The Golden Compass (2007)

I hate to be one of these people, but this film has left me with little choice; compared to the book, this movie is pretty crappy. In The Golden Compass, Lyra Belacqua journeys with her daemon to the far North to save her best friend and other children, and in search of answers about the nature of her universe. This movie is not great, but it does have a few redeeming qualities. Nicole Kidman plays the vile Mrs. Coulter, and she does so really well. I recall there being a significant uproar when she accepted this role, but I cannot imagine anyone playing it better. Daniel Craig is cast as the mysterious Lord Asriel, and he too plays the part admirably. I am not in love with Dakota Blue Richards, the girl who plays the main character Lyra, but casting child actors is always difficult, so I will let that slide. The plot of the film is really good, and I did like watching a book that I enjoyed brought to life. However, I am concerned that if I had not read the novel, I would have had little idea as to what was going on. There are a lot of very complicated ideas in this book that do not really come through in the movie, but I suppose it may have been impossible to bring that all to the big screen. My biggest qualm with this film is that it ends quite abruptly, about three chapters before the book ends. Without the last, I would say 15 minutes, the end of this movie does not make a whole lot of sense. When The Golden Compass was released, I recall there being a lot of talk about this it being anti-Catholic, anti-establishment and all that jazz, but having read the books and watched the movie, I am forced to disagree. People that feel that way are the same people that do not allow their kids to read Harry Potter because they think it promotes witch craft. Unless you are trying to find something subversive in this film, I doubt that you will. My wife did not watch this movie with me, but it is not really up her alley, so I do not blame her. I liked the book enough to watch the movie, and the movie was not a total letdown; I found parts of it to be extremely enjoyable, and I would love it if they made the final two installments. I give The Golden Compass 2 and a half stars.