Movie Review - “The Golden Compass”
*** STARS
People have been comparing “The Golden Compass” to “The Lord of the Rings”, “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “Harry Potter” and I happen to think that the comparison is unfair. The only similarity between those films and “The Golden Compass” is that they are each fantasy books that have been adapted for the big screen. If I had to choose, I would say that the storyline and look of “The Golden Compass” was much more rich and fulfilling then the first “Harry Potter” and “Narnia” films.
The story of “The Golden Compass” has been called the “anti-Narnia”. If “Narnia” is a retelling of the story of Jesus and is supposed to evoke faith in God then this film is the opposite. The main group of villains in “Compass” are the Magestirium, a collection of “religious” government officials that will stop at nothing to keep control over the lands inhabitants through fear and power. The comparisons to the Catholic church are not lost on the adult viewer.
The Magestirium is intent on finding out the source of “dust” a magical element that may be the cause and possible explanation to life itself. For this reason alone the Magestirium insist that “dust” does not exist. Also, in this world each human is accompanied by an animal spirit or “daemon” which represents your soul. As a child your daemon is able to change animal shapes until the child matures and an animal spirit is chosen for adulthood. It is during this shift in puberty or growth that the “dust” is most prominent and for this reason the Magestirium is scared that people will learn its abilities.
Many people who are against the Magestirium believe dust to be so magical that it holds the key to other dimensions and is source of the creation of all men and beasts. Fearing their power will be weakened after centuries of control and dogma, the Magestirium tries to find the girl who will bring upon a prophecy that will end their reign. If she can work the mysterious golden compass (or the “alethiometer” as it is also called) then she can free humanity of the evil Magestirium.
In a universe full of talking polar bears, demon spirits and witches “The Golden Compass” never gets dull and is quite unique. The action and special effects will wow adults and terrify some younger kids. The fight sequence with the “ice bears” is so intense that it is not for the little ones. This film is mature and smart and was made for tweens without pandering to them. The message may come off heavy handed, but it is one that has been long over due for children to learn.
I respect this film a lot and fell in love with the characters and all the details of this new world. “The Golden Compass” will keep you in its grip and won’t let you breathe until the climax. I hope this film makes more money so we can see the completion of the trilogy on the big screen.
The performances in “The Golden Compass” by Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman and Sam Sheppard only highlight this special film. “The Golden Compass” has a stunning look, a sincere message and an enthralling story, if you are a fan of fantasy films then this is the years best!
December 14th, 2007 at 2:38 am
After hearing SO many ‘eh’ reviews and disappointments about this film I went in with low expectations.
The movie totally blew me away! It’s very true to the book, with *minor* changes to advance the plot or edits to keep the movie at a reasonable length.
Yes, the first quarter is condensed into the first 10 minutes. But to tell you the truth, when I recommend this trilogy to people I always have to give a disclaimer that the beginning is slow. Don’t give up!
Yes, they actually stopped the story a chapter or two short but it doesn’t take away from the story as a whole (can’t really figure that one out though).
I was told that the social-political aspects were genericized as to not offend anyone and that any loyal follower would be disappointed. Well, I thought it was pretty obvious who they were representing. That kind of complex evil can only be truly explored in writing anyway.
Lastly, the little girl truly hit on Lyra’s spirit. I both wanted to hug her and whack her at the same time. :0)
GREAT MOVIE! So glad they really went for it in the bear scene. I secretly bet myself that they would lighten the fight up. Glad I lost that bet … to myself.