A Brilliant Conflict

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

This is one of those rare films that has everything a good film demands -- conflict, juicy characters, understandable story that connects to the audience viscerally, and stunning visuals. The music, acting, sets, props and dialog are all a work of art.This is the kind of film I would like to make. It creates a myth and universe that remains internally consistent. One other reviewer commented that someone would have to have read the books to understand the beginning of the movie. I disagree. I didn't read any of the books and loved this movie right from the first scene. The key is trusting the audience to suspend their disbelief as well as the need to know all of the backstory in order to enjoy the immersion process.This film works on so many levels -- creating a multi-layered conflict, including likable characters who have hidden agendas.If they don't make the sequels, I'll be upset, big time. Stopping the sequels because the first didn't make money in the USA (while making a killing overseas) is not a reason, but an excuse.

In a world where parallel universes coexisted, bounded by dust, a young girl and her daemon travel north to discover the faith of children kidnapped by a secret and mysterious organization. Along the way, she makes new friends but also enemies which try, at all cost, to get her Golden Compass, a device which tells the truth to anyone who can read it.We're presented a fantastic world, full of interesting creatures and characters, who play their decisive part in the outcome of the final battle which is to come. Although it leaves room for a sequel, its finale is a bit lame and unconvincing. The story itself is nothing groundbreaking but good overall, unfortunately failing to keep my attention throughout its entire length. I was also disappointed by the fact that Daniel Craig, although present on the poster, appears for brief and rare moments, having no implication in the outcome of the movie while Nicole Kidman's character isn't as determined to complete its job as I hoped.It turned out to be an average movie although its cast and plot suggested it can be much more than that.

There's a reason they never adapted another novel in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series past the initial stab at The Golden Compass, and it's the same infuriating reason why many adaptations of children's and young adult novels fail: lack of appropriate atmosphere and true menace found in the source material. Every time Hollywood comes along and decides to try their luck at a beloved series for youngsters or young adults, they feel this feverish need to shine it up with a candy colored, over lit vibe that leaves much of the darker elements by the wayside and as a result their final product feels neutered and bereft of any weight, stakes or attention to detail. Spiderwick. Skellig. Eragon. Hell, even Narnia only made it by the skin of its teeth, blasting out of the gate with a flawless entry, only to peter off into sequels afflicted by the very symptoms I outlined above, and not even make it to the end of the saga at that. Now don't get me wrong, this doesn't happen to every series they try to adapt, but to enough of them that it's a problem, especially when a darkly creative, eerie and unique tale like this gets turned into a glossy, pandering misfire. It's sad because some of the elements of a good film are in place, starting with casting. Dakota Blue Richards is on-the-nose perfect as Lyra, the adventurous heroine who gets swept away on a menacing voyage to arctic lands and beyond. She lives in a curious parallel universe where every human is forever accompanied by a 'Daemon', essentially a piece of their soul that takes animal form, and never the two shall separate. Lyra's uncle Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) is an explorer who has returned from the north lands with tales of a mysterious phenomenon called 'dust', a powerful substance purported to be able to unlock other worlds and dimensions. Lyra is curious at first and then nervous when she meets icy Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman) a prim socialite with a devious agenda involving children that have gone missing in the city. She has a facility on the tundra where scary research and very bad experiments are conducted. Now in the books the descriptions and eventual confrontation with this would make your hair turn white. Pullman imparts it with weight and true blood freezing horror. The filmmakers *deliberatly* tone it down and castrate it, leaving anyone who was a fan of the series in total disgust. It just doesn't have the same dark, otherworldly atmosphere it did on the pages, it feels too bright, chipper and lacking any real wonder. It does have some wicked visuals going for it in places, such as the two rival talking bears, voiced with baritone boom by Ian McKellen and Ian McShane, the landscape of the north as seen from the hot air balloon of grizzled sky-cowboy Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliott), and others. Eva Green also scores well as elemental witch Serafina Pekkala, but then she's incapable of giving a bad performance anyhow. Scattered supporting cast includes Kathy Bates, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Courtney, Simon Mcburney, Derek Jacobi, as well, an impressive lineup all in all, but one that deserves a far better film for their talent. It's just misguided and tone deaf. It may have been a series for adolescents, but the themes, implications and scenarios found in those books are harrowing, complex, very mature and not to be taken lightly, let alone given the full on Harry Potter theme park treatment. Shame, really, and a giant missed opportunity. Perhaps someday soon a network will get the rights and turn this tale into a film or TV show worthy of His Dark Materials.

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.