the golden compass
After seeing it again with my friend Andrea, I still don't quite know what to think about this movie. She hadn't seen it yet, and it near killed me to wait until the end to say anything. Andrea is possibly the only other person I know who reads as much as I do (and rereads things as many times as I do, too), so we get together and have three hour long conversations solely about the intricacies of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Golden Compass, Narnia, and so forth. And we discussed this one not nearly enough afterwards... unfortunately, there wasn't much to discuss. I thought the first time I saw it, and Andrea agreed this time, it could have been longer, in which case it would have been better. For such a complicated storyline, the movie really wasn't that long, and there wasn't enough explanation of anything (except for the aleithometer itself, which got drilled into your head--"This is a truth reader/golden compass/aleithometer"--WE GET IT. Other than that, though...
In essence I think that's what it boils down to--this could have been so much better with more explanation. Granted, the first book does take exposition a bit overboard, but you really understand the importance of the daemon to the people in Lyra's world, which I think could have been emphasized a bit more. For example, a scene that would have been wonderfully helpful towards this end would have been the conversation between Lyra and the gyptian sailor (can't remember if he had a name) who had the seagull daemon Belisaria. "She's a seagull, and that means I'm a sort of a gull myself." And a bit more explanation of what the Magisterium is might be nice, too, although I suppose since it's from a child's point of view the rather simplistic explanation we do get can make sense... However, if they did explain it more, I can easily see organized religions throwing hairy fits about libel and such. The whole movie's toned down to be more commercial and inoffensive, I think, which is unfortunate. The actors are all fantastic and the visual effects are great; it's only the condensed storyline that lacks oomph.
(Incidentally, I wonder why non-Catholic Christians are getting so upset--the depiction of organized religion, the Magesterium, seems based on the Roman Catholic Church to me... although granted I'm working from a Catholic background and knowledge of the books and not just the film... I suppose that's not quite why they're upset, though. Apparently killing a fictional God brings people together. Ho hum. Let's all get ANGRY about a STORY!!!!)
I do hope there will be two more movies to redeem the series, but I have misgivings about that. If there isn't a sequel or two it'll turn into a disappointment like the Ralph Bakshi Lord of the Rings cartoon, where it just ended after the Two Towers with Gandalf saving the day and Frodo and Sam disappearing into the wilds, never to be heard from again. Purely for the sake of not ending on a ridiculously forced note with a terrible song in the credits, I desperately hope they make the rest of the movies. In any case, I suppose we'll know soon since the kid who plays Lyra's going to start growing up pretty quick.
In essence I think that's what it boils down to--this could have been so much better with more explanation. Granted, the first book does take exposition a bit overboard, but you really understand the importance of the daemon to the people in Lyra's world, which I think could have been emphasized a bit more. For example, a scene that would have been wonderfully helpful towards this end would have been the conversation between Lyra and the gyptian sailor (can't remember if he had a name) who had the seagull daemon Belisaria. "She's a seagull, and that means I'm a sort of a gull myself." And a bit more explanation of what the Magisterium is might be nice, too, although I suppose since it's from a child's point of view the rather simplistic explanation we do get can make sense... However, if they did explain it more, I can easily see organized religions throwing hairy fits about libel and such. The whole movie's toned down to be more commercial and inoffensive, I think, which is unfortunate. The actors are all fantastic and the visual effects are great; it's only the condensed storyline that lacks oomph.
(Incidentally, I wonder why non-Catholic Christians are getting so upset--the depiction of organized religion, the Magesterium, seems based on the Roman Catholic Church to me... although granted I'm working from a Catholic background and knowledge of the books and not just the film... I suppose that's not quite why they're upset, though. Apparently killing a fictional God brings people together. Ho hum. Let's all get ANGRY about a STORY!!!!)
I do hope there will be two more movies to redeem the series, but I have misgivings about that. If there isn't a sequel or two it'll turn into a disappointment like the Ralph Bakshi Lord of the Rings cartoon, where it just ended after the Two Towers with Gandalf saving the day and Frodo and Sam disappearing into the wilds, never to be heard from again. Purely for the sake of not ending on a ridiculously forced note with a terrible song in the credits, I desperately hope they make the rest of the movies. In any case, I suppose we'll know soon since the kid who plays Lyra's going to start growing up pretty quick.