I watched The Golden Compass last night, and I found it lacking. It felt like a bunch of recreations of good moments from other movies, pasted together rather poorly. That is, the acting and the effects were 100%, but the film did not achieve any interest.
The entire thing felt flat, except a couple of moments during the high point of the movie. None of the characters are introduced or developed at all any more than you would expect them to be in a trailer. I know it was intended for children, but if they are going to make a movie they can do a better job at making the story worth watching more than reading a curious george book.
It really felt like this to me. It reminds me of a badly made, armature, single player mod's plot. Like user-made campaigns for Starcraft. It's best moments are stolen from famous sayings and scenes from other movies.
Oh look I'm a girl with an English accent. I'm kind of troubled because I don't want to be called a Lady and I steal stuff and lie. There's some groups of kids, and there's a school, and a Magisterium which is some kind of authority. And there's dust, mysterious stuff that has to do with other worlds.
Oh by the way we all have "demons" which is our soul, outside our bodies, except it's a talking animal, and if it gets hurt it hurts us too. Nothing more will be made of this throughout the film.
Oh look it's this ugly mean lady with a demon who is mean and ugly. But she makes me think she's cool so I go with her, then escape, then she tries to steal my compass which lets me know the truth about anything and I can use it because I'm the chosen one. These "rag-tag" people called the "gyptians" save my life and they are cool and everybody helps me go save the children, but then right after we save them the movie ends "to be continued" because this is a trilogy or something.
The fight was lame. Heroic reformed drunkard usurped king polar bear, was losing or faking losing, then he hits the other bear Mike Tyson style and the other bear is dead. Then he's King of the bears, so then they run off and go save the children.
Nicole kidman, here's all she does in the movie: There's a dinner scene where she is seen by the girl as rebellious, so the little girl agrees to go north with her. Then they are in nicole kidman's house, and the girl finds out that nicole kidman is involved in stealing the kids. So she escapes, gets on the boat, hires the bear and airship, and so once she is sneaking around the facility with the stolen children, nicole kidman is walking around there because she's the boss. That's IT.
The whole movie could have been crammed into a half hour sitcom.
I absolutely loved it. It was very episodic but I liked it that way. They just did the book scene by scene and cut out all the nonsense, there was no bit of it where I felt bored. An obvious contrast would be The Fellowship of the Ring where you're sitting there thinking "this is very loyal to the book but why am I watching midgets steal turnips from a farmer". The effects were awesome (zomg witches), Lee was a cool as I'd imagined him from the book and Iorek was just orgasmic. + Show Spoiler +
When he runs to get his armour I'm just sitting there thinking "Those guys are so fucked right now :D" and then you have a few seconds of tension building and a fucking armoured bear bursts through the wall and roars. I almost came right then. That and in the final fight where instead of the expected standoff where Iorek would tell them to leave Lyra alone he just runs right at them without any hesitation. And the fight with Ragnar. When the jaw goes flying. To be honest whenever Iorek was on screen it was awesome
I felt they didn't waste any time with the early part of the film, it could have been very slow starting but wasn't. And everything looked awesome like the blade at Bolvangar and that crazy carriage engine. It was all so magical. Lord Asriel and Mrs Coulter were cast perfectly. Daniel Craig had the looks and the air of confidence and danger. Nicole Kidman looks beautiful and carried the twin natures of the character (powerful, assertive and very dangerous against mothering) very well. I especially loved her in the scene by the window when she slaps her own daemon and then nurtures it.
In my opinion this film could be very confusing if you have not read the books (wtf where have you been if you haven't). It's fast paced and skips a lot of character development and background stuff. You can also criticise it on a lot of technical grounds, the ending was pretty weak and from time to time Lyra's acting made me wince (though she's far better than the child actors in the first Harry Potter). However, as someone who loved the books, I sat there watching this wonderful mysterious world presented beautifully in front of me with the fascinating characters and armoured bears and daemons and couldn't have enjoyed it more.
As a standalone film, it's flawed. As a representation of a book I love it's wonderful.
Okay so we both agree, it sucks as a movie, but as an illustration to a book you already read, as porn for fans of some book, maybe it's gold.
Wasn't confusing, just flat. Very simplistic. As I described. You probably enjoyed it because the book has some depth, but the movie doesn't capture any of that and to top it all off, the film's timing sucks almost as much as Mummy Returns or something.
i havent seen it yet but it looks amazing i loveed the whole his dark materials series read htem like 50505050 times OMG cant wait to watch it screw u luggy eHEH :D
On December 11 2007 00:45 lugggy wrote: Okay so we both agree, it sucks as a movie, but as an illustration to a book you already read, as porn for fans of some book, maybe it's gold.
Wasn't confusing, just flat. Very simplistic. As I described. You probably enjoyed it because the book has some depth, but the movie doesn't capture any of that and to top it all off, the film's timing sucks almost as much as Mummy Returns or something.
Then read the series. They're perhaps my favourite books, although I first read them about 7 years ago. If you understand what's going on it's a fantastic film.
No, you listen. If they release a movie, it had better be worth watching for more people than bought the book version. The film fails. 1.5 of 5 stars.
This film had no depth to any of its elements, no story. It was one overly long full motion video. I felt like I was about to play a War3 level or something or go enter the next Diablo II act. Yes it's that bland. It was an incomplete film. Would have been better without any dialogue because that was the end result anyways.
I'm not defending it as a standalone film. I'm saying your life isn't complete unless you read His Dark Materials. And that if you watch that film after falling in love with His Dark Materials, which you will, it'll suddenly get good. This isn't an argument, it's advice. We're not disagreeing anywhere.
The ending was crap, the story was crap, the stupid animals was crap, the fucking actors/actress was crap, the fucking shit omg i hate this movie so bad crap. Why did i pay 80 swedish crowns to se this stupid movie?
On December 11 2007 00:42 Kwark wrote: I absolutely loved it. It was very episodic but I liked it that way. They just did the book scene by scene and cut out all the nonsense, there was no bit of it where I felt bored. An obvious contrast would be The Fellowship of the Ring where you're sitting there thinking "this is very loyal to the book but why am I watching midgets steal turnips from a farmer". The effects were awesome (zomg witches), Lee was a cool as I'd imagined him from the book and Iorek was just orgasmic. + Show Spoiler +
When he runs to get his armour I'm just sitting there thinking "Those guys are so fucked right now :D" and then you have a few seconds of tension building and a fucking armoured bear bursts through the wall and roars. I almost came right then. That and in the final fight where instead of the expected standoff where Iorek would tell them to leave Lyra alone he just runs right at them without any hesitation. And the fight with Ragnar. When the jaw goes flying. To be honest whenever Iorek was on screen it was awesome
I felt they didn't waste any time with the early part of the film, it could have been very slow starting but wasn't. And everything looked awesome like the blade at Bolvangar and that crazy carriage engine. It was all so magical. Lord Asriel and Mrs Coulter were cast perfectly. Daniel Craig had the looks and the air of confidence and danger. Nicole Kidman looks beautiful and carried the twin natures of the character (powerful, assertive and very dangerous against mothering) very well. I especially loved her in the scene by the window when she slaps her own daemon and then nurtures it.
In my opinion this film could be very confusing if you have not read the books (wtf where have you been if you haven't). It's fast paced and skips a lot of character development and background stuff. You can also criticise it on a lot of technical grounds, the ending was pretty weak and from time to time Lyra's acting made me wince (though she's far better than the child actors in the first Harry Potter). However, as someone who loved the books, I sat there watching this wonderful mysterious world presented beautifully in front of me with the fascinating characters and armoured bears and daemons and couldn't have enjoyed it more.
As a standalone film, it's flawed. As a representation of a book I love it's wonderful.
I only read "i absolutely loved it" and i quote. GJ on this movie very nice but the end makes you think omfg what a goof them basterd directors are lol. + Show Spoiler +
Cus ur expecting another scene. or at least I was, and slowly but surely you figure out that the music now playing is the end credit music ahahah.
I'm not talking about single combat I mean when they went to go rescue the kids in the north from the gobblers place
Ah, my bad. Tbh you could invent reasons. We don't know what the bears concept of kingship entails. You could argue he can only act for the good of all bears in his role as king whereas his contract with Lyra is in his role as an individual. Or whatever. Tbh though, too many bears would be overkill. One is leaning in the direction of overkill.
I appreciate your advice. Maybe the book does kick ass. But this is a horrible incomplete movie. I don't know why reading the book would change this. There's nothing in the movie.
I also want to be clear. It's not about the ending (or lack of it). It's about the movie (or lack of it). I am content with films having no real ending, if there was anything of value throughout the film besides good looking/sounding scenes of acting/computer graphics. The intended inspirational changes of scene and montages were cliche, forced, ineffective, pretty much embarassing, and seeing one after another at a constant rate pretty much was the entire film. Meaninglessly changing setting over and over when the characters are strangers or flat characters to you.
the film was amazing everything rocked and I was so not disappointed by it, to be honest the only bad thing about it was that it was so short and the big battle, which sucked (I really hate big battles)
If that was sarcasm, you would be forgetting you're on the internet where something that sucks gets a 7 or 8 out of 10, something good gets a 9 or 10 out of 10. Mummy returns rated 6.1/10 for instance when it should probably get a 0. It's likely that a lot of fans and wumbedorfs are voting 10 for this, while the rest of us would vote 0. /common sense
Reminds me of GameFAQs reviews. Or GameSpot. "The sound in this game tastes like ass. I give it only 5.8/10 for sound."
Holy shit it's my birthday and I didn't even know. Thanks for telling me TL.Net~
And no I wasn't being sarcastic. That rating means it was probably a decent movie, with great elements to it but it wasn't complete. For instance when you're going to see a shit pile like, "The Mummy Returns" you expect it to be a shit pile and just go and hope it's fun to watch.
To me the rating is balanced if you read it properly and contrast it with other movies. Though there will always be some questionable choices, usually the good movies score higher than an 8 on there. -> usually <-.
The 0's and 10's balance eachother out. Most people gave it a 5-6-7-8 hence reflecting its score.
You're forgetting that an awful lot of people genuinely believe the film is a 9 or so simply because for a lot of people who have read the book it will have been immensely enjoyable. In this case it probably requires 2 ratings, one relevant for people who have read the books and one for those who haven't. Trying to create a single rating when the film evokes such different reactions in different people is always going to be inaccurate. Personally I feel it should be rated higher, I can't remember a film I enjoyed more (though Pirates III destroyed my faith in cinema).
Kwark, nothing personal but I reiterate my fervent rejection of your viewpoint that a film should be viewed differently than on its own. Studio films represent so much work and funding, there is no excuse for any of them to be unfinished. A film should never be made just for people who read a particular novel. It's not like the novel in question has anywhere near as many readers as any decent studio film has viewers. So the film has to stand for all those viewers. This one doesn't.
I'm an atheist and whatever depth present in the novel is utterly destroyed in this "conversion." This film doesn't feel so much like a conversion of a novel to screen, as, an overly long trailer for the book. If you've seen the trailer you've basically seen the movie. Gawd.
In fact here's the whole movie, now you don't have to see it:
Actually this trailer is better than the movie because the music actually holds it together as something emotionally involving. Take all these moments of the trailer, space them out with 10 minutes of silence, and you pretty much got the movie right in the butt.
As a fan of the books, I would have to say that the movie was lacking. There was something missing. The sense of adventure and mystery was entirely gone in the movies, so I could see why someone unfamiliar with the books wouldn't appreciate the film. On the other hand, I thought that the set design and costume design was brilliantly realized. The cities and buildings were really excellent, especially Bolvangar. Everything looked just right for the alternate world that it was set in.. familiar but different. I thought that the casting was also pretty good; Nicole Kidman and Dakota Blue Richards fit their parts perfectly.
Overall, the movie is more of a supplement to the book than something that can standalone. So, in the sense of being it's own movie, it fails, but if you've read the book then you will enjoy seeing all the things you've read about.
I also really suggest you read the books. They are far more complex and interesting than what you saw in the movie.
An interesting context for this, apparently. I am curious about the book now. But I find it ironic that fear of christian backlash has made this film perfect for probably getting kids into the atheistic series, by having no hint of that kind of thing in the film. Young kids will maybe like the movie and be encouraged to read the book by ignorant (or atheist) parents. Fun stuff.
FOXNews.com Christian Groups Claim Pro-Atheist 'Stealth Campaign' in Nicole Kidman Fantasy Film 'The Golden Compass'
Wednesday, October 31, 2007 By Catherine Donaldson-Evans
FC1 ADVERTISEMENT
A children’s fantasy film that stars Nicole Kidman and features a little girl on a quest to kill God has some Christian groups upset over what they believe is a ploy to promote atheism to kids.
The movie, “The Golden Compass,” is adapted from the first novel in a trilogy called “His Dark Materials” by English author Philip Pullman, an outspoken atheist. Critics fear that the film, due out in December, will encourage children to read the anti-Church series.
Click here for photos
"These books denigrate Christianity, thrash the Catholic Church and sell the virtues of atheism," said Bill Donohue, president and CEO of the Catholic League.
The film itself is unlikely to offend — because New Line Cinema has tried to keep religion out of it, focusing on the story of a little girl named Lyra and her journey within a strange, parallel universe.
Click here for the FOX411 on the film
"'The Golden Compass' is an entertaining fantasy about love, courage, responsibility and freedom," a New Line spokesman said. "We look forward to the Dec. 7 opening."
But the removal of the Godless themes from the movie has some Christian organizations seething.
"They’re intentionally watering down the most offensive element,” Donohue said. “I'm not really concerned about the movie, [which] looks fairly innocuous. The movie is made for the books. ... It's a deceitful, stealth campaign. Pullman is hoping his books will fly off the shelves at Christmastime."
Some atheists and fans of the books aren't happy, either. They say the studio has caved to pressure from the Christian right by sanitizing the tale for the big screen.
In "Compass," the curious 12-year-old protagonist, Lyra (played by British newcomer Dakota Blue Richards), stumbles on an adventure very close to home when she overhears talk of an amazing substance called Dust, which can unite the world but is so feared that many are scrambling to eradicate it.
Lyra travels to an alternative universe where everyone has a spiritual alter-ego, or demon, in animal form — and she goes there not knowing what she'll find or what her role will be. In her quest for the truth, she receives a magical golden compass that has the answers for those savvy enough to decipher it. Kidman plays Mrs. Coulter, who turns out to be Lyra's mother; Daniel Craig (the current James Bond) co-stars as her "uncle" Lord Asriel — who is really her dad.
The anti-religious themes get progressively stronger with each book in the trilogy; in the final installment, the characters succeed in killing a character called God — who turns out to be a phony, and not God after all. The series has soared to the top of bestseller lists in the U.K. and other countries but has not caught on in the United States.
The Catholic League has mounted a PR campaign against the movie after researching Pullman's own writings about his series. The organization has published a pamphlet called "'The Golden Compass': Unmasked," which is for sale on its Web site.
Evangelical groups like The Christian Film and Television Commission, run by Ted Baehr, and James Dobson's Focus on the Family say they're taking a wait-and-see approach to the movie, although Baehr has plenty to say about the literary version of the series. (Both Baehr and Donohue say they've read "The Golden Compass" and had staff members read the other two.)
"I don't think a boycott will be effective. We have to see the film before we make that evaluation," Baehr said. "We'll put out writings on the book. Children who buy into this are going to be trapped in a sad, desperate world."
Pullman, a co-screenwriter on the project, hasn't commented much on the controversy, but in an interview last week with the Western Mail, a Welsh newspaper, he defended the movie version of his fantasy.
“This must be the only film attacked in the same week for being too religious and for being anti-religious — and by people who haven’t seen it," he said. "I have very friendly and happy relations with the filmmakers, and I'm very happy with what they are doing."
Trade publications like The Hollywood Reporter and Variety have been buzzing for years about New Line Cinema's deliberate attempts to water down the movie version in anticipation of the backlash from faith-seeking moviegoers. The film has been in the works since 2004.
Chris Weitz, the movie's director and co-screenwriter, wrote on a "Dark Materials" fan site three years ago about the push-and-pull at the studio, according to film source IMDB.com. Followers of the writer's trilogy had been complaining in chat rooms about the news that the first movie would be stripped of its down-with-religion references.
New Line "expressed worry about the possibility of perceived anti-religiosity" and instructed those making the movie that if the Godless themes stayed put, the project would turn "unviable, financially," Weitz wrote in December 2004 on Bridgetothestars.net. In those discussions, he said, Pullman suggested that the Church and God in his trilogy could become "any arbitrary establishment that curtails the freedom of the individual."
"You will probably not hear of the 'Church,'" the director wrote, sparking one fan to retort that Hollywood had engaged in a "blatant cop-out to the Bible Belt of America."
Pullman has not been shy in the past about verbalizing his beliefs — or, some might say, nonbeliefs — and his intentions in writing the "Dark Materials" novels.
The novelist has said they are in response to C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia," the popular children's fantasy series of which "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is the first book — written by Lewis to teach Christian ideals to kids.
"I loathe the 'Narnia' books," Pullman has said in previous press interviews. "I hate them with a deep and bitter passion, with their view of childhood as a golden age from which sexuality and adulthood are a falling away." He has called the series "one of the most ugly and poisonous things" he's ever read.
In spite of complaints about the forthcoming film, Pullman fans and atheists are still excited about the exposure it will give his novels. They say the American literary market is sorely lacking material for those who don't believe in God, and they scoff at the idea that the series is hazardous to children.
"Philip Pullman and I would say it is religion that poisons everything," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the atheist advocacy group the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and a co-host of Freethought Radio, a talk show that recently went national on Air America Radio.
Gaylor said her now-18-year-old daughter read the "Dark Materials" books "over and over" when she was a middle-school student about the same age as the heroine.
"What this book is about is casting off Church authority," Gaylor said. "I think it's very, very positive. There should be something for freethinking children. It's a very good yarn."
Others believe that the uproar over atheist themes and their absence from the movie is much ado about nothing, because children and parents will form their own interpretations anyway.
One thing "Compass" debaters seem to agree on is the quality of Pullman's writing; even his critics begrudgingly praise his prose. Donohue, for instance, calls him "very talented."
"The writing of his 'Dark Materials' is so masterful that it is bound to spark the spiritual imagination of anyone who reads it," said Craig Detweiler, co-director of Reel Spirituality, a pop culture and religion think tank at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif.
"In this era of the messy marriage of politics and religion, we desperately need more imaginative expressions of faith and doubt."
Detweiler accused conservative Christian activists like Baehr and Donohue of cashing in on the controversy for their own gain, just as they accuse Pullman of doing. And he thinks the controversial author could actually have the opposite effect on readers than the one he or his critics think — and lead people to find faith in a true higher power instead of merely a dogmatic, power-hungry establishment.
"It undoubtedly makes people question, but inspires them to look harder for more authentic religion," Detweiler said. "Pullman takes license in pointing out the scary, false gods and destructive idols we've created. In that sense, I think he's doing a great service."
On December 11 2007 03:59 lugggy wrote: An interesting context for this, apparently. I am curious about the book now. But I find it ironic that fear of christian backlash has made this film perfect for probably getting kids into the atheistic series, by having no hint of that kind of thing in the film. Young kids will maybe like the movie and be encouraged to read the book by ignorant (or atheist) parents. Fun stuff.
FOXNews.com Christian Groups Claim Pro-Atheist 'Stealth Campaign' in Nicole Kidman Fantasy Film 'The Golden Compass'
Wednesday, October 31, 2007 By Catherine Donaldson-Evans
FC1 ADVERTISEMENT
A children’s fantasy film that stars Nicole Kidman and features a little girl on a quest to kill God has some Christian groups upset over what they believe is a ploy to promote atheism to kids.
The movie, “The Golden Compass,” is adapted from the first novel in a trilogy called “His Dark Materials” by English author Philip Pullman, an outspoken atheist. Critics fear that the film, due out in December, will encourage children to read the anti-Church series.
Click here for photos
"These books denigrate Christianity, thrash the Catholic Church and sell the virtues of atheism," said Bill Donohue, president and CEO of the Catholic League.
The film itself is unlikely to offend — because New Line Cinema has tried to keep religion out of it, focusing on the story of a little girl named Lyra and her journey within a strange, parallel universe.
Click here for the FOX411 on the film
"'The Golden Compass' is an entertaining fantasy about love, courage, responsibility and freedom," a New Line spokesman said. "We look forward to the Dec. 7 opening."
But the removal of the Godless themes from the movie has some Christian organizations seething.
"They’re intentionally watering down the most offensive element,” Donohue said. “I'm not really concerned about the movie, [which] looks fairly innocuous. The movie is made for the books. ... It's a deceitful, stealth campaign. Pullman is hoping his books will fly off the shelves at Christmastime."
Some atheists and fans of the books aren't happy, either. They say the studio has caved to pressure from the Christian right by sanitizing the tale for the big screen.
In "Compass," the curious 12-year-old protagonist, Lyra (played by British newcomer Dakota Blue Richards), stumbles on an adventure very close to home when she overhears talk of an amazing substance called Dust, which can unite the world but is so feared that many are scrambling to eradicate it.
Lyra travels to an alternative universe where everyone has a spiritual alter-ego, or demon, in animal form — and she goes there not knowing what she'll find or what her role will be. In her quest for the truth, she receives a magical golden compass that has the answers for those savvy enough to decipher it. Kidman plays Mrs. Coulter, who turns out to be Lyra's mother; Daniel Craig (the current James Bond) co-stars as her "uncle" Lord Asriel — who is really her dad.
The anti-religious themes get progressively stronger with each book in the trilogy; in the final installment, the characters succeed in killing a character called God — who turns out to be a phony, and not God after all. The series has soared to the top of bestseller lists in the U.K. and other countries but has not caught on in the United States.
The Catholic League has mounted a PR campaign against the movie after researching Pullman's own writings about his series. The organization has published a pamphlet called "'The Golden Compass': Unmasked," which is for sale on its Web site.
Evangelical groups like The Christian Film and Television Commission, run by Ted Baehr, and James Dobson's Focus on the Family say they're taking a wait-and-see approach to the movie, although Baehr has plenty to say about the literary version of the series. (Both Baehr and Donohue say they've read "The Golden Compass" and had staff members read the other two.)
"I don't think a boycott will be effective. We have to see the film before we make that evaluation," Baehr said. "We'll put out writings on the book. Children who buy into this are going to be trapped in a sad, desperate world."
Pullman, a co-screenwriter on the project, hasn't commented much on the controversy, but in an interview last week with the Western Mail, a Welsh newspaper, he defended the movie version of his fantasy.
“This must be the only film attacked in the same week for being too religious and for being anti-religious — and by people who haven’t seen it," he said. "I have very friendly and happy relations with the filmmakers, and I'm very happy with what they are doing."
Trade publications like The Hollywood Reporter and Variety have been buzzing for years about New Line Cinema's deliberate attempts to water down the movie version in anticipation of the backlash from faith-seeking moviegoers. The film has been in the works since 2004.
Chris Weitz, the movie's director and co-screenwriter, wrote on a "Dark Materials" fan site three years ago about the push-and-pull at the studio, according to film source IMDB.com. Followers of the writer's trilogy had been complaining in chat rooms about the news that the first movie would be stripped of its down-with-religion references.
New Line "expressed worry about the possibility of perceived anti-religiosity" and instructed those making the movie that if the Godless themes stayed put, the project would turn "unviable, financially," Weitz wrote in December 2004 on Bridgetothestars.net. In those discussions, he said, Pullman suggested that the Church and God in his trilogy could become "any arbitrary establishment that curtails the freedom of the individual."
"You will probably not hear of the 'Church,'" the director wrote, sparking one fan to retort that Hollywood had engaged in a "blatant cop-out to the Bible Belt of America."
Pullman has not been shy in the past about verbalizing his beliefs — or, some might say, nonbeliefs — and his intentions in writing the "Dark Materials" novels.
The novelist has said they are in response to C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia," the popular children's fantasy series of which "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is the first book — written by Lewis to teach Christian ideals to kids.
"I loathe the 'Narnia' books," Pullman has said in previous press interviews. "I hate them with a deep and bitter passion, with their view of childhood as a golden age from which sexuality and adulthood are a falling away." He has called the series "one of the most ugly and poisonous things" he's ever read.
In spite of complaints about the forthcoming film, Pullman fans and atheists are still excited about the exposure it will give his novels. They say the American literary market is sorely lacking material for those who don't believe in God, and they scoff at the idea that the series is hazardous to children.
"Philip Pullman and I would say it is religion that poisons everything," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the atheist advocacy group the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and a co-host of Freethought Radio, a talk show that recently went national on Air America Radio.
Gaylor said her now-18-year-old daughter read the "Dark Materials" books "over and over" when she was a middle-school student about the same age as the heroine.
"What this book is about is casting off Church authority," Gaylor said. "I think it's very, very positive. There should be something for freethinking children. It's a very good yarn."
Others believe that the uproar over atheist themes and their absence from the movie is much ado about nothing, because children and parents will form their own interpretations anyway.
One thing "Compass" debaters seem to agree on is the quality of Pullman's writing; even his critics begrudgingly praise his prose. Donohue, for instance, calls him "very talented."
"The writing of his 'Dark Materials' is so masterful that it is bound to spark the spiritual imagination of anyone who reads it," said Craig Detweiler, co-director of Reel Spirituality, a pop culture and religion think tank at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif.
"In this era of the messy marriage of politics and religion, we desperately need more imaginative expressions of faith and doubt."
Detweiler accused conservative Christian activists like Baehr and Donohue of cashing in on the controversy for their own gain, just as they accuse Pullman of doing. And he thinks the controversial author could actually have the opposite effect on readers than the one he or his critics think — and lead people to find faith in a true higher power instead of merely a dogmatic, power-hungry establishment.
"It undoubtedly makes people question, but inspires them to look harder for more authentic religion," Detweiler said. "Pullman takes license in pointing out the scary, false gods and destructive idols we've created. In that sense, I think he's doing a great service."
lol, it's quite a while ago that I read the book and I don't remember everything perfeclty but for me it was just a fantasy book. these religious people are really so scared of everything; they really need to see things much more relaxed
golden compass -> evil, anti chrisitan harry potter -> evil, anti christian chronical of narnia -> also stupid in some way
we could ban all fantasy romans from the stores and substitute them with love stories of flowers and butterflies and w/e and then we will wonder why children don't want to read any more O_o
the pressure from the catholic league pretty much made the director cut down on the good part of the plot. Also the movie was way too short and it should've focused more on the plot again pressure from religious nutcases that feel offended made the director pussy out
On December 11 2007 02:45 MYM.Testie wrote: User Rating: 6.7/10 from IMDB
So yeah, it's very likely to be lacking and feel flat like the original poster said.
lol someone on IMDB posted a letter from his/her school about this movie:
Book and Movie warning! Most of you are aware that the New Line Cinema release of a movie titled The Golden Compass will hit the theaters with dramatic impact on December 7, 2007. The promos for the movie are enticing and appear to offer an escape to fantasy and adventure. The Philip Pullman film, the first of a trilogy called His Dark Materials, has been compared to Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. Well, it's not. The Golden Compass is the exact opposite of the Christian-based classics. The film is viciously anti-God while weaving messages of witchcraft, evolution, divination, homosexuality, and immorality. The author himself boasts that, "I am of the Devil's party and know it!".
Needless to say, we strongly urge families to avoid this "soon to be popular" movie.
EPT
or at least I was, and slowly but surely you figure out that the music now playing is the end credit music ahahah. 
![[image loading]](http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2007/10/10/golden-compass-poster-2.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.icebin.net/upload/his-dark-materials-the-golden-compass.jpg)
