I haven't read any of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Triology (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass), so I'm judging The Golden Compass on its own merits. In the tradition of Tolkien or Rowling, Pullman has created an amazingly complex alternate universe populated by armored polar bears, daemons (a human's soul, which is present as an animal that walks alongside its owner and mirrors his/her behavior), and the ominous Magisterium, which seeks to control any hint of magic, including the mysterious Dust.
The film opens with the precocious Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) defying some other children her own age; she's always getting into trouble at school. However, her penchant for being where she's not supposed to saves the life of her uncle Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig, better known as the new Bond), who's wrapped up in discovering the source of Dust and alternate worlds. As such, he's a threat to the Magisterium, and they want him eliminated. The beautiful, icy Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman) swoops in and dazzles Lyra, offering to take her up North where the armored bears live. Meanwhile, children are mysteriously disappearing from school, taken by the Gobblers, and when Lyra's friend Roger disappears, she sets off to find him (strangely enough, my first thought at seeing how the male children were dressed in this universe was Afghanistan; their vests and hats bore a striking resemblance to Afghani costume).
It only becomes more confusing from there as the backstory is not adequately explained; we have no gradual introduction to the characters or their motivations, and it took me a while to sort everything out. There are numerous elements at work, including the Gyptians, Magesterium, and armored bears. The film's stellar cast (Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Freddie Highmore, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee) felt underutilized, and what could have been powerful performances felt like overacted cameos. The film may be a visual treat, steeped in impressive CGI and eye-popping Art Deco that reminded me of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, but many times it seemed that the visuals upstaged the tattered story. The storytelling was disjointed at times, feeling too rushed in some places and too slow in others. The climactic battle scene felt forced, unnecessary, and far too long (and disturbingly graphic for what was otherwise a generally non-violent movie). The PG-13 rating for the violence didn't mesh with the storytelling and execution, which seemed geared towards a much younger audience. The ending is clearly set up for a sequel, and felt disappointing after sitting through the too-long battle scenes; just as the final confrontation approached, the credits played. But overall, Golden Compass is richly imagined and a visual treat, and I look forward to reading the books that inspired it.
Based on author Philip Pullman's bestselling and award-winning novel, The Golden Compass tells the first story in Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy...More at HotMovieSale.com
Based on author Philip Pullman s bestselling and award-winning novel, The Golden Compass tells the first story in Pullman s His Dark Materials trilogy...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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