The Golden Compass – Film
New Line Cinema, 2007
Fantasy
ASIN: B00005JPNY
Synopsis
In a parallel earth, all people have their own personal daemon a physical manifestation of their soul in animal form. Trouble seems to be brewing in this world, and there’s talk about this invisible material called Dust. Thinking this as the link to original sin, the scientists of experimental theology are trying to find a way to rid people of it, even going as far as separating them from their daemons, essentially ripping them from their souls.
None of this seems important Lyra Belacqua, a young, troublemaking orphan adopted by the precincts of Oxford University. However, soon she realizes that she’s right in the middle of a fight between a man she learns is her father, Lord Asriel, who is trying to use the Dust for a different purpose, and the woman she learns is her mother, Mrs. Coulter, who works for the Church. She must discern friend from foe as she seeks to rescue a boy who has been taken to have his soul severed and ends up journeying with gyptians, witches, a balloonist, and an armor-clad polar bear who used to be the king of the polar bears.
Critique
In part, this film didn’t do as well as I’m sure New Line Cinema has hoped because of the perceived anti-Christian sentiment that weaves itself throughout the story. Let’s face it, the group that is most enthusiastic about these fantasy movies is often Christian considering that this genre was largely born from the minds of two of the most famous Christian men of the 20th century, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein. This group of Christian parents are quick to jump on the band wagon of anything they perceive as lining up with their worldview, and even quicker to denounce en masse anything that does not.
However, a bigger factor to its unsuccessful flight both for in theater and DVD sales is the simple fact that it’s not nearly as compelling as the books. Overall, the story moves too quickly and doesn’t explore the beautiful and original fantasy world that Pullman created. Movies like Harry Potter can carry through the naysayers because the imaginative world is captured impeccably on the screen. That’s largely what will make or break movies like these. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the two Narnia films thus far, that Harry Potter films, and even Coraline have given a little more time and energy toward taking the text and bringing it to life on screen both in storyline and special effects.
There are some great special effects, and the polar bear fight is great. However, it moves through the plot too quickly and doesn’t take the time to establish the world and the characters there within. Give it another 30 minutes and all of that is easily accomplishable, plus the film doesn’t have to end in a weird and awkward place that just seems like it’s cutting everything off completely. End it where Pullman ended the book.
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