Highly Overrated But Still Good

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

I saw the movie several years ago on TV. I couldn't really remember it now, but I did like it, and have wanted to read the book several times ever since. I've been running about a lot nowadays, and I love listening to audiobooks. I have had the audiobooks for quite some time, and this was the perfect opportunity to listen to them, so I did. Once I was done with the first book, a rewatch of the movie was in order.This movie didn't do well in the box office. Some blame it on the religious theme of the story, others on it not being a very good movie. I quite liked it, though now that I know what they worked from, I can see the problems. For a discussion on the story itself, please read my book review.The story didn't change much. They did merge a few characters, as it sometimes happens. What was strange was the introduction of the councillors and the Magisterial Emissary. It is remarked in the books that the Magisterium dictates a lot of things, and is half supporting Mrs Coulter, but it is her eagerness for power, which drives the negative events, not the Magisterium, as it appears in the movie. Or so it was my understanding as I read the book. I did wonder why they made it out so, but I couldn't see any justification for it. Maybe more will be revealed int he following books. Another change as opposed to the book was the revelation of Lyra's parents. In the book, Lyra learns about it under very different circumstances, and much sooner. I think they placed it so in the movie, because it had a bigger impact on Lyra that way, but it didn't seem to matter for the story all that much. The third big change was the order of the last couple of events, and especially leaving out the last big event. Lyra coming across the children and the bears is the opposite in the book. The only reason I can see for the change is that in the movie the party at Mrs Coulter's house is left out. It is there that Lyra learns of Lord Asriel's imprisonment among the bears, and that's why after the children she goes there. While in the movie she knows nothing about that turn of events, so she would have no motivation to head that way, and therefore has to just happen on that storyline while heading to her original goal. The fourth big change is that they left out death, that seems to be an important part of the story. From Lyra exploring the catacombs in the beginning, to the end, death is a part of the story. In the movie, it was taken out. Sure, characters die, but not children. We know from the books that the poor boy Lyra finds dies, and yes, I did shed a tear, but that's not clear in the movie. That particular horror is left out, making the tone milder. In a way, the children who die make what is really happening - without giving too much away -, all the worse. That people would do that without a thought, just to keep children from growing up to thinking freely.The biggest change of all is the milder tone overall that the movie takes. Gone are the references to Christianity. The Magisterium is the big bad, the organisation, while in the book, it was the underlying doctrine, that is the actual problem. I can understand the reason for the change, even though I wasn't pleased by it. The milder tone was also achieved by the ending. Since in the book, Lyra does reach her final end-goal, and in the movie she doesn't. I can especially understand this change, since that still haunts me a bit, and I'm somewhat glad to not have seen it.The best thing about the movie is really Nicole Kidman. She was picked and persuaded by Philip Pullman himself to play Mrs Coulter. Sure, her hair is blonde, but even the author admitted that he should have described his character as a blonde. Nicole Kidman is perfect for the role. Cold, ruthless, even when trying to care. I'm not a big fan of hers, I think in some things she was terrible. However, I will always see Mrs Coulter as she portrayed her.The second books was never made into a movie. It can be the problems with the anti-religious tone, or the fact that a lot of people didn't like it. Truth be told, it did feel rushed. All the events were crammed into these 113 minutes, clearly not enough. However, back in 2007 TV shows still didn't have the budget they do now. 2008 did one good thing. TV became more important, as people cut back on going out. Shows became more popular, and therefore more money is poured into them now. This book would have clearly worked better as a TV show. That is what will hopefully happen, as BBC has promised to develop the trilogy as a TV show. I'm sure the books will the in good hands, as BBC adaptations are very high quality, especially in recent years.Overall, watch this movie. It's pretty good on its own, and if you're unsure about reading the book, it will give you a general idea of it. The CGI is also terrific, and don't forget the real highlight of the movie, Nicole Kidman as Mrs Coulter.

As the film opens it is explained that there are many parallel universes a in the one where the film is set people's souls dwell in animals, known as daemons, that accompany them everywhere. In this world a group known as the Magisterium wants to keep knowledge from the people that may weaken their authority. In a parallel Oxford a member of the Magisterium attempts to poison scientist Lord Asriel not realising that his niece Lyra, an orphan, is observing his action. She saves her uncle and he proceeds to leave for the far north to research the things that the Magisterium is keenest to keep hidden. Shortly after he leaves the college master gives Lyra a device known as the alethiometer, the golden compass of the title, which reveals the truth to those who can read it. There were once many such devices but this is the last one. Mrs. Coulter offers to take Lyra to her uncle but it is clear that her intentions aren't as pure as she would have Lyra believe. Realising that Mrs Coulter is a threat Lyra escapes and meets aeronaut Lee Scoresby who takes her north. Here she makes an alliance with an icebear and faces many dangers before confronting Mrs. Coulter again.I haven't read the books so can't say how close this adaption is to the original… perhaps that is a good thing as it means I'm but put off by any changes. The story is interesting and the film does a good job introducing this parallel world and its differences. I particularly liked the idea of the daemons; these creatures were beautifully rendered so that sometimes I wasn't sure if it was CGI or a real animal. There is plenty of action and a good number of scares although nothing too scary for younger viewers. The cast that features plenty of well-known actors, including Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, does a fine job although it is the young Dakota Blue Richards who dominates the film; she is rarely off the screen and does a great job as Lyra. The story moves at a good pace all the way to the end… and this is where the problem begins; this was clearly meant to be the first film in a series but those sequels were never made so there is no sense of closure as Lyra's quest is clearly far from over… it is as though the 'Lord of the Rings' films were cancelled after 'The Fellowship of the Ring'. Overall I'd say this was an enjoyable film; it is just a pity the story wasn't finished.

I originally saw this film seven years ago, and I liked it, but there was something that bothered me about it, as if they had left stuff behind. What can one expect since it is almost impossible to include everything from the novel? So I decided to read it and found out they had done a decent job. Maybe I was just a bit disappointed that we didn't get enough, and eventually I was really upset when the rest of the trilogy wasn't going to be made.The first of the books is indeed a great introduction to the world of daemons, dust, and the golden compass. What's that mysterious object? Why does it only reveal the truth to a chosen few? What is that prophecy? We surely can just say that everything is an allegory for society and religion, though there are allusions to patterns, and we can say that the compass is not just an indicator of human choices and symbols, like a set of playing cards has ties to the Tarot and its mysticism.What we have is an adventure that is pretty exciting, and it benefits immensely from having very likable leads. Kidman is wonderful as the evil Coulter, and Elliot lends much integrity to his flying cowboy. I really liked Eva Green as the witch Sarafina. It is a bit frustrating because there are so many characters and not enough time devoted to them.The book, like the movie, doesn't give you enough to explain what is happening. It is an introduction of settings, situations, and characters, some with fascinating backgrounds that are given enough time to fit in a trailer but not in a film of this caliber. What we get is one of the most beautiful displays of art direction and CGI, with the promise that things will become really exciting if we are willing to wait. There's no closure to this chapter. We are left waiting, and sadly enough, that's what happened to the people who saw the movie. Yes, you can go and read the last two installments, but it would have nice to see the entire production, but even if they went back, the wonderful cast wouldn't be able to be a part of the film. It would have to start all over, and that would really be a pity.

The books are amazing and the movie should've been too. But the studio butchered it completely. The actors were brilliant. Dakota Blue Richards gave one of the best child actor performances ever! Nicole Kidman didn't look like Mrs. Coulter, more like Serafina Pekkala, and Eva Green, who played Serafina Pekkala, looked more like Mrs. Coulter. But they were both still great, especially Kidman. The rest is fine but Dakota and Nicole stole the show. Visually, it's one of the best looking movies I've ever seen. So, what went wrong? I believe this movie was breathtaking before studio cut the quarter of it, so now it feels rushed and kinda weak. Just like they put this movie in the silver guillotine. It didn't feel complete at all and they also cut away the book's ending. So many parts were missing, half of the characters are just one-dimensional sidekicks and it didn't even have the same message the book had. It was just a solid adventure movie, and a fun one. I hope they release the director's cut one day. And there are also some news about BBC rebooting this into a TV show (yay!). But it's still not a bad movie, it has many events from the book, but it just doesn't feel like the same story anymore.