ChikPapa Very disappointed :(

Majorthebys Charming and brutal

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Inmechon The movie's only flaw is also a virtue: It's jammed with characters, stories, warmth and laughs.

Rod Martin Jr This is one of those rare films that has everything a good film demands -- conflict, juicy characters, understandable story that connects to the audience viscerally, and stunning visuals. The music, acting, sets, props and dialog are all a work of art.This is the kind of film I would like to make. It creates a myth and universe that remains internally consistent. One other reviewer commented that someone would have to have read the books to understand the beginning of the movie. I disagree. I didn't read any of the books and loved this movie right from the first scene. The key is trusting the audience to suspend their disbelief as well as the need to know all of the backstory in order to enjoy the immersion process.This film works on so many levels -- creating a multi-layered conflict, including likable characters who have hidden agendas.If they don't make the sequels, I'll be upset, big time. Stopping the sequels because the first didn't make money in the USA (while making a killing overseas) is not a reason, but an excuse.

NateWatchesCoolMovies There's a reason they never adapted another novel in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series past the initial stab at The Golden Compass, and it's the same infuriating reason why many adaptations of children's and young adult novels fail: lack of appropriate atmosphere and true menace found in the source material. Every time Hollywood comes along and decides to try their luck at a beloved series for youngsters or young adults, they feel this feverish need to shine it up with a candy colored, over lit vibe that leaves much of the darker elements by the wayside and as a result their final product feels neutered and bereft of any weight, stakes or attention to detail. Spiderwick. Skellig. Eragon. Hell, even Narnia only made it by the skin of its teeth, blasting out of the gate with a flawless entry, only to peter off into sequels afflicted by the very symptoms I outlined above, and not even make it to the end of the saga at that. Now don't get me wrong, this doesn't happen to every series they try to adapt, but to enough of them that it's a problem, especially when a darkly creative, eerie and unique tale like this gets turned into a glossy, pandering misfire. It's sad because some of the elements of a good film are in place, starting with casting. Dakota Blue Richards is on-the-nose perfect as Lyra, the adventurous heroine who gets swept away on a menacing voyage to arctic lands and beyond. She lives in a curious parallel universe where every human is forever accompanied by a 'Daemon', essentially a piece of their soul that takes animal form, and never the two shall separate. Lyra's uncle Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) is an explorer who has returned from the north lands with tales of a mysterious phenomenon called 'dust', a powerful substance purported to be able to unlock other worlds and dimensions. Lyra is curious at first and then nervous when she meets icy Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman) a prim socialite with a devious agenda involving children that have gone missing in the city. She has a facility on the tundra where scary research and very bad experiments are conducted. Now in the books the descriptions and eventual confrontation with this would make your hair turn white. Pullman imparts it with weight and true blood freezing horror. The filmmakers *deliberatly* tone it down and castrate it, leaving anyone who was a fan of the series in total disgust. It just doesn't have the same dark, otherworldly atmosphere it did on the pages, it feels too bright, chipper and lacking any real wonder. It does have some wicked visuals going for it in places, such as the two rival talking bears, voiced with baritone boom by Ian McKellen and Ian McShane, the landscape of the north as seen from the hot air balloon of grizzled sky-cowboy Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliott), and others. Eva Green also scores well as elemental witch Serafina Pekkala, but then she's incapable of giving a bad performance anyhow. Scattered supporting cast includes Kathy Bates, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Courtney, Simon Mcburney, Derek Jacobi, as well, an impressive lineup all in all, but one that deserves a far better film for their talent. It's just misguided and tone deaf. It may have been a series for adolescents, but the themes, implications and scenarios found in those books are harrowing, complex, very mature and not to be taken lightly, let alone given the full on Harry Potter theme park treatment. Shame, really, and a giant missed opportunity. Perhaps someday soon a network will get the rights and turn this tale into a film or TV show worthy of His Dark Materials.

Python Hyena The Golden Compass (2007): Dir: Chris Weitz / Cast: Dakota Blue Richards, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Sam Elliott, Eva Green: Adventure about guidance as a golden compass is thrust into the possession of a young girl. Interesting directing choice for Chris Weitz after directing About a Boy and the dreadful Down to Earth. He has managed to switch up genres while keeping his resume semi interesting. Exciting and adventurous that turns to constant action within the third act. Dakota Blue Richards does well as the young lead holding her own against her much more famous co-stars as well as the exquisite special effects surrounding her. She plays off intelligence in the face of adult adversary. Nicole Kidman plays an enchanting seductress named Mrs. Coulter whose downfall was underestimating Richards. Daniel Craig is featured as Richards' uncle in what is mostly a standard role but Craig rises above it. Sam Elliott also rises above conventions as a Texan who flies a plane. He leads Richards to an armored polar bear where she seeks help but first she must witness a massive battle between two of the polar warriors. Eva Green plays a witch queen, which is not much of a stretch from her usual roles. Pointless and often corny with animal companions that seem to double as souls. Weird storytelling but the visual elements are tremendous and render the compass a worthwhile adventure. Score: 7 ½ / 10

dhlh Golden Compass were they ever going to make a part 2 the end was a major setup for what had to be a 2nd in the works what the h happened, Religious Fanaticism prevented yet another movie which seemed to be quite a good movie to fade away if those fanatics could they would be burning books, I have 1 statement for those fanatics, if you want to burn books and block movies from being made then throw that politicized piece of crap called the Holy Bible on the fire first, since that is a total perversion of Christs message, HA HA growing up my mother had it in her head I was possessed due to her catholic upbringing and the fact I was smarter than everyone I had met then and still to this day 35 years later I am now 51, I have yet to meet anyone worthy of having an intelligent conversation with, Ha Ha people seem to believe that aliens visit earth its not to see people for their intelligence it is just a courtesy visit to the hairless apes that think they are something special, but if you have an IQ over 120 then it would be hard to disagree with me here this is the Planet of the MORONS, I decided that when I was 6 when my mother decided I had to be possessed since at 6 the school district wanted to make me a High School Senior, and her holy roller ass wouldn't have it, anyway at 16 she had the preacher from our church come by to cast out my Demons, Ha Ha after I talked with him for around 20 min he left but he looked at my mother before leaving and told her he has a greater understanding of the bible than anyone, and all I told him was what I said above that the Bible is part of the creators message, rearranged and perverted to meet the needs of the time it was all gathered together and Canonized also called made into a book, but 7/8 or the written stories that were a major part of Christianity throughout its first millennium were banned from ever becoming part of the bible again, so when the Church stops perverting the word of the Creator will once again join a church but face it they never will and those Blank blanks will never cease and desist with the perversion of the word of God, if they did they couldn't justify to themselves that conning the elderly into leaving the church everything they have ever gotten and conning everyone out of a 10% tithe which is a perversion of a whole different caliber, I tithe of my spirit as Christ and all his true followers did and I never ask or even want anything in return the most I desire it that those who listen may at some time in the future choose to tithe of their spirit.