The Golden Compass: Movie Adaptation
Tina
The Church need not be worried about this movie. Even though it’s based on Philip Pullman’s book, the scriptwriters toned it down so much so that it would appeal to kids. Honestly, it seems that the scriptwriters are under the influence of the “Magisterium” themselves. They just gathered the exciting parts of the book and used kick-ass animation to pull it off. In the end, the movie was contented in saying that having free will is good, it is not right to suppress it. Talks about the Dust and daemons were only made in passing, almost unimportant.
I have to admit, the animation is really kick-ass. Because if this, I can say that it is worth watching in the big screen. Seeing the interaction between Lyra and Iorek will make any kid want a white bear as a pet. They are really cute, and powerful. And I really like the battle scene between Iorek and Iofur. It was nicely done, you could almost feel every blow that they deliver to each other. I half-wished that the battle scene lasted longer than that.
I can see why Dakota Blue Richards was chosen to play the part of Lyra. She played the part very well. In fact, it feels as if she came straight out of the book. Really, really nice. Her acting saved the whole film and made it bearable.
Nicole Kidman is awesome as Mrs. Coulter. As always, I should say. No wonder people are drawn to her. I was a bit disappointed with Lord Asriel though, because he had very little exposure. The relationship between Lord Asriel, Mrs. Coulter and Lyra was not explicitly stated. Maybe they deliberately left that out? My guess is that people might not understand why they are acting like that.
Maybe it’s because of the fact that I’ve read the book, but I find the plot a bit disconnected. They were mentioning the Dust and daemons in passing, when in fact this is the central theme of the books. Maybe the scriptwriters are afraid of the controversy that it would cause, seeing that the book is a bit dark. No wonder the script is so messed up. Sad.
They definitely left the ending hanging, implying that there would be a sequel. However, I’m a bit hesitant with this. If they toned this down to prevent the controversy, how will they present The Subtle Knife? This book is definitely a lot darker than the first one. They might change the story altogether, maybe write a different story and call it The Golden Compass Part 2. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Posted on: Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 2:59 pm 
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