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Printer-Friendly ModeCompass shines, but not Golden
December 10, 2007 —
After reading Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, I was absolutely astonished - praising it to friends as a height of the fantasy genre. One friend asked me to compare it to Harry Potter; I could only laugh. Rowling's series is a fun time, but what Pullman creates with Materials is art. So, when a film (and hopeful trilogy) was announced based on the first novel - The Golden Compass, I was skeptical and, having now seen the film, rightly so.
Set in a parallel universe where part of people's souls manifest themselves in the form of animals--or daemons, Compass tells the tale of 12-year-old Lyra Belacqua as she makes her way on a dangerous adventure to the far north--seeking out friends that were kidnapped by a mysterious group known as the Gobblers. Along the way, she receives a truth-telling device called an Alethiometer (the Golden Compass), meets witches and recruits the help of an armor-wearing and talking polar bear.
Compass is, essentially, a very long, adventure-filled exposition, which is part of the problem in making it a film - there is just too much story to tell. Another big problem in adapting a series like Materials is the nature of the tale. It starts out as a seeming children's fantasy, but soon develops into an increasingly dark and intricate epic - filled with philosophical ideas about theology, metaphysics and human nature among other things.
It seems as though director Chris Weitz understands Pullman's source material, but spends too much time worrying about getting everything on screen. This causes the the film to end up feeling a bit choppy and extraordinarily fast-paced. He also had producers concerned with some of the ideas that the original text lays out - as the books are heavy with an anti-religion-as-political-establishment message. He cuts many of the blatant references to this message out of the film (which will be increasingly difficult if the second two books are adapted - as the message becomes more realized). Even edited, the Catholic Church and many Christian organizations are still speaking out against the film. The irony in this is that, by the time the series concludes, a very pro-faith message can be found.
Even with its problems, Compass is one of those films well worth seeing at the cinema - as the visual effects are rather stunning. Childrens' daemons are able to change forms until they reach puberty - when they chose a singular form representational of their human's personality. The effect of seeing Lyra and other childrens' daemons continually shift from one form to another never gets old. The fight sequences are extremely entertaining as well - especially a particularly violent one between two polar bears.
And though the pacing affected my investment in the characters to an extent, the acting in the film was quite good. Newcomer Dakota Blue Richards, who portrays Lyra, was definitely a nice catch. She really embodies the juxtaposed determination and innocence of the character - as well as stirring a far amount of emotion during a particularly traumatic sequence. Nicole Kidman portrays the primary villain of Compass, Mrs. Coulter, with a frightening compassion. Sam Elliot as Lee Scoresby and Ian McKellan as the voice of Iorek Byrnison (Lyra's polar bear companion) both steal the show when they are on screen--especially when together.
Compass certainly has its share of problems - mostly those one would expect with the adaptation of such weighted and complex source material, but with some exceptional visuals, fine acting and a remotely competent director, it still makes for a fun time at the movies.