The Golden Compass (2007)

Posted : 5 months, 3 weeks ago at Jan 10 20:05

So I completely understand that movies are not books. They are a different media all together and you get different things from them. I understand that when making a movie adaptation, it can be really difficult to please everyone because it's hard to squeeze all that content into a watchable length of time and not bore the crap out of anyone. That said, I do think there are ways to do it. For example, you might choose to omit things from a movie that were part of the book if they are not central to the storyline. Or combine certain elements, or... whatever. I don't think they tried to do any of that in this movie. I think they just wanted to cram every scrap of the book into the movie that they just managed to give a summary of the book. I felt like the scenes were really rushed, barely...Read more

Rating : 6/10

Posted : 6 months, 1 week ago at Dec 23 13:32

''It's an alethiometer. It’s a truth measure - a golden compass. It enables you to see what others wish to hide.... You can ask any sort of question you can imagine. Once you've got your question framed...'' In a parallel universe, young Lyra Belacqua journeys to the far North to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from terrible experiments by a mysterious organization. Dakota Blue Richards: Lyra His Dark Materials: The Northern Lights, the original name for the book, in England. What a mysterious, enticing title for a book. The Golden Compass? Well, it doesn't quite have the same effect on us, does it? The use of the American name of the book for the film really didn't falter my opinion of the film, but as early warning signs come, it doesn't get much more obviou...Read more

Rating : 5/10

Posted : 1 year ago at Jul 3 12:20

A poorly made mess of a movie that attempts to stuff far too much into the length than possible and still doesn't even begin to get very interesting. No identifiable wounds from any sort of fighting for the supposed benefit of the children either.

On the positive side the world it portrays seems rather fascinating and the actors and the realization of this alternate universe are fairly well done. I'm sure reading the books is a far more enjoyable experience.

Posted : 1 year, 2 months ago at May 3 7:25

I can't believe the movie got such bad ratings. Books are books, movies are movies, these are adaptations for the big screen. People still enjoyed Harry Potter's books and movies despite the fact that they differed slightly. Now, I admit I haven't read the Northern Lights series, so I'm really reviewing the Golden Compass movie. As a movie, it's an enjoyable one for the entire family. In fact, we all sat together to watch it and looked forward to seeing it. Even though some of the CGI isn't particularly well done (I'm thinking of the bears and the wolves particularly), the rest was pretty amazing. I loved the concept of the inner daemons and how it was shown in the movie. The acting is superb, especially that of Dakota Blue Richards. I never will say that teenagers can't act anymore;...Read more

Rating : 9/10

Posted : 1 year, 4 months ago at Feb 21 19:38

Empty twine of unsubstantiated pathos in skirling garment, as an alibi. Pity..

Posted : 1 year, 4 months ago at Feb 18 10:38

The Northern Lights books are brilliant, my favorite books. They should have never made a movie out of it, the story is way to complicated. So that movie is nothing but some stupid fairytale with pretty pictures, it just doesn't show what the story is about. It was boring and disappointing.

Rating : 1/10

Posted : 1 year, 6 months ago at Dec 8 7:59

I am a fan of the book, but will admit that it is not brilliant writing. But there is something in the book that makes it gripping and intelligent. But it is very complicated. And there was no way that they could stay completely true to the book. But the screen adaptation has lost that "something" completely. The special effects are marvelous, and costuming and stylization was pretty much how I imagined it. They changed the "Church" to the "Magasterium" and never talk about Original Sin, like in the book, but I wasn't surprised by that (being a bit controversial). But I think the thing that bothered me the most is the way they dumbed it down and made it too obvious. Part of the magic of the book is figuring out things, and that never happens here. And maybe the fatal flaw of the m...Read more