VIEW FILM STILLS: The Golden Compass

WATCH THE TRAILER

PREMIERE'S REVIEW (posted 12/6/07)

The latest entry in the fantasy-epic genre (the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Chronicles of Narnia) has a bit of an identity crisis: Is it Rings with more talking animals and less-interesting little people? Is it a vibrant and sweeping period film — a Merchant-Ivory production on acid? Or a flashy socio-political tale/moral signpost, directing its audience to "the light"?

Whatever The Golden Compass is, this PG-13 film is not for young children. Despite trailers showing Nicole Kidman knee-deep in wee ones and furry CG creations flitting about as if animating a fantasy romper room, Compass's better parts — which will alternately be missed by and potentially traumatize kids — subsist of high-minded allegorical pronouncements and gruesome twists (the polar bear fight gets particularly nasty) in the story's unnatural universe.

In a bit of a departure, About a Boy director Chris Weitz helms the visually stirring Compass, which introduces Dakota Blue Richards, appearing as Lyra Belacqua. Twelve-year-old Lyra, ward of Jordan College academic-in-residence Lord Asriel (Craig), fights boys and thirsts for adventure — the same brand of adventure that Lord Asriel regularly pursues. But when her scientist-guardian decides to leave Lyra behind as he heads off to the frozen kingdom of the armored polar bears, the strong-willed child jumps at the first chance to follow. Her enabler comes in the form of exotic and refined Marisa Coulter (Kidman), who seduces the girl with promises of a thrilling journey. The disappearance of Lyra's best mate Roger later figures into the girl's compulsion to continue her travels after her relations with Coulter turn sour.

Based on the His Dark Materials series of novels by Oxford scholar Philip Pullman, Compass stands accused by various factions of being anti-religion. The story does argue for individuality and the triumph of man (or, in this case, 12-year-old girl) over oppressive doctrine, but wraps itself in such fantastic characterization (flying witches, chatty ferrets) and plot elements (alternate worlds, magical dust) that making a direct correlation to Christianity is best left to literary theorists — that the church-like Magisterium would forcibly tear children from their "souls" (the daemon animal companions) to make them more complacent later in life could as easily be associated with Nazi ideology as religious dogma.

The Golden Compass ultimately fails as a film in its broad strokes and inadequate scene development. The film undershoots the high mark for fantasy-franchise momentum set by New Line's previous epic success The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring — to the point that, at its abrupt end, Compass rudely insists that its audience follow the story to a second effort. Lord of the Rings, by comparison, made its sequel something to look forward to rather than a hard requirement

— Deborah Day