Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The Golden Compass (2007) (nat)

I liked the movie just fine. Joel calls it preposterous.

It's not perfect, isn't neat, has some plot holes. But I expect such things from movies with talking, fighting, armored bears and whatnot that are essentially meant for children. It's clearly setting itself up for sequels and this is the foundation movie that leaves a lot to be filled in with the subsequent movies, if they're ever made. If you can forgive the movie that, it's entertaining. I went in only wanting to see Daniel Craig and the polar bears. I got those things.

Anyway, it's apparently a way watered down version of the watered down American versions of the British series of children's books. It's getting slammed for being anti-religion which is basically nonsense. The movie can have religious overtones if read as such (as could just about any Tom Cruise movie or any other movie for that matter) but the Magisterium reads as more of a government thing to me (in the film, at least--apparently the books are more explicitly death of God, etc).

The polar bears are cool, the witches are cool, the daemons are cool, the architecture is cool, Daniel Craig is good as is Nicole Kidman and I like the little girl playing the lead role. I did not like the ugly child they found to play her best friend not did I like Kidman's character's daemon monkey. Creepy. There is also an odd two second use of Christopher Lee that is misleading as he doesn't show up anywhere else in the movie. And there is quite the graphic scene for a children's movie but I won't say anymore because it would give something away. Anyway, I liked it just fine. I was entertained.

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