Well, I liked it
Judging by the reviews, you would think that The Golden Compass is one of the worst big budget movies ever made. Certainly, there are an awful lot of people who want it to fail miserably. The religious right has a special hate on for it due the source book's anti-organized religion theme. And fans of the literary trilogy are up in arms as themes have been watered down and the ending of the book was left out.
But Sue and I saw it last night and it was actually pretty good. Not a masterpiece, mind you, as it had flaws in pacing, editing, and a rather underwhelming score. But the look of the movie was fantastic, the acting strong, and I found it interesting and entertaining. A lot of people who haven't read the book (as I haven't) said the plot was confusing, but for the most part I was able to follow what was going on. There were a few points I didn't understand, but I was always able to understand the actions and motivations of the main characters.
The editing problems came through in a rather choppy style. Some scenes appeared rushed while others dragged a little, so sometimes the flow didn't seem right. And the score did nothing to enhance the action, drama, or emotional appeal. But I still think the movie is quite worth seeing, especially if you are a fan of fantasy/SF movies. Certainly, this movie doesn't deserve (at 44% fresh) to be rated about 15% lower that the Transformers. Now there was a dull and nonsensical mega-budget movie!
But Sue and I saw it last night and it was actually pretty good. Not a masterpiece, mind you, as it had flaws in pacing, editing, and a rather underwhelming score. But the look of the movie was fantastic, the acting strong, and I found it interesting and entertaining. A lot of people who haven't read the book (as I haven't) said the plot was confusing, but for the most part I was able to follow what was going on. There were a few points I didn't understand, but I was always able to understand the actions and motivations of the main characters.
The editing problems came through in a rather choppy style. Some scenes appeared rushed while others dragged a little, so sometimes the flow didn't seem right. And the score did nothing to enhance the action, drama, or emotional appeal. But I still think the movie is quite worth seeing, especially if you are a fan of fantasy/SF movies. Certainly, this movie doesn't deserve (at 44% fresh) to be rated about 15% lower that the Transformers. Now there was a dull and nonsensical mega-budget movie!