might
inspire the young audience that New Line Cinema has
unfortunately targeted to read the reportedly anti-Christian
source-novel.
Remember those
mini-series you’d find on obscure cable-channels as a kid (this,
of course, presuming that you grew up in the last twenty years,
as I did) that would captivate the heck out of you and even
occasionally boggle your mind, only to end with the dreaded
phrase “To be continued...”? Remember the feeling of
disappointment that accompanied this epiphany – the knowledge
that you might be forced to wait a whole week to find a sense of
resolution?
This is the exact feeling that viewers
will leave The
Golden Compass with…
only this time, they will have paid ten dollars to feel cheated
by it and will have to wait years to see the plot resolved. It
is no secret that writer/director Chris Weitz left the original
ending to the film, an adaptation of the first novel in author
Philip Pullman’s His
Dark Materials series,
on the cutting room floor in order to provide the proposed
sequel a captivating opening and a built-in audience. But the
fact that he did this in such a forced, hackneyed way is
inexcusable. The
Golden Compass raises
a lot of questions and introduces a lot of mysterious
characters, and provides hardly any answers come its conclusion.
It feels as if Weitz and distributor New Line Cinema are holding
the viewer hostage, demanding that they recommend the movie to
all of their friends so that it makes enough money to merit the
planned sequel.
To a certain extent, the fact that I
am enraged about The
Golden Compass lacking
a clear ending is healthy. After all, it does show that I liked
the characters and the story enough to care about what happened
to them. But The
Lord of the Rings this
is not; Weitz’ choice to end the film at the place that he does
displays not a need to halt the story at a natural breaking
point in order to maximize the series’ content. The move only
represents an act of artistic unkindness and commercial greed on
the parts of both he and New Line.
Part of me wants to advise that
filmgoers skip The
Golden Compass altogether
to spare themselves of the undeniable frustration that the
movie’s undercooked finish brings. Still, doing so would only
reap them of what could be a magical, intriguing cinematic
trilogy. Even though dishing out the price of admission plays
directly into New Line’s marketing strategy, I recommend that
everyone go out and see The
Golden Compass so
that Weitz has the proper chance to make the other two films in
the His Dark
Materials trilogy.
There is clear potential in this first film, and I would hate to
let it go to waste. In essence, I don’t like this film as a
standalone, but I could certainly see myself becoming an ardent
admirer if it belonged to a greater, more complete whole. As
much as it may frustrate you, The
Golden Compass will
prove itself worth seeing if it is a success.
For now, one can at least seek mild
satisfaction in knowing that all of the players are in place and
ready to tackle a plot more focused than the one found in The
Golden Compass. The action takes place in foreign universe
that operates much like Earth but has a few noticeable
differences. The main difference is that humans in this universe
do not have conventional souls. Instead, they are accompanied by
daemons, animal extensions of their souls. One of said humans is
protagonist Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards), a young orphan
attending Jordan College at the wish of her Uncle, the powerful
adventurer and scientist Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig). Asriel is
as hated as he is admired; in fact, a group opposing his
career-efforts attempts to poison him early on in the film.
The
Golden Compass’ core-plot involves a slew of
government-secrets (held by the so-called “Magesterium”) that
Lyra finds herself desperate to figure out. These are interwoven
in a highly complicated manner, but they are unified by the fact
that they all concern a mysterious substance known as Dust,
which children are not supposed to know about. This Dust is the
controversial item of Asriel’s research in the Arctic Circle. It
is also involved in the malicious, top-secret practices of Mrs.
Coulter (Nicole Kidman), a Magesterium-figurehead who visits
Lyra’s university. Claiming to know Asriel, Mrs. Coulter takes
Lyra to the Arctic Circle on what she claims will be a charming
adventure. Meanwhile, Lyra’s best friend, Roger (Ben Walker), is
kidnapped by a covert organization known only as the “Gogglers.”
The story is told from Lyra’s
perspective, meaning that the viewer does not figure out many of
the key secrets involved in the plot. Many revelations are
delivered with heart-stopping suspense, such as when Lyra
violently discovers that Mrs. Coulter may not be the
compassionate adventurer that she lets on. Also very intriguing
is a moment in which Lyra realizes that she is able to see the
Truth in the titular Golden Compass (technically called an "alethiometer"),
which she is given by the Master of Jordan.
And all of that is just the tip of the
iceberg, mere setup for battle-sequences that come in The
Golden Compass’ second-half. Said sequences are handled in
an often-riveting manner by Weitz, seamlessly incorporating
live-action and CGI. (All of the daemons in the film are
computer-generated, as are the polar bears, characters who I
have not described but who play an essential role in the film’s
second and third acts.) As expertly handled as the action is,
however, I couldn’t help but realize how much more exciting and
aesthetically-appealing it would’ve been had the film been done
in the motion-capture-style of Robert Zemeckis’ recent Beowulf.
This not only would have provided the movie a more uniform look;
it also would’ve allowed it to be more cheaply made.
I should also mention that the cast,
for the most part, does a terrific job in crafting roles that
could’ve easily become trivialized given the film’s emphasis on
external plot rather than character-development. As Lyra, Dakota
Blue Richards makes for a sympathetic heroine, allowing the
audience to tap into her point-of-view of the events that
unfold. Nicole Kidman makes for a terrifically devious nemesis,
coldly creating a real sense of dread in the activities of the
Magesterium through her character. Daniel Craig doesn’t have a
whole lot of screen-time, but in the small bit of the film that
he does appear, he is able to make Asriel seem fittingly heroic
and intriguing. In addition, Freddie Highmore and Ian McKellen
turn in some nice voice-work, respectively, as Lyra’s daemon
Pantalaimon and Lyra’s polar bear guardian Iorek Byrnison.
Reading over this review, I realize
that most of what I have written about The
Golden Compass is
overwhelmingly positive. I also realize that, if sequels to the
film were already finished (as was the case The
Lord of the Rings), my reaction to its poor ending would
likely be muted. Still, I just can’t find it in my conscience to
give The Golden
Compass a higher
rating than the one that I have. As it is, this is a wonderful
movie with a horribly disappointing conclusion, one in which
Weitz exploits everything he works so hard to achieve during the
bulk of the duration. As I said before: I recommend the film to
viewers, even if they aren’t necessarily going to like it.
Trivial and artistically-childish as the notion may seem, I am
willing to encourage just about any effort that will allow The
Subtle Knife and The
Amber Spyglass, the final two films in the His
Dark Materials trilogy,
to be made.
-Danny Baldwin, Bucket Reviews
Review Published on: 12.6.2007
Screened on: 12.1.2007
at the UltraStar Del Mar Highlands 8 in Del Mar, CA.
The
Golden Compass is rated PG-13 and runs 113 minutes.
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