctic sequences but nothing to stop the movie cold)...but it generally is a real feast visually, with an interesting design sense in it's "alternate universe".

I've never read the books, but thanks to a brief opening narration that quickly explains the "alternate universe" and "daemon" concepts, it was easy to just get swept along with Lara's story and just take the story elements at face value...it actually was good that the movie didn't spend a lot of plodding exposition explaining it's politics and everyone's motivations were pretty clear just in the course of the story.

Now it does move along at a pretty good clip...almost too quickly...one is left with the sense that there could be an expanded cut of this on DVD someday fleshing out some of the story and characters a bit. All of the actors...both the onscreen and voice ones...make the most of their limited screen time to great effect. Sam Elliot in particular plays the same kind of character we've seen him do before, but in this fantasy world, it adds a sense of the familiar, as does the stern vocal tones of Ian McKellen as Iorek, Lara's polar bear companion.

That ending...I went with someone who is very familiar with the books and commented that while it seemed a bit lackluster and abrupt, it made sense for the movie...to help it "stand alone" a little better...yes, there is a huge "come back for the sequel" vibe to it, but not as much as there would have been with the original book's ending. Funny thing as, if you've viewed the trailers for the film, you've seen the "original" ending...young Lara falling from the airship into the cloudy abyss...the end! For a first chapter in a movie series, that most likely would've tee'd off audiences even more. Word is they are saving that sequence to open the next film with...

If there is a next film...with all the bad buzz this movie is getting, it may not have the opportunity to find the audience that would embrace it. I think older audiences will enjoy it...it's thought-provoking and visually beautiful. The so-called "anti-religious" content has been tamed, but anyone paying attention gets the real message here of anti-authority and maintaining free will that is being presented. As I mentioned, the book lover I caught the movie with loved it and said it maintained the spirit of the novels well...and let's remember, another great movie series based on beloved books took some liberties with some story elements and worked quite well (LOTR)...and as someone who came into the world of the "Golden Compass" uninitiated, I throughly enjoyed the trip and hope there's more to come...

Now if only Sideshow would get the license to produce some 1:6 scale figures...I'd love to see "Lord Asriel" and "Lee Scorsby" figures....

 

[tomandshell]

Thanks for your review!

I will probably catch a matinee some time next week.

 

[piccolodaimaoh]

Saw it Friday night and loved it. Favorite parts involved the Polar Bear tribe, they were really cool. I hope they finish the His Dark Materials Trilogy.

 

[darthviper107]

I liked the film a lot, an while it's not perfect, it's better than a lot of the other fantasy/effects-heavy films we've gotten recently. The young actress playing Lyra was much better than I had expected, the trailers really diminished her character. It's really entertaining and as far as controversy goes--while the points are there, it really shouldn't be an issue, I don't think many people would notice the issues if they weren't told about it, much less children so it's really kind of ridiculous.

 

[Darklord Dave]

I've read the books but never really thought they were as adaptable as LotR or Harry Potter. But Weitz did an admirable job. I thoroughly enjoyed it from the beginning to end. I do wish it were longer and there were a few more transitions. McKellan's character was fantastic and very well performed. And Kidman remains stunning as well as great actress.

Some of the changes that were made actually enhanced the story even while simplifying it.

I hope it does well so they'll make the sequels. The anti-religiosity gets a bit more blatant as the series progresses and it will be interesting to see how Weitz handles it. It seems obvious he has a love of the material and while I think LotR could have been made with a different director than Jackson, I doubt any other director would have wanted to tackle His Dark Materials.

 

[Darth Caedus]

This review I read pretty much sums it up for me...

Turns out my instincts on this film were right on the money. For all of the twisting plotlines, CGI animals, eccentric characters and big names THE GOLDEN COMPASS throws at us, the film is a decidedly mediocre fantasy film. There were ideas going on here that I really liked, but the way this movie seems to rush through the details turned me off to any sense of magic and wonder I wanted to feel. Young newcomer Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra is quite good, but even her ability to decipher and use the titular compass to help her get out of tight situations seemed like cheating. We never see her figure out how to use the object, and once she does, she uses it over and over again to save herself, rather than, you know, using her cunning or intellect.

The film's plot seems borrowed from other, far better fantasy works (the voice work of Ian McKellen as the ice/polar bear Iorek doesn't help discourage such thinking). The other way the film feels like a cheat is that Craig, Green and Kidman aren't in the film very much. Granted, there are hints that their roles will be expanded in the coming two parts of this trilogy, but plastering their faces and names over every trailer, billboard and print ad for this movie gives us certain expectations.

But unmet expectations aren't what bothered me most about THE GOLDEN COMPASS. No, the real trouble is that there is zero character development, and I never really cared who lived or died during the course of this film. There were a couple exceptions. Sam Elliott is wonderful as the seemingly misplaced cowboy Lee Scoresby, who puts Lyra in touch with Iorek, an outcast bear that longs to battle the king of the snow bears, Ragnar (voiced by Ian McShane), once more. Their beautifully staged fight scene is the best this film has to offer, if only for its shocking payoff. And I liked the idea that all humans in this alternative but similar universe to our own have their souls manifesting themselves as animal companions.

I figured the true test of this film's worth would be whether it inspired me to read Philip Pullman's “His Dark Materials” trilogy. It did not. This tale of missing children and talking animals and the mysterious Dust and warped ways of thinking about science and religion might be wondrous on the printed page, but as a film it's largely a failure. The bad guys are a little too obviously bad, while the good guys are simply boring and hopelessly white-bread. The main reason I'm even a little curious about the next two films (assuming they make them) is that I think they'll be better works assuming the stories are more compelling and dig a little deeper into these characters. The last 10 minutes of THE GOLDEN COMPASS consists of the audience being told what still needs to be done in the next two films. Take my word that there is nothing more thrilling the being read aloud the outline of two book sequels. In a season that has given and will continue to give us so many great films, there had to be a misfire in the batch somewhere, I guess. Welcome to it.

 

[darth dypshyt]

Will definitely catch this at the cinema later in the month...The trailer looked good.

 

[King Darkness]

Is this the new James Bond movie where he fights polar bear terrorists

 

[Darth Caedus]

Is this the new James Bond movie where he fights polar bear terrorists

Indeed it is

 

[IronFingaz]

There were anti-religious stuff in it

 

[carbo-fation]

I enjoyed the books and will def. be watching this movie, no matter what the critics say.

 

[Jair]

Wife and I enjoyed it, it seemed to be a second tier of Fantasy film...much like Narnia, not as good as LOTR but enjoyable non the less.

I've only finished the first of Pullman's books and while I enjoyed it, it didn't make much difference to me the changes to the book they did for the film, though I've heard they actually has a close to 3 hour cut of the film but New Line Execs wanted it just under 2 hrs, so hoping for a really nice directors cut.

One of the first things my wife mentioned to me after the film was that there seemed to be a lot of statue/figure material for the right company


Evan

 

[Kookie]

Hey New Line....get your head out of your ass!!!

Golden Compass is a complete bomb at 26 million opening weekend. Get PJ on the phone today and finalize the deal on The Hobbit and the prequel/sequel whatever.

Time for Hollywood to wake up....stop making films that attack American moral values...the people have spoken with their wallet!!!!!

 

[masterside]

I love this univers! and its a good representation by chris Weitz

 

[Darth Caedus]

It felt to me, that someone read the book...took out all the important parts and put them in the movie, but didn't link the parts together. Some parts, I was just staring at the screen saying: "wtf is happening?" and don't get me started on the ending, I was waiting for the big climax between kidman and bond, and then the movie just ended. the movie built me up to that and just ended. I honestly was suprised that the movie didn't have like 10-15 minutes left, I looked back at the projector to see if it malfunctioned. But I enjoyed the movie for what it was, just feel that it could have been much more.

 

[Jair]

Hey New Line....get your head out of your ass!!!

Golden Compass is a complete bomb at 26 million opening weekend. Get PJ on the phone today and finalize the deal on The Hobbit and the prequel/sequel whatever.

Time for Hollywood to wake up....stop making films that attack American moral values...the people have spoken with their wallet!!!!!

Not sure where I see an attack on moral values in the film

Typical fantasy film where there is an oppresive force trying to control everything, granted the books are more detailed, but I don't see anything different here then the average Star Wars empire reference.


Evan

 

[Darth Caedus]

Not sure where I see an attack on moral values in the film

Typical fantasy film where there is an oppresive force trying to control everything, granted the books are more detailed, but I don't see anything different here then the average Star Wars empire reference.


Evan

Yea, from what my friend who read the books tell me, if they adapted it more like the book, they would be attacking the church's moral values, not america's moral values.

 

[Darklord Dave]

This tale of missing children and talking animals and the mysterious Dust and warped ways of thinking about science and religion might be wondrous on the printed page, but as a film it's largely a failure.

This extract from the above review tells me that the reviewer was trying to give the appearance of being fair, but had an agenda to attack the film no matter it's qualities.

 

[Anzik]

I had tried reading the novel in '97 and just couldn't get into it.
After I heard Pullman's admission that it was a deliberate attempt to attack Christianity and was aimed at young people, I was disgusted.

If you want to make an anti religion book, or anti anything book go right ahead, but be up front about it, don't try and be sneaky and spike the punch. Especially to kids. If you want to be religious fine. If you want to be an atheist, fine. But I wouldn't want someone speaking to my child about the merits or flaws of either position.

Sorry, just needed to say that.

 

[darthviper107]

I had tried reading the novel in '97 and just couldn't get into it.
After I heard Pullman's admission that it was a deliberate attempt to attack Christianity and was aimed at young people, I was disgusted.

If you want to make an anti religion book, or anti anything book go right ahead, but be up front about it, don't try and be sneaky and spike the punch. Especially to kids. If you want to be religious fine. If you want to be an atheist, fine. But I wouldn't want someone speaking to my child about the merits or flaws of either position.

Sorry, just needed to say that.

Actually from what I heard he was misquoted on that. Really he is an athiest and this is sort of his answer to the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis, but I think you can still enjoy it beyond thinking it attacks the church. The main issues is that is saying that the Magisterium (sp?) is like the church and is trying to control everyone and stop belief in the idea of 'dust' (science) which is the natural way the world works. I also heard in the last book that the characters 'kill' god, but I haven't read them so I don't really know for sure.

I don't really care about what message it has as far as religion goes, I don't think it'll mess with my mind and children won't understand so it's not an issue.

Enjoy it for what it is.