My "Golden Compass" Movie Review

After all the controversy I decided to read the book before the release of the movie. I'm glad I did. Though it seriously differs from my belief system it was a solid book that created a new world that didn't really remind me of anything else I had ever read.

The movie falls a bit short from the books. If you liked the books you may feel disappointed with the details that were left out and if you're new to the series than you'll probably be confused.

This movie is a classic example of how not to translate an epic fantasy novel. The pacing was off, story progressed for reasons that weren't immediately clear. I found myself constantly meeting characters that I didn't have time to care about. This is something that the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings movies got right.

That being said, the art direction is beautiful and dead on. The scenes are rich and the CG animation is seem less. Fans of effects should see this for the art alone.

Overall, this is a good movie that deserves for the rest of the trilogy to be made. As for the content, don't worry about the religious undertones. They are obvious in the book and I welcome the apposing view to my beliefs in that I think it will spark conversations. But in the movie they chickened out and went a very safe generic route that shouldn't ruffle any feathers.