We find in The Golden Compass another children's fantasy book series attempting a jump to the big screen. With all its visual splendor the movie certainly achieves the same grandiose images that the Harry Potter movies have sported, but The Golden Compass lacks some of the more complex attributes that its predecessors in the fantasy world possess. Mind you, it's no Lord of the Rings, nor did it ever aspire to be - and when all is said in done it's not even at the same level as the better Harry Potter movies. But for the first of what we can all assume will eventually be a trilogy it hits most of the right notes - albeit hollowly.
Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) lives in a world whose every thought is controlled by the Magisterium. The Magisterium has controlled the way of life in their world since before many can remember - including Lyra. Included in the controlled thoughts is the mention of the word "Dust", magical particles that hold the secret to finding gateways between the many coexisting realms. No one must speak of dust. This task proves exceedingly difficult as the existence of dust stares people in the face every day in the form of the Daemon that walks alongside their human counterparts. Every human has a Daemon, and every Daemon a human. Similarly, the two entities feel the pain of the other and to kill one is the same as killing both.
Lyra, orphaned by the loss of her parents at an early age, attends a school where the subjects of which no would should speak, are spoken of. Every now and then she'll receive a visit from her uncle Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) in between his excursions to study dust. The Golden Compass's story begins when Lord Asriel sets off on an expedition to find what he believes to be a gateway to another realm. Meanwhile, the Magisterium sends Marisa Coulter (Nicole Kidman) to occupy the attention of Lyra as she worries about not only her uncle, but her best friend Roger who has gone missing. But before she leaves, she receives a gift - The Golden Compass, which she should reveal to no one. Events unfold and eventually Lyra finds herself in the capable hands of Iorek Byrnison, an exiled Polar Bear warrior, and Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliot). Through it all, Lyra uses The Golden Compass to navigate the unpredictable situations of the world. The forces of good and evil face off in a battle at the site of a secret that lies behind all the Magisterium hopes to accomplish.
Dakota Blue Richards performs astonishingly well at times reminding me of the young Natalie Portman from Léon: The Professional. Her ability to hold her own onscreen amidst a rather powerful cast will impress to no end. Any weakness in her performance comes from a weak script that needed more work for screen adaptation.
Nicole Kidman disappoints. Her delivery feels over the top every step of the way. I understand that children make up a sizable portion of the film's audience, but that doesn't mean the serious characters ought to dumb down their performances as well. I hope that with this concept-establishing first installment out of the way the next episode won't have to pander quite so much.
Daniel Craig excelled for having such a minor part in this first film. After a conflict rather early on we hear nothing of his story except through the reports of the Magisterium monitoring his progress. He\'s one of the top actors in the film and yet was relegated to a disturbingly small portion of screen time. However, for the time he had his interactions with Dakota Richards seemed genuinely warmed. Daniel Craig's performance in the second film is almost reason enough for me to start waiting for the sequel, as I'm told his part increases with every book.
Sam Elliot is always cool. His easy-going and wise demeanor gave The Golden Compass an air of competence amidst the silly fantasy lingo they try to shove down our throats. While Ian McKellan only performs the voice-over for the giant polar bear companion, considering the circumstances it was well-done. If anyone else can do a better voice-over for a giant talking polar bear...I'd like to hear it.
Now, my biggest gripe with The Golden Compass was the CGI. Considering how a computer generated over half of the cast of the film, I'd think they would have found the best possible Special Effects House to do the job. Such is not the case. Despite having a CGI character walking alongside each human actor, creators of The Golden Compass felt it was okay to have second rate animation. Every time Lyra's Daemon shape shifted (which was every other minute) I cringed at how separate the creature appeared to be. I thought the latest Narnia movie had second-rate CGI - so I'm wondering if The Golden Compass used the same group. When the polar bear is running across the glacier fields, I felt like I was watching a giant coca-cola commercial. However, when the Polar Bear King and Iorek duke it out - that scene was very well done. But honestly, poor CGI is no longer an acceptable option for fantasy films - do it right or simply don't do it at all.
My hat's off to the creators of The Golden Compass for constructing a children's fantasy film. It won't take any Oscars, but it presented the very controversial anti-organized religion theme of the book in a way that was clear without being overpoweringly so. This could be the family film of the season despite its secular theme and CGI flaws. I recommend seeing it - even if you're just going to picket it for the sake of Baby Jesus's birthday afterwards.
"The Golden Compass" opens December 7, 2007 and is rated PG13. Action, Adventure, Fantasy. Written and directed by Chris Weitz. Starring Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Sam Elliott, Eva Green, Ian McShane.
