Golden Compass
I went despite some terrible reviews and discovered that the terrible reviews were well deserved. What really saddens me is that I think it could have been good with just a better script.
It's been years since I read the books, so I may misremember some things.
The movie had a few good moments, but overall it was just really "meh". I don't think it was the fault of the actors or director...it was a flat-out terrible script. The dialog was clumsy and in some places outright cheesy. The movie started with an opening narration like Lord of the Rings, intended to explain some things. It was necessary in LotR, and it worked pretty well. Here...not so much. The script writers have obviously never heard the writers' maxim "Show, don't tell." All the information in the narration could have been provided in the story if they'd spent a little more time on the setup. In the same manner, characters sometimes explained things awkwardly to each other that both characters already knew, just so the audience would know. That's terrible form.
The setup was very flat. It throws a bunch of characters and information at you without really making it clear what the characters' various goals are until at least halfway through the movie. By the time you know, you've already spent an hour watching these characters you don't really care about. They should have spent more time on the setup, making you care about the characters and their goals.
I hated the way the aleithiometer was portrayed. If I recall from the books, it didn't just give Lyra answers. It was more like divination...there was a lot of interpretation involved. And the daemons may as well not have even been in the movie for all they did. Only two that I recall ever even talked. Hell, there's a dog sitting on the floor while Lyra's hiding under the table and it apparently doesn't even notice.
I submit: the bears are just funny-looking dwarves, and the witches (who were there why exactly?) are flying elves. Discuss. I don't remember if they were portrayed that way in the books or not, but that was the feeling I got from the movie. The bears were pretty cool, though.
And the song during the closing credits? "Lyra, Lyra, with her soul beside her..." Yikes. Jessie and I were both visibly cringing, and I left even though I kind of wanted to stay for the credits.
But all this hoohah about the atheistic themes and such? And people saying the movie sucked because they left that stuff out? Well, first the movie sucked because it was a sucky movie. Second, I actually got more of the atheism stuff out of the movie than I did out of the book. Could be because I was looking for it while watching the movie and had no clue it was even there when I read the book. The Magisterium wants everyone to obey them, but for their own good. Lyra is our heroine because she refuses to do what people tell her. Have to read between some lines, but it's there.
So anyway...it sucked.
It's been years since I read the books, so I may misremember some things.
The movie had a few good moments, but overall it was just really "meh". I don't think it was the fault of the actors or director...it was a flat-out terrible script. The dialog was clumsy and in some places outright cheesy. The movie started with an opening narration like Lord of the Rings, intended to explain some things. It was necessary in LotR, and it worked pretty well. Here...not so much. The script writers have obviously never heard the writers' maxim "Show, don't tell." All the information in the narration could have been provided in the story if they'd spent a little more time on the setup. In the same manner, characters sometimes explained things awkwardly to each other that both characters already knew, just so the audience would know. That's terrible form.
The setup was very flat. It throws a bunch of characters and information at you without really making it clear what the characters' various goals are until at least halfway through the movie. By the time you know, you've already spent an hour watching these characters you don't really care about. They should have spent more time on the setup, making you care about the characters and their goals.
I hated the way the aleithiometer was portrayed. If I recall from the books, it didn't just give Lyra answers. It was more like divination...there was a lot of interpretation involved. And the daemons may as well not have even been in the movie for all they did. Only two that I recall ever even talked. Hell, there's a dog sitting on the floor while Lyra's hiding under the table and it apparently doesn't even notice.
I submit: the bears are just funny-looking dwarves, and the witches (who were there why exactly?) are flying elves. Discuss. I don't remember if they were portrayed that way in the books or not, but that was the feeling I got from the movie. The bears were pretty cool, though.
And the song during the closing credits? "Lyra, Lyra, with her soul beside her..." Yikes. Jessie and I were both visibly cringing, and I left even though I kind of wanted to stay for the credits.
But all this hoohah about the atheistic themes and such? And people saying the movie sucked because they left that stuff out? Well, first the movie sucked because it was a sucky movie. Second, I actually got more of the atheism stuff out of the movie than I did out of the book. Could be because I was looking for it while watching the movie and had no clue it was even there when I read the book. The Magisterium wants everyone to obey them, but for their own good. Lyra is our heroine because she refuses to do what people tell her. Have to read between some lines, but it's there.
So anyway...it sucked.