Posted on 12/07/2007 10:43:59 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o
Where are Harry and Frodo when you really need them?
Here is a magical-mystery movie with everything money can eagerly buy: big-name stars, boffo effects, a story pre-sold in a mass-cult fantasy novel. The only thing "The Golden Compass" lacks, alas, is magic. And its mystery is a little too mysterious.
The picture looks great — director Chris Weitz and his town-size team of digital technicians have created a fantasy world of misty cities, gleaming dirigibles and intricate steampunk gadgetry that really pops. But in attempting to cram as much as possible of Philip Pullman's 400-page novel into a two-hour movie, Weitz — who wrote the script after nixing Tom Stoppard's pass at one — gives us both way too much and much too little. We're so pounded down by all the exposition in the beginning, and then by the stampede of daemons and bears and mechanical insects arriving in its wake, that fans of the book may slump in despair, and non-fans in simple indifference.
The story is set in a parallel world that resembles Victorian England. There's even a parallel Oxford University, where spunky little Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) is happily ensconced as the ward of the scientist-explorer Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig, who's in the movie for about as long as it might take you or me to hail a cab). The free-thinking Asriel is a heretical figure to the sinister Magisterium (think the Catholic Church — Pullman did, although New Line Cinema really hopes you won't). Both Asriel and the Magisterium are obsessed with something called Dust, a shimmery substance that no one entirely understands, least of all us.
About the time Asriel decides to take off for northern polar regions in search of the source of this stuff, the glamorous Mrs. Coulter (blazingly-blonde Nicole Kidman) arrives on the scene, making a runway entrance into a vast university dining hall that's so blatantly Hogwartsian, you half-expect to see Albus Dumbledore go gliding by, possibly in drag.
By this point, you'll have noticed that all the characters in the movie are walking around with little animals perched on their shoulders or yipping around their feet. These are the above-noted daemons — advisors, protectors, stand-ins for the soul, you might say. Little kids have cute daemons: birds, butterflies, fuzzy quadrupeds of various endearing sorts. The evil operatives of the Magisterium lean more toward serpents. Mrs. Coulter's daemon is a monkey, which I found to be a stumper.
Anyway, Mrs. Coulter offers to take Lyra to "the North," as it's called (think Norway), unaware that Lyra has been hoping to follow in Asriel's footsteps and maybe get to the bottom of this Dust thing. By now we've also learned that a group called the Gobblers — nefarious minions of the Magisterium — have been kidnapping children, and before long we're further informed that they've been spiriting the kids off to a snowbound laboratory to perform alarming experiments on them. Lyra is enraged, but Mrs. Coulter takes a suspiciously sympathetic view of Magisterial undertakings: "They keep things working by telling people what to do."
I haven't mentioned the alethiometer — the titular Golden Compass. This is a nifty device that can tell all truths and reveal all that others wish to hide (if I may slip into the fancy-speak of the story for a moment). Nor have I touched upon the armored Ice Bears — and there's a whole kingdom full of them. Lyra recruits one of these enormous creatures, named Iorek, to accompany her on her polar quest.
She also gets backup from another outfit called the Gyptians, who sail about in a pirate-y schooner. Then there's a drawling, Stetson-topped cowboy "aeronaut" named Scoresby (Sam Elliott — even his rabbit demon has a cracker accent), and a sky full of fierce witches armed with bows and arrows. I'm leaving stuff out, believe me.
Admirers of Pullman's book, who've invariably followed this tale through to its third-volume conclusion, marvel at the story's scope and depth of purpose. The movie strives mightily to stuff in hints of those things, but the result is mostly clutter and confusion. (In this regard, lopping off the book's ending, which had actually been shot, is something of a puzzlement.)
I'm guessing part of the fault for the picture's shortcomings probably lies in New Line micromanagement. Having grossed billions with its "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, the company has surely latched on to the similarly tripartite "His Dark Materials" with visions of another corporate cash-wallow. But this one ain't that one. The first "Rings" movie set up the story with ravishing clarity: good Hobbits, bad wizards, evil ring. "The Golden Compass" (which reportedly cost $200 million to make, approximately two thirds of the budget for the entire "Rings" trilogy) buries us in so much desperate explication that the shape of the story never really emerges. The picture ends with the promise — or the threat — of a sequel. Given the numbers, and this movie's probable reception, I'm betting it never gets made.
The picture ends with the promise — or the threat — of a sequel. Given the numbers, and this movie's probable reception, I'm betting it never gets made.
Well, it sounds like a.... like a... BOMB!!!
Maybe it’s because Tolkien set out to make a good mythology, Lewis set out to mirror the TRUE mythology, and Pullman set out to lambaste both of them. Like with liberals making movies like An American President or Dave, Pullman sees that the only time his side wins is by creating fantasies in which he wins.
I hope this will teach New Line that they can’t just add good graphics and A-list celebrities to a movie to make it truly great. The story has to be great too. And when MTV dislikes the movie, it’s obviously not a great story.
Half the box-office take on this movie will be from Michael Newdow and the ACLU anyway.
And as a final twist of the dagger, they’ll probably be showing trailers for Pullman’s arch rival, the Chronicles of Narnia, in front of Golden Compass. How marvelous.
Hmm, to me it sounds like Michael Newdow on his way to the theater.
I didn't. I've known a number of people who started the series, liked the beginning, and dropped the thing as they got deeper in. I don't know anyone who actually managed to finish it. The hidden message becomes very off-putting when it becomes no-longer hidden.
I am going to go see it in about an hour. I’ll get back to give give it a thumbs up or thumbs down. Or maybe one of each.
The only reviewer to give it two thumbs up so far seems to be the USCCB.
Clowns.
ha ha ha ha ha ha
Bumping for this PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:
The film “The Golden Compass” STINKS!
You can save your money on this “Golden Turkey” even if you are
an atheist/agnostic.
We now return you to a thread on the ultra-right-wing Internet forum,
www.freerepublic.com
Interesting, though, that Pullman's fellow Oxonian, C.S. Lewis, predicted him 50 years ago to a T. He's not even a real atheist. H's somebody who thinks you can give Tinkerbell and her Fairy Dust a solemn intellectual respectability by poking her with a stick and making her intone, (deeply) "You understand, of course, it's Quantum Physics." Pullman's --- in Lewis' terms --- a Materialist Magician.
I think we can expect more of this.
Yeah, but two thumbs up what?
He started as a critic for Rolling Stone.
Why do you think youth-worshipping MTV has kept him on as the only adult representative of it’s “news” division.
Sayyy, now I’M getting an idea for a great fantasy epic: it’s about an television entertainment network that was once visonary, artistic and cutting-edge, but that abandoned it’s business model for the lowest common-denominator and now steals the innocence and sucks the souls of young children...
Have to wonder one thing, though - did this guy pan the LotR movies and the first Chronicles of Narnia, too?
My daughter wants to see this. We’ve discussed it and I have told her why we will not see it. Then, I told her that one of the reviewers called it the “Chronicles of Yawnia”. She is a smart cookie. She has since changed her mind.
My nephew manages a movie theater and we would not go to see it for free there. Period.
We will, however, be going to see Enchanted for the third time, right after the practice for the Nativity Play on Saturday.
I’m putting James Marsden’s kids through college.
The picture looks great — director Chris Weitz and his town-size team of digital technicians have created a fantasy world of misty cities, gleaming dirigibles and intricate steampunk gadgetry that really pops.While adults may get bored with shiny empty boxes, kids won't. Or at least there's enough in the ads to get the kids nagging mom and dad to see it.
I give it, "The Finger."
I’ll let you know if I give it that too!
Kurt Loder’s a libertarian/conservative believe it or not...
“it’s about an television entertainment network that was once visonary, artistic and cutting-edge, but that abandoned it’s business model for the lowest common-denominator and now steals the innocence and sucks the souls of young children...”
I’m sorry but you need to be more precise. Your description could fit almost any network.
"Golden Compass" is being heavily promoted on Nickelodeon, with lots of "behind the scenes" info-mercials.
It will create a real dilemma for them - risk losing money, or lose a shot to make some anti-Christian propaganda.
I'd bet they'd opt for the propaganda, and let the shareholders take any loss.
We rented a movie a few months ago with a teaser for The Golden Compass. It looked really cool, but I remember consciously thinking, why is this teaser so incredibly long? Is the movie that bad?
Apparently it is... I won’t be seing it. I learned with the last Star Wars movies that it takes more than cool special effects to pull a stinker out of the basement.
Some say Tolkien Lord of the Rings was about the rise of Germany, Hitler and WWII.
LOS ANGELES (Nov. 7, 2007) – New Line Cinema today announced a wide array of promotional partners to support its upcoming fantasy adventure The Golden Compass including Coca-Cola, World Wildlife Fund, Sega, Wal-Mart, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Amazon.com, Emusic, FAO Schwarz, Target, Corgi International, Trans World Entertainment, Circuit City, Marie Claire and Scholastic.
... New Line has over 75 licensed partners producing hundreds of Golden Compass-related products worldwide....
...- Coca-Cola will create 12 million co-branded cups to be used in thousands of movie theaters worldwide and will feature a tie-in to its My COKE Rewards program including a co-branded landing page on the program website. Coca-Cola will also create theater displays and on-screen advertisements promoting The Golden Compass. This marks only the fourth time that Coca-Cola has done a Global Concession Program of this kind.
- World Wildlife Fund will launch a special website at www.worldwildlife.org/goldencompass where visitors can view a panoramic lineup of the animal spirits or “daemons” from the film and can “adopt” a real-life animal whose species is featured in the film – including polar bears, snow leopards, and monkeys - through the site. The partnership also includes a PSA about global warming that is voiced by Dakota Blue Richards and a sweepstakes featuring a grand prize trip for four to Manitoba, Canada, to view polar bears in their natural habitat.
- Sega is the exclusive worldwide interactive partner for The Golden Compass and is producing the official video game for the film, scheduled for release beginning December 1st in the United States. Sega will release the title on seven platforms, supported by a multi-million dollar marketing campaign that includes TV, print, and in-theater advertising as well as extensive in-store signage.
- Burger King International will launch an aggressive program spanning Europe, Asia and Latin America that will include a kids meal program featuring 10 premium items based on characters, vehicles and objects from the world of the Golden Compass.
- In Japan, Toyota will run a tie-in partnership to launch their new family car NOVA.
- Cereal Partners Worldwide will feature The Golden Compass on 20 million cereal boxes throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia.
ETCETERA AD NAUSEAM.
Peter Jackson’s success was based on his realization that Tolkien’s material was the best..but he knew how to edit what he had to do for the film. Just goes to show that great CGI can’t cover for the lack of a compelling story and well-structured story. Tolkien wanted to tell a myth NOT to degrade religion but to illustrate the fight between good and evil AND the “eucatastrophe” or joy that comes from good defeating evil..
One of my high school students said “Enchanted” was fabulous! Good to hear another thumbs up
Tolkien addressed that issue in one of his essays. (I don't remember which one, but I will try to reread some of them over Christmas vacation.) He said that The Lord of the Rings is not allegory. In allegory the images and figures in the story can be reduced to a single meaning that the author intended. The story could have been stated directly without the fanciful imagery. Tolkien didn't like allegory.
He said that he wrote mythology. The main characteristic of myth is that everyone can bring to it their own meaning. So for some, Sauron's empire is a story about Nazi Germany. For others it is about the Soviet Union. For still others it is about the relentless battle of evil against good. With a good myth, every generation can bring their own meaning to the story.
So, interpret the story as you like.
The villain is a blonde woman named Mrs. “Coulter”? That can’t be an accident!
LOL!
Well, I saw it and I enjoyed it. I give it one and three quarters thumbs up. I haven’t read any of the books, and I don’t intend to. As for the movie, I looked at it as nothing more than a fanciful tale of an alternate universe, an alternate reality and an alternate religion. As an old sci-fi reader, I have come across all these themes before. This movie will no more influence my beliefs than would a book like “Stranger In a Strange Land” by Robert A. Heinlein. It’s just a movie.
That they do, that they do. They’re wrong. :-)
Well, that was a major mistake. Tom Stoppard writes marvelously insightful and witty material.
In other words; just like Bob Dylan’s lyrics.
Was the book’s villainess named Coulter? And was the book written recently enough that the author would’ve known about our beloved Ann?
"But before she can begin her search for Roger, Lyra is introduced to Mrs. Coulter, a beautiful and bewitching woman. Mrs. Coulter is a scholar and an explorer - seemingly everything that Lyra could ever hope to be. Mrs. Coulter takes Lyra under her wing and employs her as an assistant to help in the next expedition to explore the Arctic North. On the morning she is to leave Jordan College, the Master of the school gives Lyra an alethiometer, a rare and powerful instrument with the power to reveal the truth in all things."
In other words instead of magical creatures with purpose and goodness as in LOTR— we have lots of smelly brown spots scrambling and confused.
I dont care about the politics behind it, but the movie was amazing. And just because a bunch of nutbags say its anti-christian, and put a “fatwa” on it, doesnt make it so. If you are a free thinker who has a brain of his own, you should first see the movie and then judge it by yourself. I personally dont think it is anti-christian, just got some striking resemblance to the catholic-church authority figure. Overall, a highly entertaining and extremely creative movie.
Have you actually seen it before condemning it as a “bore” ? The armored polar bears, the cute innocent but sharp as a razor child Lyra, the fantastic visuals and the very concept of the movie - highly creative !
Loder actually seems to have something of a brain. For real, I mean, not just relative to the average person who appears on MTV. All you need to do is spell “cat” without using a “k” and you’re already in the upper 10% of the MTV class.
Why do you think the movie has anti-Christian overtones? Perhaps that’s what the author intended?
You haven’t done YOUR research before criticism of “nutbag” Christians. You call it “free thinking” but your just “freely stinking.”
Good night.
“The armored polar bears, the cute innocent but sharp as a razor child Lyra, the fantastic visuals and the very concept of the movie - highly creative !”
Yeah, and all the kids will love the creatures, and want to buy the books, and therein lies the problem, as they all get indoctrinated into atheism.
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