The film adapts a fantasy novel filled with armored bears, talking daemons and a controversial message, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.
The Golden Compass, the first of three books in the His Dark Materials trilogy, by Philip Pullman, has finally made it to the big screen. It's a mix of the fantastic and reality meshed into a story of good vs evil as we follow Lyra Belacqua, a preteen girl with mysterious gifts and a curious nature. Nicole Kidman has been receiving rave reviews as the evil Mrs. Coulter. Kidman was the only actor on the author's original wishlist to be cast in the movie. And Daniel Craig makes a brief appearance as Lord Asriel - assuming this film does well, we'll see more of both of them in the next installments.
Knowing the Film's Audience
Making this movie was clearly a difficult task. The CGI demands were a tall order, the story is dense with action and characters' histories, and the books have an undeniably negative take on organized religion. Other Western countries (where the first book is known as Northern Lights) are quite familiar with these famous novels, published in the late 90s, whereas American audiences will undoubtedly need a little more hand-holding if they are to be able to follow the story. The screenplay changed hands multiple times and even director Chris Weitz resigned at one point (only to return when he was in a happier place with his personal life). However, despite the odds, the film is overall mostly successful, if a little disjointed in places.
Children and Their Daemons
The film rests largely on the shoulders of Dakota Blue Richards, the defiant Lyra. In Lyra's world, people's souls take an animal form and live outside their bodies, an inseparable best friend. Known as daemons, other people's daemons mingle with other daemons and are an accurate gauge of their person (slow witted, dominant, etc). To touch another person's daemon, however, is the grossest offense. Even more unimaginable is what begins happening in and around Oxford: a strange group of adults, whom the children call the Gobblers, are rumored to be stealing children and permanently severing them from their daemons. Lyra is given an Alethiometer, a truth telling compass that she learns to read instinctively. It's apparent she's a very special and important child, and plenty of people are after her. Luckily, she has many friends along the way to take her on her journey, hide her and play important roles as the layers of the story unfold.
Avoiding Religion
The movie steers clear of all religious references (no mention of religion, God or the Church may exist in the film, but they are replaced by thinly veiled euphemisms). The focus of the story, in this installment, is the relationship between Lyra and Iorek Byrinson, the armored bear whom she befriends and who protects her. Her wit serves Iorek well, especially in the much-hyped bear fight--easily one of the more gruesome scenes in the movie, but very well executed. A large part of the movie relies on CGI--the talking daemons and the armored bears in particular are some of the most important characters. They come off beautifully; there are no bad effects to take you out of the story.
Mixed Results
Not unlike the Harry Potter series, the movie suffers in the shadow of the original material. Too much has to be covered in too little time (the movie clocks in at just under two hours). Having acknowledged its burden though, it is a more than respectable adaptation. The storytelling may come off a little muddled and rushed, but the action helps seal the deal. Fans of the novel may find the film an acceptable attempt. Newcomers to the story will undoubtedly suffer from lack of knowing the story's background, though ultimately the film itself is entertaining enough not to isolate the latter crowd. And best of all, hopefully watching the film may inspire some to read the novels themselves.
