The Golden Compass
Read the books. LOVED THEM. Desperately.
Saw the movie today. Was entertained. Was glad I’d read the books first, because there’s a lot to try to digest in just two hours of action. I think you need the books to fully understand the world and its rules, and to get a truly satisfying taste of all the characters.
Would marry Daniel Craig as Lord Asriel in a heartbeat. Would marry Daniel Craig as almost anyone, except Sylvia Plath’s husband.
Am concerned about the amount of plastic surgery Nicole Kidman has had. At some point you just have to let the face alone and stop playing with the lips and lines. Otherwise eventually you end up looking like this. Or this. (Don’t Meg’s and Nicole’s lips look exactly the same?)
Am disturbed that I had to convince the parents of my date (my nephew) that the movie would not convert him to atheism, any more than the Harry Potter films turned him into a Satan-worshipper.
Why can’t we just enjoy our movies without there being an agenda?
That’s it for my movie/society-in-general review.
Technorati Tags: The Golden Compass, His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
Tomorrow I’m going to Enchanted. Will that turn me into a fairy princess? Certainly hope so.
December 15th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
I’ve been going over and over the same issues on the IMDB boards with this movie. I’ve read the first two books and saw movie. Miraculously I’m no Satan worshiper either. People just need to be better educated and read the books first.
December 15th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Thank you, Katie Sis. Always nice to know other people who have not been corrupted by fantasy books and movies.
December 15th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
GREAT movie no? I loved it! and yes the whole conversion thing is totally silly! it’s just a movie for fun if nop other reason! and I don’t even think you could see the religious aspects of it unless you looked for them!
December 15th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
And I think The Golden Compass neg. publicity is way worse than Harry Potter. People EVERYWHERE are talking about it. Coworkers. Exercise friends. Neighbors. My first question I ask is if they’ve read the books.
December 15th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
A few things:
1) Daniel Craig is very short. I hate to break it to you, Robin. I was amused by how they altered his height in the scene after the retiring room scene. Asriel is leaving and he is giving Lyra a dressing down before he goes. They’re outside. When Lyra and Asriel are shown from the shoulders up, their height differential is HUGE. When they have a whole body shot, she’s almost as tall as he is. It was making me dizzy
2) I still liked NK as Mrs. Coulter, though her face was kind of scary. It worked, though, I thought. As did her height. It was awesome how tall she was in those heels.
3) I loved the daemons. I thought they did a great job showing human/daemon interaction.
4) I have a feeling this might become a cult favorite film in the future.
5) The atheism thing didn’t bother me. Finally there’s someone in my corner
December 15th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Okay, now this is just ridiculous. Here I am a dedicated Satan-worshipper,* and I haven’t even read the His Dark Materials books yet. Why does everyone assume that we all have some great monolithic agenda? Some of us just want to drink the blood of cloven-hooved animals (not that bad when it’s fresh, incidentally) and sacrifice babies in peace. Please, like we’ve got time to go making movies to try and convert people…
* Well, Cthulhu-worshipper to be precise, but most people look at it a the same thing — personification of evil, looking to engulf the world in flame, all that fun stuff. But Cthulhu’s got that cool cephalopod thing going on; way cooler than goat horns, let me tell you.
December 16th, 2007 at 6:30 am
Yeah, Daniel Craig is a midget at 5′10″-6′ depending on your source.
He’s just like that other ugly hollywood midget, Brad Pitt.
I mean, neither of them are a Tom Brady
December 16th, 2007 at 6:51 am
I’ve been waiting on your post about this, Robin! I haven’t seen the film yet, as I have to be very choosy about the ones I go see in the theater (what with babysitting fees and all that). I will certainly see it at some point. I did read all three books and loved them and will read them again. Maybe you’ll be interested in Queen Kelley’s thoughts on “What’s All the Fuss?” I’m sure my in-laws are going to disown me, as they’re definitely on the anti-fantasy bandwagon. So ironic to me, as most fantasy is incredibly religious even if not Christian. (queenkelley.com)
December 16th, 2007 at 8:37 am
Is he really that tall, Patrick? If so, then the camera work was just bad. Really bad. He sure looked short the 3 times he showed up in the film.
December 16th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Haven’t seen the movie yet or finished the first book in the series(been rather overwhelmed with books lately)but did like what I read so far. The movie’s been getting mixed reviews but I’d still like to see it for myself(that,and Sweeney Todd which looks like divinely wicked fun).
Robin,one of the big complaints about the GC movie is that it doesn’t quite end where the book does-without giving anything anyway,is that such a big deal here? I remember hearing that the first LOTR movie,Fellowship of the Ring,did the same thing and it worked out just fine there.
December 16th, 2007 at 10:43 am
Tom Brady is extremely good looking. If you like NFL quarterbacks…
December 16th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Oooh, Lady T! I already have a date Friday evening to see Sweeney Todd with my best friend. I’m a sucker for crazy Burton/Depp films.
December 16th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
i agree with the whole watching movies with out an agenda. why cant movies be seen as intertainment and not a worship service, you know? and i think im going to read the books…. i havent even gotten a chance to even CONCIDER watching the movie because i am grounded T_T
December 16th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Katie - so, you’re saying you want a romance written about you and an NFL QB?
December 16th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
daflufster (hee-hee, love the name), it seems that people are greatly afraid of what they do not know, and rather than see for themselves, they are content to let others do the thinking (and the condemning and censoring) for them. I think they’re missing out tremendously. Certainly we can watch and read with no agenda, but if one wishes to draw Christian themes (or themes of any other religion) from works of fantasy, I can guarantee them that the field will be ripe for harvesting.
December 16th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Bill, why do I feel the need to assure everyone you’re joking? Everyone, Bill is joking. He hardly ever eats children.
Dylan, I agree with you!
PJ, I’m glad you’re calling people on that. It really is just like when Harry Potter came out, and some people felt free to condemn it as anti-religious, pro-devil, etc. Craziness.
Kelly, don’t be trying to cool my love for Daniel. I’m only 5′4″, so I’m sure he’s the perfect height for dancing with me. And I agree–LOVE the daemons. Want one of my own right away. I took the quiz on the Golden Compass movie site to see what kind of daemon I’d have. I disagree–I would not have a monkey. I need to take the quiz again.
Patrick, thanks for the stats on Daniel. And for your clear jealousy over Brad.
Kelley, I agree that you can find all sorts of religious–or at least spiritual themes–in fantasy. And not just ones like Narnia. We all look for confirmation of our own worldview–whether it’s humanist, religious, atheist, whatever. I’m always willing to let fictional characters give me good ideas about how to live and think. I learn as much from them as from real people (who are so much more flawed).
Lady T, I have no quarrel with how the movie ends. Nor did it bother me how Peter Jackson broke up Lord of the Rings. Different media have different requirements–look at how much they had to cut out of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to make it fit into two hours! I miss so much of the original story, but that’s why we have the books to turn to. Golden Compass does a good job telling as much of the story as possible in a short time. And I’d pay extra to see all the sequences with the armored bears. AWESOME.
Daflufster, do tell: why are you grounded?
Katie, you and Tom Brady? I hope Kelley will be a good sister and write that story for you for Christmas.
December 17th, 2007 at 9:25 am
Jealous of the guy married to Squishy-Face-Baby-Adopter? Not so much. I was just pointing out the other midgets in hollywood.
December 17th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Well I saw the movie and really enjoyed it. I tried to check out the book from our school library & found that one of our teachers has had it checked out since Sept. Rumor has it that he doesn’t want his daughter or her friends to read it.
I asked for the book back & was stonewalled. I am a wee bit rebellious so I got a friend to help & we both order books from Amazon to donate to the school library in the name of some retired teachers. He-he. It is called an end-run.
December 17th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Yay, Readerdiane! Excellent activism!
December 17th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Thanks Robin!
December 18th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
Robin, you may enjoy this Comedy Relief sketch with Daniel Craig and Catherine Tate: http://youtube.com/watch?v=g4AgzQvFNZs
December 19th, 2007 at 12:31 am
I particularly like the statement “the movie would not convert him to atheism, any more than the Harry Potter films turned him into a Satan-worshipper.”
Exactly!
The Golden Compass has been quietly sitting in my school library for over ten years with no controversy. Then with the movie coming out, and this email circulating, students are now informing me that “they kill the Lord” in the book. How do these little children know this? Because their parents told them. And their parents know because they have read an email, not the book. Sigh.
I had a Golden Compass movie poster displayed and somebody tore it down!
That’s pretty ugly.
Some people are getting very nervous about this book/movie.
I wish it wasn’t causing such a stir, but I am grateful because it is getting me to read the books! I felt that the first book is a delightful FANTASY for older readers. No deities are killed, and the author’s personal religious point of view is his own business.
I did find it interesting that the movie ended at an earlier point than the book. There is a movie version of the book that includes scenes from the movie, and it goes all the way to the end, so perhaps they cut those scenes.