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The Golden Compass [2007]

Director: Chris Weitz
Actors: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker, Freddie Highmore
Studio: Entertainment in Video
Category: DVD

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Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

78 reviews
Sales Rank: 96

Format: Pal
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language)
Rating: Parental Guidance
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 109
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6

EAN: 5017239195600
ASIN: B0010X8FLM

Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: April 28, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New & Sealed, Shipped From The UK

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 6-10 of 78

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Heading the right way June 8, 2008
Well, I haven't read the trilogy on the which this film is based so, I went in with an open mind.

I have to say I enjoyed it. I found it a very easy way to fill 2 hours. Overall, I thought the casting was excellent - apart from Nicole Kidman who, to me, seems to demonstrate once again how she graduated from the Plank school of acting.
I got a bit confused about Daniel Craig's disappearance early on until I was reminded - "this is a trilogy"

I particularly liked the daemons. A nice touch. As was the intriguing mix of technologies in this fantasy world. Flying on what appear to a sophisticated type of airship but, using sailing ships??

OK - the set piece action scenes weren't exactly Lord of the Rings. However, nothing could compare with the siege of Minas Tirith or the magnificent charge of the Rohirrim. However, I think the film did pretty well - especially the fight between the armoured bears!

All in all, I considered it to be a generally well acted, well written and enjoyable piece of fantasy. I would have no qualms about buying this or, (hopefully) the next 2 instalments.

I think it is possibly a bit unfair to judge the film according to what is in the book. I think the purists will probably have pre-judged & dismissed the film anyway. Perhaps I have an advantage here in not actually being influenced by the book.

I think artistic licence is inevitable. I have actually read Lord of the Rings. Obviously, Peter Jackson used a bit of licence but, I honestly do not believe the films suffered for it.All the esentials were there. He had to draw a line somewhere! I think the director of this film has had to do the same.

4 out of 5 stars

Forgetting the book.. June 5, 2008
2 out of 5 found this review helpful

Many people have awarded this film with the 1-3 star rating, and after reading many of them have noticed one thing in common, they rely greatly upon the book to support their views. Now it is well known that many people do not read in England and so the audience that actually have read this book must be considerably smaller than that of whom went to see it or rented or purchased it! So why do we need to keep bringing the book into this? To most the book is completely irrelevant in context to the film, so i am writing this review for those who care about the film not the darn book!

Ok so too begin, the acting, well it is not a superb performance by all but there is some very strong and believable acting in this film, the main characters are engaging and very persuasive, if you haven't read the book you will not have preset picture in your mind of what YOU expect them to be like.

Ok so the graphics, well what can i say, they are truly magnificent, what more could you want, it was simple stunning, done to perfection i must say! If you like enhanced graphics then this is the film for you, it is so good the places could be real, as could the talking animals, i have to applaud them for this.

The storyline is also good, in parts the dialoge is a bit bland and often very descriptive giving irrelevant and obvious details, but apart from that the storyline is good and believable which makes it a much better film, i find many lack in a decent storyline but here it is definitely one of it's strong points!

So what else is there to say? Well to all those who have not read the book or have read the book and want to know what sort of FILM it is, it is very good, action packed and a great film for not only the family but also for anyone else looking for an epic night in. So please ignore the trash that fills these reviews, because when it all comes down to it, this is a film not a book, so please stop rating the film by the book and try and be more open minded!

Thank you for reading.

3 out of 5 stars

Not quite what it promised to be. June 1, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Lets get the good stuff out of the way first, and to be honest there is plenty of this. This has to be one of the best computer generated on screen experiences I have seen. The big shots in the Arctic; the fight of the bears; the animal movements: all these were first class. The cinimatography overall was very good. The acting was good, and some actors stood out, particularly in the so called minor, supporting roles. A delightful display which was easy to watch and engaging.
Now the other side. This is an adaptation of a book. What is more, this is adaptation of a lengthy book. The resultant screenplay trys to keep to the book whole story, and to be honest there is not enougth time to do this. The end result winds the books supporters up, in that it makes cuts with the story and jumps a little too quickly from one scene to another; for film fans, the story is disjointed, assumes that you have a good grasp of the plot before you watch, and understand the sub-plots and twists without having to go into them too deeply itself. The end result fails to please either camps, and I for one was more than a little disappointed with the end product. If this is to be the first of a trilogy, I might not be as eager to watch the next two episodes without a major change of screenplay writers and/or director.
Wait till it goes out on TV, preferably on a wet Sunday afternoon.

3 out of 5 stars

Great cast but it is a more to follow film May 30, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful

It is like Harry Potter meets the Snow Queen. You expect it to go on and get to an ending then it just ends.
It must be a 2 part film & this is the first part.
Not good enough to watch any part two they might make but kids would enjoy it.

2 out of 5 stars

2.5--Golden Compass fails to strike Gold, May 29, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

I've been looking forward to this film for the past couple of weeks. And while there are a lot of very strong reviews for this film there were one or two which really slated it, so I expected an average forgettable film which might at least entertain me. And I do like fantasy stories.

This movie was an if for me at first, being that it just seemed like one of the many quickly thrown together fantasy novels/movies that have supposed huge followings. However, I found myself sitting in my living room, and to be honest, I was somewhat impressed at first, the effects were very good, and although you can still obviously tell CGI versus live action, very smooth. The actors did a great job with what they had, and what they had is what ruined the movie. The script was rough at best, with randomly thrown together scenes that were leading towards an Aha! moment that never came. The whole movie kept building, and the plot kept thickening. However, in the end we are left with a sub par battle and more questions than when the movie started.

Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) is clearly the star of this adventure that explores the possibility of other, parallel worlds whose interaction with the world as we know it is controlled by various groups of good guys and bad guys, all seeking the source of secrecy contained in a Golden Compass that can only be read by a single girl - Lyra, a poor child living in the presence of scholars. Lyra's uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) places the Golden Compass in Lyra's knowing hands and heads off to the far North to investigate the element that binds all life together - Dust. The tale is set in motion by the enigmatic Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman) who gains Lyra's confidence and offers to take her to the great North. All manner of adventures occur on the journey - friends of Lyra's are threatened to be separated from their various daemons in the cruel hands of the bad guys, Lyra's encounter with a witch Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green), her assistance from a friendly astronaut (Sam Elliott) and an armored bear - and with all fantasies, good prevails - or does it?

It seems as if the sole purpose for this movie was to be the directors vehicle for a sequel, as the end comes at a point in the story which traditionally would be the arc of the plot, however we end up getting rolling credits in place of explanation. If there is one thing that I did actually enjoy in this movie, I will say once again, the Golden Compass was visually pleasant and well acted but lacked direction. In the end I saw a fantasy adventure which left me longing for more scenes of fighting polar bears. While my kids saw, a somewhat disjointed visual presentation of a well loved book series. Even though I've encountered the glitz and general awe over Nicole Kidman's wardrobe, the overall experience wasn't so delightful.