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The Golden Compass [2007]

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Director: Chris Weitz
Actors: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker, Freddie Highmore
Studio: Entertainment in Video
Category: DVD

List Price: ~~£19.99~~
Buy New: £10.97
You Save: £9.02 (45%)

New (20) Used (6) Collectible (1) from £6.68

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

82 reviews
Sales Rank: 99

Format: Pal
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language)
Rating: Parental Guidance
Region: 2
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 109 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6

EAN: 5017239195600
ASIN: B0010X8FLM

Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: April 28, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.co.uk Review
Perhaps it didn't ignite the box office in quite the way it'd been hoped, but that's little reason to pass over the qualities of The Golden Compass now it arrives on DVD. Based on the Phillip Pullman novel His Dark Materials--itself the start of the Northern Lights trilogy, the film isn't without a few problems, but emerges as a quality adaptation.

And you certainly can't fault The Golden Compass for sheer ambition. The story, for those new to the series, is primarily that of 12-year old Lyra, who is in search of her friend who has been kidnapped. Naturally, this proves to be quite a challenging adventure, not least because it's through Pullman's vividly imagined world, crossing dimensions as Lyra travels. The film, while toning down and fiddling with some elements of the source material, stays quite close to the book, and it proves to be a good, if not Lord Of The Rings-standard, adaptation.

What helps The Golden Compass, on top of the strong effects work and scope of the production, is a solid cast, featuring the likes of Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman and Dakota Blue Richards. And it certainly whets the appetite for the next instalment in the series. Whether the muted box office returns put pay to that remains to be seen: for now, at least, The Golden Compass is a good, solid family movie that's easy to enjoy. --Jon Foster

Customer Reviews: Read 77 more reviews...

1 out of 5 stars

Probably the worst film I have ever seen August 18, 2008
Mr. Nicolas A. Mackin (London, United Kingdom)
It's simply a collection of key scenes which do not link together. It's always going to be difficult to take a book of a few hundred pages and turn it into a two hour film, but really this is a masterclass in how not to do it.

2 out of 5 stars

Not without its charm .... but doesnt deliver August 12, 2008
N. Thompson (Hull, England)
This film, at times, has a certain charm, but the movie feels like too much has been crampt into it and everything seems rushed. There is no real background story to this film and therefor the story seems like nonsense. It doesnt really describe why everyone is walking around with a talking animal as a companion, which leaves you confused and you are left thinking "This is all a bit stupid". Ive never read the book but on film the story doesnt work.

However, the acting is decent and the polar bear's are entertaining. But, this film has left me with little interest in any sequels. Overall, a below average book-to-film adaptation. Buy iy for your kids, but dont bother for yourself.

4 out of 5 stars

Not a perfect adaptation of Northern Lights, but still a very good film August 11, 2008
N. Burgess
First I must point out that before I saw this film I had already read, and hugely enjoyed, the original book, so I approached this film with a mixture of high hopes as well as concern about how Hollywood would treat Philip Pullman's work. To my relief, I can report that the transition to the big screen was, give or take a few compromises, a success.

The 'alternative Earth' world that Philip Pullman has superbly conceptualised is visually re-created in this film very convincingly. The weirdly futuristic yet slightly Victorian technology is conveyed very well via some impressive CG-enhanced cinematography and the daemons that accompany every human are also very realistic and show that no expense has been spared in reproducing this strange world. The cast is also top notch. Daniel Craig makes a great Lord Asriel, mixing authority and intelligence with a subtle charm. Nicole Kidman is also wonderful playing the sinister Mrs Coulter, flicking effortlessly between affability and damn right scariness. The exiled bear prince Iorek Byrnison is also very well portrayed, the CG rendering is top notch and, being voiced over by Ian McKellen, gives the character the right amount of gravitas.

Where the film works well is that it makes Pullman's story very accessible to anyone who hasn't read the book. In his book Pullman crams in an incredible amount of ideas, some of which are quite mysterious and don't get fully explained until later on in the book. Therefore the film makers chose to simplify some of these intricacies to make them more 'movie friendly'. So, for instance, the whole concept of what a daemon is gets explained very early on in the film so the viewer doesn't sit wondering why everyone walks around with their own talking animal. This is in contrast to the book, where deamons just exist, no simple explanation is given as to why people have these animals, and it's only through reading the whole book that you begin to understand the mysteries of these enigmatic creatures.

I know many Pullman fans have criticised the film's simplification of many of Pullman's ideas as dumbing down, but I think this is a little unfair. Without doubt some of the more involved subplots are only touched on in this film, giving the impression that some of it was a little rushed as the film makers tried to cram as much of the book as they could into a 2 hour film. For instance, the Bear King's infatuation with being human, as well as his usurping of Iorek, has far more significance and depth in the book than it does in this film. Also, in the film, the role of the Witches is quite understated and they're portrayed almost like 'guns for hire' to help Lyra and the Gyptians when needed. In the book, however, they have a very profound involvement in the story and very much hold the balance of power in the unfolding events.

But the biggest compromise is without doubt the point at which the film ends. I will not give anything away, other than to say the film ends at about three quarters of the way through the book. So the film gets denied the book's original climactic ending, and kind of just fizzles out. It really isn't a proper ending and I feel this definitely could have been handled better.

But generally the compromises do not detract from the fact that this film is very enjoyable and a great introduction to the fascinating world that Phillip Pullman has created. Admittedly this adaptation isn't perfect and many of the book's subtleties and intricacies have been lost. But as a fan of the book I'm just pleased such a wonderful story has been given the Hollywood treatment and allowed a whole new audience to discover its delights.

4 out of 5 stars

Dakota shines through July 31, 2008
CMH (uk)
I enjoyed the books whilst never thinking them great, but what they did do was create Lyra, an Alice for our time. She is sparky, bright and perhaps the most interesting girl character in childrens literature. Dakota Blue Richards does an amazing job of playing Lyra, she holds the whole of the film together. Kidman is also excellent as Mrs Coulter and the cast generally are very good, although I cannot believe in Ian McKellan as a warrior bear.
There is however an over reliance on CGI to create unnecessary spectacle that detracts from the story and narrative. In the book Lyra's world is more or less our world but less socially developed in some ways, to allow for certain plot threads. Changing this causes problems with the whole structure as do various other small changes.
On the whole a fast paced well acted film fronted by a very charismatic young actress.

3 out of 5 stars

Could have been better July 26, 2008
Mr. A. Willmer (London)
To me 'Northen Lights' ('Golden Compass' if you're in the US) is THE greatest childrens' book of all time. No question. However the movie is far from the best film I've ever seen. All of the pieces are there, the plot, the characters. They even have a glittering cast. But something just doesn't gel. Lyra is unconvincing and Pan is only a step up from Jar Jar Binks (and it really pains me to say that!).

Perhaps the problem arises from the script. Originally Tom Stoppard (possibly the finest playwright alive today) was due to write it. However, the director decided he's be better suited to tackling the challenge. And after all, he should know. He's responsible for the masterpiece that is the 'American Pie' trilogy.

Nevertheless there are some high points here. Kidman sparkles and Daniel Craig makes an impressive Asrael. Sadly, however, it doesn't look like the makers will get to amend their errors as the sequel appears to have been shelved...fingers crossed though.

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