A fantastic bestiary inhabits The Golden Compass, prowling and flapping and slithering and fluttering.. The animals, most of which are called daemons and are manifestations of the human soul, hover at the side of their people and near the story’s edge, where their coos and barks mix with the ambient clatter and clang.. Every so often, an animal leaps forward, its fur raised in alarm, its feathers fanned in flight.. And because these are no ordinary animals, they also offer words of comfort, advice, warning.. In this otherworldly realm, humans have no dominion over these creatures, yet they are not merely equals, either.. They are one..

Rated: [ PG ] Mild Fantasy Violence, Some Scenes May Frighten Young Children
Cinema release: 26th December 2007
Running time: 113 minutes
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Sam Elliott, Dakota Blue Richards, Daniel Craig

On the post - Potter crowded shelves of young adult fantasy literature, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series is a glorious bright spot, an emotional, no - punches-pulled, captivating coming - of - age story.. The film arrives from New Line, the studio behind The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the studio would like nothing more than to have Pullman’s books launch a new, lucrative franchise.. The books were hugely popular in England but have not caught on to quite the same degree here..

Fans of the books will likely find New Line’s film version of The Golden Compass to be a disappointingly paper - thin rendition that barely scratches the surface - then, for good measure, chops off the ending..

But those who haven’t read the books will likely be even worse off, as I’m not sure they’ll have any idea what’s going on to begin with..

Front and center is Lyra Belacqua ( Newcomer Dakota Blue Richards ), a 12 - year - old orphan who has enjoyed the privilege of being raised at the august Jordan College.. Brown - haired and with bit of a wild edge, Richards has an unusual presence for a tweeny leading lady, but certain questions immediately present themselves: If Lyra has spent her entire life in this rarefied academic environment, why does she, like her rough - and - tumble mates and best friend Roger ( Ben Walker ), speak with a sort of mild working - class accent and bad grammar? Although she’s called an untamed rebel, her status within the institution and her connections with those around her are not well fixed at the outset..

To the horror of the Magisterium elite, Lyra’s distinguished uncle, Lord Asriel ( Daniel Craig ), has discovered evidence in the Arctic Circle of golden dust that might establish a mystical connection between the many imagined parallel worlds.. Lyra also becomes the secret recipient of the last remaining Alethiometer, or Golden Compass, a device that can provide the true answer to any question..

When Roger vanishes, Lyra jumps at the chance to go north, where abducted kids have purportedly been taken, with the shimmering Mrs. Coulter ( Nicole Kidman ), whose overly solicitous manner with Lyra masks an unfriendly agenda.. Off they fly, above a fanciful London aboard an even more fanciful flying ship that resembles a combination of a Zeppelin and Captain Nemo’s Nautilus..

A distinguishing feature of Pullman’s world is that every human being has an animal companion, called a daemon, that often verbally or physically expresses what’s going on inside that person.. With children, including Lyra, the animal frequently changes species to reflect the unsettled nature of young personalities, whereas adults’ daemons are fixed.. This conceit can produce comic results when two people come into conflict and their respective daemons act it out; unusually for an ostensibly youth - oriented film, the critters are scarcely used to cutesy effect..

To its credit, The Golden Compass panders hardly at all in the usual kidpic ways.. In fact, what Lyra finds the kidnapped children subjected to in the far north is little short of torture..

To battle the forces of evil, Lyra enlists a diverse collection of allies, among them cowboy aviator Lee Scorsesby ( Sam Elliott in typically iconic form, which I loved ), friendly flying witch Serafina ( Eva Green ), some vagabonds called gyptians and, best of all, a mighty white bear named Iorek..

Soon thereafter comes a big, chaotic battle on ice involving multiple factions which, if not quite of Rings - like proportions, still packs a significant punch.. Conclusion settles the drama’s pressing matters for the moment, which reps a departure from the tome’s cliffhanger ending, a choice perhaps made because New Line, unlike with Rings, is waiting to gauge the reaction to Compass before proceeding with the next installment..

Dakota Blue Richards is terrific casting as Lyra, the 12 - year - old star of The Golden Compass.. She comes across as very mature although she’s not an annoying mini - adult.. She’s mature in her assurance about herself and what she needs to do, but still a child in her innocence and wonder.. She also displays an appealing rebellious quality..

With a better script The Golden Compass would stand alongside The Lord of the Rings, a trilogy it’s clearly attempting to emulate.. At its worst the plot is downright incoherent, a tangled muddle of poor exposition and confusing characterisations and writer - director Chris Weitz comes nowhere close to translating the rich themes of Pullman’s books..

On the bright side Compass looks incredible, from the breathtaking streets of a parallel - universe London to the icy wastelands of the Arctic.. A climactic battle between two bears justifies the price of admission, injecting the film with a much - needed sense of wonder..

The problem is, the film hits pretty much all of those plot points in the time it took you to read the above paragraph.. The Golden Compass is a compelling read, but it is also a very deliberate one.. Quite a long time is spent on the characters, the places, the mythology.. But at a scant 113 minutes, the film barely has enough time to zip from plot point to plot point with no breathing room in between..

Many of the problems with Golden Compass can be blamed squarely on the film’s run time.. It’s nearly forty minutes shorter than the first Harry Potter film.. Even understanding that the film’s makers wanted to appeal to a slightly younger audience than the books doesn’t excuse this.. We know that kids’ attention can be held for two and a half hours, which is, at a minimum, what Golden Compass should have run..

For fans, there are a few great moments.. Pullman’s books are filled with amazing characters, and to see some of them seemingly leap out of your imagination and onto a screen is nothing less than a delight.. I speak primarily of Sam Elliott’s turn as cowboy aeronaut Lee Scoresby - not to mention Kathy Bates’ pitch - perfect delivery of the two brief lines given to Scoresby’s hare - daemon Hester..

I’m trying to avoid the use of the phrase ” woefully underutilized,” but to see Elliott and Bates steal the show with their five minutes of screen time is bittersweet.. Also, I’m amazed that I’m saying this, but I think perhaps we got too much of the armored bear Iorek Byrnison.. As fantastic a character as he is, the CG effects are a little low - budget, the dialogue and fight scenes a little toned down for the kids..

From all appearances, this was a very last - minute decision.. The final scenes were apparently filmed.. After seeing the movie, I was paging through the kids’ storybook based on the movie, which was illustrated with film stills - and had all of the cut scenes.. Again, concerns that the film was being whitewashed for Christmas family audiences because of the removal of the atheist undertones isn’t nearly the biggest problem.. They changed a powerful ending to a totally flaccid one because they want people to leave the theater all smiles.. These are great books that don’t deserve such treatment..

Weitz says that the scenes will be moved to the opening of the film’s sequel, The Subtle Knife.. This will likely deprive The Subtle Knife’s introduction of its brilliant WTF factor ( There’s no Lyra, and it doesn’t even take place in the same universe ), but it’s just another straw on the camel’s back, at this point..

Pullman, for his part, tells fans that ” every film has to make changes to the story that the original book tells,” and that he’s alright with the cuts.. I think he’s being far too kind.. Really, it’s not that I hate movies based on books.. I mention the Harry Potter films multiple times, not because I think they are great works of cinema or because I like Harry Potter more than The Golden Compass... It’s because they made the transition reasonably intact.. Golden Compass doesn’t..

If you haven’t read Pullman’s books, good luck keeping up.. Those who are familiar with the novel are sure to be pleased by this adaptation, eagerly awaiting the inevitable sequel as the credits roll.. The Golden Compass is taken from the first volume of Philip Pullman’s 1995 book trilogy, His Dark Materials..

The sequels are a welcome idea, if only because they might persuade Mr. Weitz and his team to take it slower next time.. The Golden Compass is an honorable work and especially impressive, given the far smaller, more intimate scale of his last film as a director ( With his brother, Paul ), About a Boy.. But it’s hampered by its fealty to the book and its madly rushed pace, which forces you to dash through the story like Lord Asriel..

I give The Golden Compass 3.5 out of 5..