The Golden Compass (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
British actors abound in 'The Golden Compass', a philosophical fantasy film directed by Chris Weitz (American Pie). 12 yr. old Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) lives in a world where people's souls live outside of their bodies & come in the form of shape-changing animals - pretty cool, huh? Her only living relative is Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig). He has just discovered 'Dust'. And in this parallel world (to ours), 'dust' makes communication btwn. different worlds possible. But it is highly feared by a tyrannical organization named 'The Magisterium' - because its power could topple their own authority over the universe.
In steps the mysterious Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman). Conveniently, she hand-picks Lyra to accompany her on a treacherous trip to the North. Ecstatic, Lyra hopes she'll be able to see the fabled 'ice bears'. Soon after this, Lyra is given a secret 'alethiometer' (or a golden compass) by the master of the college that she lives at. This compass will reveal certain truths about the perils of her upcoming expedition; & it's imperative that Mrs. Coulter does find out about the compass.
However, before departing, her best friend, Roger, is kidnapped by a group known as 'The Gobblers'. As time progresses, Lyra discovers for herself that Mrs. Coulter is something akin to pure evil. She escapes, & is able to search for Roger with the help of some unexpected friends. They include: King John Faa (Jim Carter) & his Gyptians; an armored ice bear, Iorek Byrnison (Ian McKellen); a witch queen, Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green); & a quirky aeronaut named Lee (Sam Elliott). They want free will, but the Magisterium won't grant it. So Lyra must journey to the top of her world to achieve freedom for her new pals, save Roger, as well as other kidnapped children from horrific Magisterium. It's her primary intention to save Roger & defeat the Magisterium ... I think.
For a kids film (that can be appreciated by adults), there's a Hell of a lot going on here. I tried to keep up. I think I got it. But it shouldn't have been so difficult (as this aims to be a 2 or 3 film franchise). But I digress. What did I learn? Hmm, well ... 'Dust' is pretty. The compass is pretty. Eva Green is pretty. Okayyy, I'll get serious. I like the idea that Lyra is the only child who's destined to possess the compass (Frodo's Ring of Lord of the Rings). I also enjoyed the voice-overs (McKellen & Freddie Highmore as 'Pan', Lyra's animal spirit). The acting is pretty decent. Dakota Blue Richards has some spunk. It's nice to see Derek Jacobi & Christopher Lee's talents put to use. And with her ice blue eyes & evocative speech patterns, Nicole Kidman is an inspired choice as the statuesque villain.
But, similar to this yrs. 'Stardust', many of the fantasy elements in this film feel slightly regurgitated from other iconic fantasy epics of the recent past. i.e, the fight btwn. good & evil; a fellowship of heroes; a long arduous journey across vast lands, etc. There's too much jammed into this plot; providing very little room for character development, proper pacing, or narrative energy. And the philosophical guidelines of the 'parallel universe' are sketchily developed. But on a good note, I loved an ice bear-on-ice bear battle sequence near the end ... as it woke me back up (haha).
Special effects are used in nearly every frame of this film and they are gorgeous. The cinematography is rich. I enjoyed the fantastical landscapes. The production design & costumes are fabulous. The sound design is wonderful. Alexandre Desplat's music is rousing. So, as you can see, while I loved various aspects of the film, it's the story & it's execution that disappointed me. Though it's a children's fable ...it's not quite as successful as, say, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, or Guillermo Del Toro's Pans Labyrinth. In retrospect, I like 'The Golden Compass' now a little more than I initially did last night.
In steps the mysterious Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman). Conveniently, she hand-picks Lyra to accompany her on a treacherous trip to the North. Ecstatic, Lyra hopes she'll be able to see the fabled 'ice bears'. Soon after this, Lyra is given a secret 'alethiometer' (or a golden compass) by the master of the college that she lives at. This compass will reveal certain truths about the perils of her upcoming expedition; & it's imperative that Mrs. Coulter does find out about the compass.
However, before departing, her best friend, Roger, is kidnapped by a group known as 'The Gobblers'. As time progresses, Lyra discovers for herself that Mrs. Coulter is something akin to pure evil. She escapes, & is able to search for Roger with the help of some unexpected friends. They include: King John Faa (Jim Carter) & his Gyptians; an armored ice bear, Iorek Byrnison (Ian McKellen); a witch queen, Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green); & a quirky aeronaut named Lee (Sam Elliott). They want free will, but the Magisterium won't grant it. So Lyra must journey to the top of her world to achieve freedom for her new pals, save Roger, as well as other kidnapped children from horrific Magisterium. It's her primary intention to save Roger & defeat the Magisterium ... I think.
For a kids film (that can be appreciated by adults), there's a Hell of a lot going on here. I tried to keep up. I think I got it. But it shouldn't have been so difficult (as this aims to be a 2 or 3 film franchise). But I digress. What did I learn? Hmm, well ... 'Dust' is pretty. The compass is pretty. Eva Green is pretty. Okayyy, I'll get serious. I like the idea that Lyra is the only child who's destined to possess the compass (Frodo's Ring of Lord of the Rings). I also enjoyed the voice-overs (McKellen & Freddie Highmore as 'Pan', Lyra's animal spirit). The acting is pretty decent. Dakota Blue Richards has some spunk. It's nice to see Derek Jacobi & Christopher Lee's talents put to use. And with her ice blue eyes & evocative speech patterns, Nicole Kidman is an inspired choice as the statuesque villain.
But, similar to this yrs. 'Stardust', many of the fantasy elements in this film feel slightly regurgitated from other iconic fantasy epics of the recent past. i.e, the fight btwn. good & evil; a fellowship of heroes; a long arduous journey across vast lands, etc. There's too much jammed into this plot; providing very little room for character development, proper pacing, or narrative energy. And the philosophical guidelines of the 'parallel universe' are sketchily developed. But on a good note, I loved an ice bear-on-ice bear battle sequence near the end ... as it woke me back up (haha).
Special effects are used in nearly every frame of this film and they are gorgeous. The cinematography is rich. I enjoyed the fantastical landscapes. The production design & costumes are fabulous. The sound design is wonderful. Alexandre Desplat's music is rousing. So, as you can see, while I loved various aspects of the film, it's the story & it's execution that disappointed me. Though it's a children's fable ...it's not quite as successful as, say, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, or Guillermo Del Toro's Pans Labyrinth. In retrospect, I like 'The Golden Compass' now a little more than I initially did last night.