Morgan BellREVIEW: The Golden Compass
June 3rd 2008 13:08
Directed: Chris Weitz (About A Boy)
Written: Chris Weitz (About A Boy, Antz) from the novel by Phillip Pullman
Starring: Dakota Blue Richards (debut), Nicole Kidman (The Hours, The Others, To Die For) , Daniel Craig (Tombraider, Casino Royal), Eva Green (Casino Royal), Sam Elliot (Tombstone, Mask), Christopher Lee (Lord Of The Rings, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Dracula)
Voices of animated characters: Kathy Bates (Misery, Fried Green Tomatoes), Ian McKellen (The Da Vinci Code, Lord Of The Rings, X-Men), Freddie Highmore (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland)
The Golden Compass is impressive intellectual allegorical sci-fi film that adults will find satisfying. The story has so many punchy elements that i just loved, and although it is marketed as a childrens film i think it has alot to offer in the way of philosophy and social commentary. One element that really works is the concept of a parallel universe where each person has their conscience/spirit/soul represented by a talking animal walking alongside them . . . the animal is called a "daemon" and changes while the human owner is a child but then settles when the human reaches adulthood . . . this is the most clever concept ive ever seen for personifying someones true character . . . the sneaky people are accompanied by snakes or moneys or cockroaches, while the strong and honourable walk with lions or eagles . . . brilliant!
The setting is basically a dystopian society heavily controlled by a burocracy who are ruled by superstition and fear, the "golden compass" is a pocketwatch-type devices which is the only remaining artifact to link this world with the parallel worlds . . . the "golden compass" is like a moral compass powered by "dust" a magical substance which invokes truth and also links humans to their "daemons" . . . the burocracy mistakenly believes "dust"/knowledge is dangerous, they perform experiments on the children of the underclass attempting to rid the world of "dust", and acquire the "golden compass" to keep it out of the hands of the people. The CGI is well done and the characters are fleshed out. Nicole Kidman is both striking and icey as the main villain of the piece . . . prim, proper, charming, hypocritical, and bold . . . her hair is a magnificent feature in its many blonde styles.
The writing is the real feature of The Golden Compass with many thought-provoking quips . . . this film is in the same league as Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings, and even Lord Of The Flies (as opposed to the one dimensional Harry Potter or Stardust) in that it is a film that includes children/adolescents but it isnt solely aimed at them. A very enjoyable experience!
Written: Chris Weitz (About A Boy, Antz) from the novel by Phillip Pullman
Starring: Dakota Blue Richards (debut), Nicole Kidman (The Hours, The Others, To Die For) , Daniel Craig (Tombraider, Casino Royal), Eva Green (Casino Royal), Sam Elliot (Tombstone, Mask), Christopher Lee (Lord Of The Rings, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Dracula)
Voices of animated characters: Kathy Bates (Misery, Fried Green Tomatoes), Ian McKellen (The Da Vinci Code, Lord Of The Rings, X-Men), Freddie Highmore (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland)
The Golden Compass is impressive intellectual allegorical sci-fi film that adults will find satisfying. The story has so many punchy elements that i just loved, and although it is marketed as a childrens film i think it has alot to offer in the way of philosophy and social commentary. One element that really works is the concept of a parallel universe where each person has their conscience/spirit/soul represented by a talking animal walking alongside them . . . the animal is called a "daemon" and changes while the human owner is a child but then settles when the human reaches adulthood . . . this is the most clever concept ive ever seen for personifying someones true character . . . the sneaky people are accompanied by snakes or moneys or cockroaches, while the strong and honourable walk with lions or eagles . . . brilliant!
The setting is basically a dystopian society heavily controlled by a burocracy who are ruled by superstition and fear, the "golden compass" is a pocketwatch-type devices which is the only remaining artifact to link this world with the parallel worlds . . . the "golden compass" is like a moral compass powered by "dust" a magical substance which invokes truth and also links humans to their "daemons" . . . the burocracy mistakenly believes "dust"/knowledge is dangerous, they perform experiments on the children of the underclass attempting to rid the world of "dust", and acquire the "golden compass" to keep it out of the hands of the people. The CGI is well done and the characters are fleshed out. Nicole Kidman is both striking and icey as the main villain of the piece . . . prim, proper, charming, hypocritical, and bold . . . her hair is a magnificent feature in its many blonde styles.
The writing is the real feature of The Golden Compass with many thought-provoking quips . . . this film is in the same league as Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings, and even Lord Of The Flies (as opposed to the one dimensional Harry Potter or Stardust) in that it is a film that includes children/adolescents but it isnt solely aimed at them. A very enjoyable experience!
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Comment by Jason King
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
But I have to say I nearly cried watching this film at how much they completely ruined the best book trilogy EVER written. Seriously Morgan, rent, buy or steal them now because they are bloody amazing!!!
They attempted it well, but the ending was too abrupt. The first book actually goes a bit further which would have benefited this movie so much. Because of the incredibly bad receiving of this film it looks like we won't get the second or third books.
The same with Eragon - those books are out of this world and the guy who made that movie needs to be hung, drawn and quartered. Or just eaten by a dragon and one with a better voice than bloody Rachel Weisz. I am glad you liked the movie though!!
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
The Pullman novel is basically an indictment of the Catholic Church. They removed the references to the Church from the film and essentially stripped it of its soul.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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Artist Quirk
hi Jason,
i actually find most "childrens" movies really hard to watch, i think theyre great for kids imaginations etc but they usually dont offer anything intellectually stimulating for adults . . . i havent read the book so i cant compare but i thought this film stands alone without having to have knowledge of the books . . . i hope they do the sequels!
i think i would like the books as it was the overall concepts i was really impressed with . . . if a really tall girl breaks into your home and raids your bookshelf you will know it is me! lol
i know "The Golden Compass" film copped alot of shite from the church for being anti-christian or anti-religious but i thought it just seemed anti-corruption?
thanks for the passionate comments!
Comment by Morgan Bell
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i thought the films light touch was effective, you werent beaten over the head with the messages but they were there . . . compromising the human rights of the lower classes, corruption of a central agency, the importance of questioning authority . . . in the end it didnt really matter if the baddies were priests or government officials or crazed pseudo-scientists, it was the stranglehold they had over the freedom of information which gave it universal appeal . . . i thought using metaphors rather than explicitly naming what they represented was one of the enjoyable aspects as it made you think
Comment by ratchet
make believe
Life As We Know It
I do empathise with the diehard fans of the book as all too often film can ruin the good name of a written masterpiece, but in this case, I believe it will only draw people to search out the books and potentially increase the fanbase.
A great review Morgan!
Comment by Morgan Bell
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thanks for the kind words!
yeah i agree the movie actually made me want to read the books, whereas i didnt get that feeling from Potter
i would be interested to see Bridge To Terabithia as that is a book i cherished as a child . . . i found Narnia to be quite a satisfying adaptation by i think The Golden Compass has more relevant messages
thanks for stopping in, i appreciate your comments
Comment by Aimzster
Health and Beauty
Reality TV
The Jeepney Stop
Comment by Morgan Bell
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oh i wasnt trying to demean Potter, i thought the films were fabulous for kids just not for me, great characters and costumes, all very colourful and entertaining and cute etc
i was just using it as an example of a story that is a simple adventure compared to something that is an allergory
i take your point about the ending seeming rushed, it did seem like an unresolved ending to make room for the sequels
thanks for stopping in and sharing your thoughts
Comment by Jeff Musall
Secular Humanity
Comment by Morgan Bell
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i think you raise an excellent point, and the film had a cleverness in suggesting that the church was not that dissimilar to a community regime . . . i think the orginal books would be fascinating!
thanks for adding to the discussion!