The Golden Compass (2007)

A fantasy epic with more than a passing resemblance to the Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia film franchises, The Golden Compass takes place in an alternate universe where each human's soul is embodied in a companion animal called a daemon. Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards), an orphan who's lived most of her life among the scholars at Oxford, is intrigued when her uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig), announces his plans to travel north to investigate the source of some mysterious particles called Dust. Lyra has little hope of following her uncle until a mysterious woman named Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman, at her most icily beautiful) asks Lyra to travel north as her personal assistant. All is not as it seems, however, and the disappearance of Lyra's friend Roger (Ben Walker) sets her on a dizzying adventure. She does have an alethiometer, or golden compass, that can help her see the truth, and a number of companions, including her shape-shifting daemon, Pantalaimion (voiced by Freddie Highmore of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), polar-bear warrior Iorek Byrnison (voiced by Ian McKellen), Texas aeronaut Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliott), and witch queen Serafina Pekkala (Craig's Casino Royale co-star, Eva Green). Even before its release, The Golden Compass was the subject of controversy over its perceived anti-religious themes. While it does involve an oppressive institution called the Magisterium, it's not overtly religious, particularly to a young viewer. The movie's PG-13 rating should be taken seriously, however. Suitable for an older audience than Narnia (though younger than The Lord of the Rings), it deals with complex concepts, violence (though largely bloodless) and implied death, children and animals in peril, and an unrelentingly ominous and unsettling mood.

Despite a few changes and rearrangements, the overall plot of the movie is remarkably faithful to its source material, the first installment of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. It doesn't finish the book, however, and--much like The Fellowship of the Ring did--leaves the viewer hanging in anticipation of the next film, The Subtle Knife, due in 2009. So even though The Golden Compass is impressive--especially with its spot-on cast and terrific visual effects--we probably won't know its full emotional impact until the story is complete. --David Horiuchi Amazon.com

 Atheist Propaganda
Short and sweet: If you value your (or your children's) spiritual health, you will first do your homework on this collection of "fantasy fiction" and find out about its author's underlying motives: to prosletyze the unwitting into throwing away faith and all that is good and wholesome according to a loving God. But don't just take my word for it... go do the research for yourself!

Peace. May 8, 2008

 Haven't read the book yet...
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. May 8, 2008

 YEAH WOO HOO IT ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its a awsome movie it rocks!!! Theres a good story line, full of action and drama. How could people not like it? I think the ice bears are awsome Iorek! =] May 8, 2008

 The Golden Compass is the most amazing Blu-Ray title yet
After being disappointed with several Blu-Ray titles and nearly regretting ever buying a player, this title excels with clarity that I demand. You really see the detail with the 1920x1080p resolution (on a 1920x1080 LCD). Every strand of hair and snow particle was absolutely clear (even when not in the center of the screen) and defeats the theatrical experience.

I saw this movie five times in theaters, but when I viewed this on Blu-Ray, I noticed two new details. They also perfectly cleaned up the 4-5 seconds of graininess of when Lyra enters the conference room at Jordan that was horrid in theaters. The only minor complaint I have is the added grain during the New Line golden company intro (the first 3 seconds). Any other grain during the film was absolutely minimum. That was surprising considering the numerous dark scenes.

The content of the movie itself is as amazing as it is charming. My girlfriend and I quote the movie all the time. We dread the possibility of the studios not doing the sequels. If they can complete the trilogy with the same quality as this one, I will hail it as the best trilogy ever. That's not a small feat as I defend the LOTR trilogy as the best thus far and likely the best in my lifetime. May 6, 2008

 Great adaptation, excellent acting and effects
I love fantasy and adventure stories have read and enjoyed the books by Philip Pullman on which the movie is based. The movie did a great job of bringing the story to life and giving enough of the background details from the book to keep the story moving without bogging things down. I feel the movie was very true to the books and gorgeous to watch. The actors are all top notch and captured the spirit of the characters in the book. Dakota Blue Richards is absolutely perfect as Lyra. May 6, 2008

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