The Golden Compass DVD: Review By Shelley

When this film was first released there was a lot of news regarding the religious implications contained in the book on which the film was based. One of the major issues was that the author is a professed Atheist and somewhere in the trilogy of books it talked about the killing of God. Actually this did not take place until the third book (I think) and it was about killing ‘a’ God, not ‘the’ God. Not to mention the fact that just because someone is of a certain religious persuasion does not mean they are trying to convert people with their books and/or movies. How or what someone believes should not influence how good or bad a fictional book or movie is. Things like the controversy surrounding this film always remind me how judgmental some people can be without even knowing all the facts.

I have never read the books, but I have heard they are excellent. So I do not if this is a good adaptation or not. I did however find the movie to be very enjoyable and entertaining. Actually it was better than I was expecting. It was beautifully filmed, well written and acted; Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman were a delight to watch. I enjoyed seeing Sam Elliott and newcomer Dakota Blue Richards did a great job considering this was her first film. The CGI work won an Oscar for Best Achievement in Visual Effects and rightfully so, some of the effects are no less than stunning.

The story is a complex one so I wish they had made the film longer than 113 minutes. But I understood a lot more of it by watching it a second time. It is a shame that there will probably not be a sequel, I would have enjoyed one. If you want to see a delightful fantasy film, I would recommend this one without hesitation. If you have read the book, do not expect it to follow it exactly, especially the ending. I have heard that it is totally different which angered a lot of fans of the series.

Thanks for reading.