My family, for the past few years, has gone out to the movies on Christmas Day. Considering that I have two young nieces, the movies we go to have to be family appropriate or appropriate enough for the young ones to watch. This couldn’t keep me from suggesting that we go out and see “Alien vs. Predator – Requiem,” but that was more to see how my parents would react because I already knew what their answer would be. Just imagine what their reaction would have been if I suggested that we see “Wolf Creek” instead of “The Chronicles Of Narnia.”
This year we ended up splitting two movies between us. While one half of the family went to see Disney’s “Enchanted,” I went with my dad and step niece to see “The Golden Compass.” This movie has been the subject of much controversy recently as many Catholics have loudly boycotted it because the author of the book the movie is based on, Phillip Pullman, is an atheist. They fear that this movie will subject their children to a world without religion and that it will encourage them to abandon everything the church holds dear. Of course, this gives me more of a reason to see it because controversies usually arise from ridiculous instead of good old common sense. Besides, what you resist you empower.
“The Golden Compass” is hardly the atheist horror that many have painted it out to be. Rather, it is a movie that challenges the authority that its characters are subjected to, and how it tells the people to live and what to think among other things. My dad has read the book the movie is based on, and he said that it was indeed very faithful to the source material. He also informed me that at most, the book and the movie is really more anti-hierarchy than it is anti-catholic. Watching the movie, I could see his point as many of the main characters fight against what the society the live in wants them to believe. Rules are made to be broken.
The movie itself was well-made for the most part, and it features a great cast including Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig who appeared in last summer’s “The Invasion.” I never got around to seeing that one, but this looks to be the better of the two by far. The movie also reunites Craig with his “Casino Royale” co-star Eva Green who co-stars here as Serafina Pekkala. Makes me wonder if there will ever be a game called “Six degrees of Daniel Craig.” If he makes enough movies, there could be a possibility of him giving Kevin Bacon a run for his money!
The story revolves around a 13 year old orphaned girl named Lyra Belacqua, played here by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards. She is allowed to become an assistant to Marisa Coulter (Nicole Kidman), and to travel outside of the school. However, Marisa’s intentions towards Lyra turn out to be anything but nice. What Marisa is really after is the golden compass that Lyra came into possession of before she left with her. Lyra was instructed to give this to her Uncle Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) should she run into him on her voyage. The golden compass turns out to be an Alethiometer, and it tells the truth of whatever or whoever is being observed. It soon turns out that Lyra is the only one who can read it, so this makes Miss Coulter all the more desperate to get her back after she escapes her clutches and goes on the run with a variety of characters who take her to the arctic to reach her uncle before Coulter and the members of the Magisterium do.
Ok, enough talking about the plot. For the most part, I did enjoy “The Golden Compass” for its acting and look which is quite beautiful. It manages to stand on its own as a unique fantasy story that is very involving, and it features a teenage heroine who is refreshingly wise beyond her years. Dakota Blue Richards is truly remarkable here as Lyra, and she is perfectly cast as a girl who dares to think for herself instead of being led by the blind. This is teenage rebellion at its most justified! Apparently, Dakota wrote a letter to the filmmakers telling them that she is this character. Further proof that seeing is believing!
Nicole Kidman is also perfectly cast here as Marisa Coulter, the chief villainess of the movie who wishes come before anyone else’s. With Marisa’s last name, I cannot help but think that the psychotic conservative fanatic Ann is a descendent of hers. The thought is quite tempting, and it could lead to yet another game called the “six degrees of Ann Coulter.” Of course, Marisa has just about nothing on Kidman’s character from “Margot At The Wedding” who is a more fearsome bitch than Coulter could ever be (Marisa that is).
The movie also features some well known actors doing voiceover work. Some of the work is so good that when you see the cast credits at the end of the movie, you almost won’t believe who it is doing which character. The most recognizable voice in the movie here is Ian McKellen who plays the badass polar bear Iorek Byrnison who fights a nasty battle to gain back his lost honor and his lost honor which he cannot fight without. Ian helps make Iorek one of the most memorable characters in the movie. Also doing voices in the movie are Kathy Bates, Ian McShane, and Kristen Scott Thomas among others.
But while I did enjoy this movie, I can’t say that I loved it as much as my dad and step niece did. One of the things that bugged me the most is that it is more than transparent that New Line Cinemas is trying to create another franchise here in the fantasy genre a la “Lord Of The Rings.” The more apparent it was, the more it took away from my enjoyment of the movie. It makes this movie seem like more of a setup for the rest of the trilogy that may or may not come in the future. So far, the movie has proven to be a big box office disappointment domestically, and it may make this series begin and end at the same time. However, it is doing very well overseas, so you never know.
Problem is, each “Lord Of The Rings” movie stood on its own and was not simply another part of a big whole. “The Golden Compass” does not quite feel like that, and this is regardless that the movie does seemingly follow the book very closely and ends the way the book did, the whole “to be continued” feeling is frustrating. Granted, this is a trilogy of books, and fitting them into one movie would have been horrifically stupid to say the least. But this movie still feels somewhat incomplete.
Part of it may be due to the fact that many of the characters are not fully integrated into the story. Daniel Craig is in the movie, but we don’t actually see that much of him here. Ditto Eva Green who appears once or twice in the movie as the witch Serafina Pekkala. My guess is that these characters are here because we will be seeing them again in future installments, so they are here to be established as characters so that they don’t get thrown into the next movie without much of an introduction. But the fact that they are not fully part of the plot here takes away from their presence here. Had these characters had more actions here related to the story, then they would have worked out better.
Still, if you can get past these detractions, you will find that “The Golden Compass” is an enjoyable fantasy picture that will most likely make you want to read the book that it is based on. It may pale in comparison to “The Lord Of The Rings” and even the Harry Potter movies, but it does manage to stand on its own. Whatever you think of it, you will be eager to see the next chapter in this story be made into a movie. That is of course, assuming that New Line will make a sequel after its poor box office performance here. We’ll just have to wait and see.
By far, the best thing about “The Golden Compass” is Dakota Blue Richards who effortlessly steps into the character of Lyra with ease, and creates one of the most memorable heroines we could ever hope to see in a fantasy movie. In many ways, here great performance is alone worth the price of admission.
*** out of ****
This year we ended up splitting two movies between us. While one half of the family went to see Disney’s “Enchanted,” I went with my dad and step niece to see “The Golden Compass.” This movie has been the subject of much controversy recently as many Catholics have loudly boycotted it because the author of the book the movie is based on, Phillip Pullman, is an atheist. They fear that this movie will subject their children to a world without religion and that it will encourage them to abandon everything the church holds dear. Of course, this gives me more of a reason to see it because controversies usually arise from ridiculous instead of good old common sense. Besides, what you resist you empower.
“The Golden Compass” is hardly the atheist horror that many have painted it out to be. Rather, it is a movie that challenges the authority that its characters are subjected to, and how it tells the people to live and what to think among other things. My dad has read the book the movie is based on, and he said that it was indeed very faithful to the source material. He also informed me that at most, the book and the movie is really more anti-hierarchy than it is anti-catholic. Watching the movie, I could see his point as many of the main characters fight against what the society the live in wants them to believe. Rules are made to be broken.
The movie itself was well-made for the most part, and it features a great cast including Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig who appeared in last summer’s “The Invasion.” I never got around to seeing that one, but this looks to be the better of the two by far. The movie also reunites Craig with his “Casino Royale” co-star Eva Green who co-stars here as Serafina Pekkala. Makes me wonder if there will ever be a game called “Six degrees of Daniel Craig.” If he makes enough movies, there could be a possibility of him giving Kevin Bacon a run for his money!
The story revolves around a 13 year old orphaned girl named Lyra Belacqua, played here by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards. She is allowed to become an assistant to Marisa Coulter (Nicole Kidman), and to travel outside of the school. However, Marisa’s intentions towards Lyra turn out to be anything but nice. What Marisa is really after is the golden compass that Lyra came into possession of before she left with her. Lyra was instructed to give this to her Uncle Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) should she run into him on her voyage. The golden compass turns out to be an Alethiometer, and it tells the truth of whatever or whoever is being observed. It soon turns out that Lyra is the only one who can read it, so this makes Miss Coulter all the more desperate to get her back after she escapes her clutches and goes on the run with a variety of characters who take her to the arctic to reach her uncle before Coulter and the members of the Magisterium do.
Ok, enough talking about the plot. For the most part, I did enjoy “The Golden Compass” for its acting and look which is quite beautiful. It manages to stand on its own as a unique fantasy story that is very involving, and it features a teenage heroine who is refreshingly wise beyond her years. Dakota Blue Richards is truly remarkable here as Lyra, and she is perfectly cast as a girl who dares to think for herself instead of being led by the blind. This is teenage rebellion at its most justified! Apparently, Dakota wrote a letter to the filmmakers telling them that she is this character. Further proof that seeing is believing!
Nicole Kidman is also perfectly cast here as Marisa Coulter, the chief villainess of the movie who wishes come before anyone else’s. With Marisa’s last name, I cannot help but think that the psychotic conservative fanatic Ann is a descendent of hers. The thought is quite tempting, and it could lead to yet another game called the “six degrees of Ann Coulter.” Of course, Marisa has just about nothing on Kidman’s character from “Margot At The Wedding” who is a more fearsome bitch than Coulter could ever be (Marisa that is).
The movie also features some well known actors doing voiceover work. Some of the work is so good that when you see the cast credits at the end of the movie, you almost won’t believe who it is doing which character. The most recognizable voice in the movie here is Ian McKellen who plays the badass polar bear Iorek Byrnison who fights a nasty battle to gain back his lost honor and his lost honor which he cannot fight without. Ian helps make Iorek one of the most memorable characters in the movie. Also doing voices in the movie are Kathy Bates, Ian McShane, and Kristen Scott Thomas among others.
But while I did enjoy this movie, I can’t say that I loved it as much as my dad and step niece did. One of the things that bugged me the most is that it is more than transparent that New Line Cinemas is trying to create another franchise here in the fantasy genre a la “Lord Of The Rings.” The more apparent it was, the more it took away from my enjoyment of the movie. It makes this movie seem like more of a setup for the rest of the trilogy that may or may not come in the future. So far, the movie has proven to be a big box office disappointment domestically, and it may make this series begin and end at the same time. However, it is doing very well overseas, so you never know.
Problem is, each “Lord Of The Rings” movie stood on its own and was not simply another part of a big whole. “The Golden Compass” does not quite feel like that, and this is regardless that the movie does seemingly follow the book very closely and ends the way the book did, the whole “to be continued” feeling is frustrating. Granted, this is a trilogy of books, and fitting them into one movie would have been horrifically stupid to say the least. But this movie still feels somewhat incomplete.
Part of it may be due to the fact that many of the characters are not fully integrated into the story. Daniel Craig is in the movie, but we don’t actually see that much of him here. Ditto Eva Green who appears once or twice in the movie as the witch Serafina Pekkala. My guess is that these characters are here because we will be seeing them again in future installments, so they are here to be established as characters so that they don’t get thrown into the next movie without much of an introduction. But the fact that they are not fully part of the plot here takes away from their presence here. Had these characters had more actions here related to the story, then they would have worked out better.
Still, if you can get past these detractions, you will find that “The Golden Compass” is an enjoyable fantasy picture that will most likely make you want to read the book that it is based on. It may pale in comparison to “The Lord Of The Rings” and even the Harry Potter movies, but it does manage to stand on its own. Whatever you think of it, you will be eager to see the next chapter in this story be made into a movie. That is of course, assuming that New Line will make a sequel after its poor box office performance here. We’ll just have to wait and see.
By far, the best thing about “The Golden Compass” is Dakota Blue Richards who effortlessly steps into the character of Lyra with ease, and creates one of the most memorable heroines we could ever hope to see in a fantasy movie. In many ways, here great performance is alone worth the price of admission.
*** out of ****
I remember reading this review back when the film came out. Good review.
I didn't mind this as much as everyone else did.
Thank you Jerry!
There is definitely something about Two Armored Polar bears battling to the death that tickles my fancy.
I very much enjoyed your review though I profoundly disagree with portions of it. I noticed your comment "besides, what you resist you empower." So based on that logic, whatever you succumb to, you weaken? I submit that much of what we don't resist and just give ourselves over to, becomes our master. This was a well made and entertaining movie, but make no mistake, it's a very thinly veiled attack on Christianity, and the Catholic church in particular. I don't have a big problem with the criticism of the hierarchy of Catholicism, I do however with the attack on basic Christian values, which I believe can greatly benefit and enrich the lives of those that try to adhere to them. The moral relativism and situational ethics of the atheist's, in my experience, ultimately lead to unfufilling and empty lives. Just a thought.....