The Golden Compass (New Line Platinum Series Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)
by Chris Weitz
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DVD details
Actor: Ben Walker (IX), Dakota Blue Richards, Daniel Craig, Freddie Highmore, Nicole KidmanDirector: Chris Weitz
Brand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); Icelandic (Original Language); Russian (Original Language); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 113 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-04-29
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: New Line Home Video
DVD Reviews of The Golden Compass (New Line Platinum Series Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)
DVD Review: What the...
Summary: 1 Stars
What in the world are we trying to do here? Forget all the hype from the religious sect about the story, there is no story. One's soul exists as an animal that travels with them?? The; to top it all off, there is no ending to the movie. I guess the production team (New Line) wants to sell the ending as another trip to the theater and more DVD sales.
Not worth the trip to the theater, and no need to desire to own this one.
DVD Review: OK At Best, Boring At Worst
Summary: 3 Stars
Going into this movie, I was either expecting to get hit over the head with the atheist book of nothingness, or sit through a torturous movie that defines why the fantasy genre should just give up now. And while I did not get hit over the head, nor was I tortured, I was just bored. And yes, the fantasy genre just keeps sinking lower with every copycat that tries to make a fast buck with a big budget. Really people, not every "bestselling" book that has the genre of fantasy should be made into a movie.
The story and mythology had me more confused then that time when I woke up on the moon, then realized it was just a dream. And if confusing wasn't enough, it was just plain weird. I mean, everybody except the polar bears and the witches had an animal following them all over the place, which was somehow connected to their soul or whatever, and these animals were called "demons." Which is even more confusing since the demons or witches in the movie aren't really "demons" or "witches."
The visual effect and action are what really keep the movie on its feet though. The "Steam-Punk" look of the cities, and the sheer magnificence of the backgrounds are sure to impress. In terms of action, to add to more confusion, the fight between polar bears, reminded me a lot of the fight between Peter and King Miraz from Narnia 2, in the fact that it didn't excite me, and tended to lean boring, since it was fight for the sake of fight, for fight's sake.
But don't let cute, almost Narnian look of this movie fool you, this is not for kids at least under 13, because you will scare the crap out of them, and even kids under 10-13 will have a hard time processing the film's more tense moments, and the sheer evality of the villains.
However, the film does deliver in the climax when Lyra escapes from the "experiment" proceeds to blow up the place, then run into a battle with a bunch of Russin lookin' characters with swords. And although it would have been a lot cooler if the Polar Bear brought his army to the battle, but hey, I'll take what I can get from this film. The battle offers the film's most exiting moments, and actually shows a glimpse of hope of a good movie.
The casting is rather good. Whether the cast was used to their full potential is another thing. Sam Elliot is great in his role, as is Nicole Kidman. The girl who played Lyra was good and kept you interested. But the voice cast on the other hand was thrown away. They were all interchangeable, and could have, and probably should have worked with lesser known actors portraying the roles, since no voice performance really stood out, or was in the least bit memorable. And even though Daniel Craig was put as a featured star, he was in the film for all of five minutes. Christopher Lee on the other hand could have had 30 seconds.
Fortunately, this movie is an hour and 40 minutes, instead of the 2 hours it could have been. Unfortunately, this movie banked way too much on having sequels, so the ending is hanging off a cliff with 1 finger. It offers no satisfaction, and it makes you wait for a sequel that probably will never come now. I mean, nothing is really resolved, except for a couple of side-quests. No bad guys are killed, and nothing is really done.
And to make matters worse, the credits song takes the award for WORST credits song of all time. It's a lazy effort with pathetic lyrics that has the musical-quality of singing rocks. And frankly, singing rocks is a lot more entertaining.
Random Rant: I was disappointed that the polar bear didn't drink Coke at any point in the movie, and Coke didn't have any advertising campaign associated with the movie that I can remember.
And although I have not, and will not read the source material, I'm glad they didn't stick to it. The movie was made better for me because I didn't feel like I was being preached at, although I expected to be. And while watching the movie, you don't feel like you're being whacked over the head with some atheistic crap. Sorry to offend all you people that believe in nothing, which is something (confusing I know), but Philip Pullman is the most offensive thing this side of a Nas record.
So overall, while this movie does have its moments; they are few and far between. Between the moments are a lot of information that flies over your head, a story that doesn't make much sense, and plot-turns and side-quests that are there just for the sake of being there, and don't really make sense. I don't care if the movie is congruent with the book, just give me a good movie.
DVD Review: Frustratingly Incomplete...
Summary: 4 Stars
2007's "The Golden Compass" has a lot going for it: an outstanding cast, a high concept plot, and astonishingly good special effects. It is all the more frustrating that after a good running start, the movie leaves its story seriously incomplete.
In the alternate universe of The Golden Compass, people's souls, called daemons, are embodied as animals that walk or fly in company with their owners. The people in this universe dress in the manner of the early 20th century but use of mixture of old and new technologies. They are controlled by the Magisterium, a mysterious, semi-religious organization dedicated to peace at the expense of free will and other inconvenient aspects of individuality.
At the center of the story is one Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards), a precocious and brave young orphan in the care of a university. Her uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig), is a seeker of truth; he leaves early in the movie for the Far North, to discover the origins of a mysterious dust that may provide a link to other worlds. After his departure, a Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman as ice queen), arrives to take Lyra in hand and follow Lord Asriel to the North. It seems that Lyra is special; the university secretly entrusts her with a golden compass that only she can read and that tells the truth about all things.
Lyra shortly becomes aware that Mrs. Coulter is far from being the smooth society lady she appears to be. She escapes and links up with a group of sea-going gypsies to travel to the Far North herself. Her mission and that of the gypsies is to free a group of kidnapped children, one of whom is Lyra's best friend from the orphanage. Along the way, Lyra will meet a friendly witch (Eva Green), a great armored polar bear (voiced by Ian McKellan), a helpful aeronaut (Sam Elliot), and tribes of strange warriors. Her path leads her to a strange laboratory in the Far North, run by the Magisterium, where she will have a fateful confrontation with Mrs. Coulter.
The storyline is epic, on the scale of "The Lord of the Rings". The superb special effects make possible the fascinating landscapes of London and the Far North; battle scenes involving Tartar warriors, polar bears, and witches; and the seamless interaction between humans and their daemons. However, the movie never gets around to explaining its own confusing theology or the backgrounds of the principal players. Worse, the movie ends abruptly, without resolving any of the major plot elements. The viewer can only assume that one or more sequels are intended.
"The Golden Compass" is highly recommended as an entertaining visual feast to those who have the patience to wait for the necesary sequel or sequels that will finish the story, left seriously incomplete at the end of this movie.
DVD Review: killing god?
Summary: 1 Stars
ok... i'm usually not all that for hating a movie because of my religious beliefs but come on... a movie whos base is a book about killing god? are you kidding me... nicole kidman you should be ashamed of yourself. anything for a buck though... for those of you who liked the movie... bring a pair of shorts... because i hear its hot down there.DVD Review: Didn't live up to the hype.
Summary: 1 Stars
This was, quite possibly, the dullest and most lifeless movie I've seen in a very, very long time. I'm glad I didn't waste both my time and money to see it in the theater. I simply cannot imagine an adult, much less a child, wanting to sit through such tripe.
Description of The Golden Compass (New Line Platinum Series Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)
In a parallel universe where witches rule the skies and armoured bears are the bravest warriors young Lyra Belacqua journeys from her home among the scholars at Oxford to the far North to save her best friend. Based on the first book in the Carnegie Medal-winning series His Dark Materials.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY/FANTASY UPC: 794043120435 Manufacturer No: 1000038167A fantasy epic with more than a passing resemblance to the Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia film franchises, The Golden Compass takes place in an alternate universe where each human's soul is embodied in a companion animal called a daemon. Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards), an orphan who's lived most of her life among the scholars at Oxford, is intrigued when her uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig), announces his plans to travel north to investigate the source of some mysterious particles called Dust. Lyra has little hope of following her uncle until a mysterious woman named Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman, at her most icily beautiful) asks Lyra to travel north as her personal assistant. All is not as it seems, however, and the disappearance of Lyra's friend Roger (Ben Walker) sets her on a dizzying adventure. She does have an alethiometer, or golden compass, that can help her see the truth, and a number of companions, including her shape-shifting daemon, Pantalaimion (voiced by Freddie Highmore of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), polar-bear warrior Iorek Byrnison (voiced by Ian McKellen), Texas aeronaut Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliott), and witch queen Serafina Pekkala (Craig's Casino Royale co-star, Eva Green). Even before its release, The Golden Compass was the subject of controversy over its perceived anti-religious themes. While it does involve an oppressive institution called the Magisterium, it's not overtly religious, particularly to a young viewer. The movie's PG-13 rating should be taken seriously, however. Suitable for an older audience than Narnia (though younger than The Lord of the Rings), it deals with complex concepts, violence (though largely bloodless) and implied death, children and animals in peril, and an unrelentingly ominous and unsettling mood.
Despite a few changes and rearrangements, the overall plot of the movie is remarkably faithful to its source material, the first installment of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. It doesn't finish the book, however, and--much like The Fellowship of the Ring did--leaves the viewer hanging in anticipation of the next film, The Subtle Knife, due in 2009. So even though The Golden Compass is impressive--especially with its spot-on cast and terrific visual effects--we probably won't know its full emotional impact until the story is complete. --David Horiuchi
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