The Golden Compass - The Movie

[nyxlily]

I just -have- to start a thread about the upcoming movie as no one has yet..

The Golden Compass is one of my favorite books from way back when and I'm so excited to see it finally making to the big screen. It sure has the star powers.. Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig playing Coulter and Asriel respectively. The promo pics look amazing and Kidman is positively beautiful.

http://www.bridgetothestars.net/movie/images/stills/

So, anyone else excited about the movie? Have you read the book(s)? Think they'll adapt the other two books?

I know the religious aspect of the trilogy can fire some people up.. and that makes for a very good ongoing discussion! BUT if anyone wants to bring that up.. please keep it civil.

[xfkirsten]

Ah, good call! I was thinking of starting a thread for it myself!

I'm dying to see this - I read the books in high school, and have been hoping for movies ever since! They were rumored for so long, and now it's finally happening! I was a huge fan of all three books. I really can't wait to see Iorek - I really loved him and all the bears. And Pan!

I actually just read a couple of weeks ago, that they've started signing the creative team for The Subtle Knife. From what I read, it will still hinge on how the first one does, but they're prepared to do it if The Golden Compass does well enough.

On the religious aspect, I really hope they don't cut down on that, as the rumors say. Personally, I liked that it was more than just a fantasy story (albeit an amazing one) - it actually had a message to it. While I can understand why they would from a business standpoint (potentially alienating a large audience), I feel like that would be a huge creative cop-out, not to mention that it would be distorting the author's original intent for the sake of a few extra bucks.

[Trek_Girl42]

I read these books years ago, and recall loving them, but don't remember them that much.....definitly am looking forward to this movie- and re-reading the books before then.

[ShadowMaat]

I remain wary of a movie- I enjoyed the books when I read them years back, but books-to-film adaptations tend to lack; especially if they're children's/YA books. I'm still planning to watch, however. I'm tempted to re-read the books, but I'd rather enjoy the movie as its own animal rather than be bothered by all the things that got left out or changed.

[nyxlily]

I, too, haven't read the books in years. I think I would enjoy the movies more if the details of the story remains fuzzy in my mind, so continuity wouldn't be too much of an issue. However, the photos I've seen so far has been absolutely gorgeous and I'm sure the special effects will be spectacular. So even if the film doesn't follow the book absolutely, I hope we'll get something along the lines of the LoTR trilogy: a compromise between time/budget restraint and the story from the book.

I can't wait to see the Daemons and Iorek. Oh, and Serafina! She was one of my favorite characters. FX isn't everything (as demonstrated by certain movies), but it sure can help. I'm just gonna go in and let the movie 'wow' me.

[The Signal]

Didn't enjoy the book to be honest, but I'm going to give the movie a chance, I just wonder if it will be released here in the UK as "Northern Lights" or as "The Golden Compass".

[darman]

I just read the books 1 and 2..started on third one. Great stuff, I was suprised I haven't heard of it before. The author really makes sure to give everything plausibility and attention it deserves.

[cheese]

Love the books and I'm really looking forward to the movie, if it's done right it will be incredible.

A bit concerned though because I've heard they are removing some of the more controvertial content.

[xfkirsten]

Didn't enjoy the book to be honest, but I'm going to give the movie a chance, I just wonder if it will be released here in the UK as "Northern Lights" or as "The Golden Compass".

I would assume it'll be under "Northern Lights" in the UK and Australia, otherwise they risk losing the name recognition.

[Flyboy]

I'm absolutely disgusted.

From what I've heard theyre removing religion as being the nasty bad thing, and making it communism. WHAT THE!? Agh!

The whole POINT of the books is that religion is controlling and manipulative and breeds ignorance and that to lead a full life we need to break free from it. The books were meant to be controversial, so should the films.

[ShadowMaat]

From what I've heard they're removing religion as being the nasty bad thing, and making it communism. WHAT THE!? Agh!

Hadn't heard that. Takes some of the shine off if it's true. I hate it when movies twist things around from the book in order to serve some stupid personal agenda.

[xfkirsten]

Hadn't heard that. Takes some of the shine off if it's true. I hate it when movies twist things around from the book in order to serve some stupid personal agenda.

Agreed! Philip Pullman wrote those novels with a specific message, and it really irks me to see them twist a message to suit their own needs or make a few extra bucks. Personally, I think it would serve them better financially to leave it as-is - the controversy it generates would probably drive more viewers to the theater than it would drive away.

[ShadowMaat]

Agreed! Philip Pullman wrote those novels with a specific message, and it really irks me to see them twist a message to suit their own needs or make a few extra bucks. Personally, I think it would serve them better financially to leave it as-is - the controversy it generates would probably drive more viewers to the theater than it would drive away.

Yeah, Passion of Christ proves that.

[Lady Snow]

And isn't Mrs. Coulter supposed to have shiny dark hair?

[Coco Pops]

I actually enjoyed this a lot. Bugger the critics, they are IMHO just asshats who get paid to criticize movies.

The story of a young girl Lyra who is given the 'golden compass' which is a kind of instrument for sensing truths. It's full name is an Elithemometer(spelling) and it is quite cool.

the introduction spoken by Nicole Kidman tells us of Lyra's world which is a parallel Earth to our own, which is but one of many such Earths as the opening scene shows a modern Earth street on Our Earth. It's quite a beautiful world with big airships driven by plasma balls and antique carriages that drive themselves. I quite liked all that. I wish we still had big airships.

Lyra embarks on a big adventure with talking ice bears and a cowboy in a flying airship of his own. In lyra's world people's souls don't live in their bodies, but alongside them in the form of animals called daemons. Rather a cool concept I thought. As she is a child however Lyra's daemon hasn't settled on one form to take. Her father has gone on an expedition to prove the existence of the other worlds, which are all connected through the universe by particles called "dust."

Enter Nicole Kidman as Mrs. Coulter who seems nice at first but is quite evil in her intentions. She wants people to be seperated from their daemons so they won't ever be affected by dust and more docile, and controllable. It's because everyone has a daemon in their world that the effects of dust can be sensed by some, and the authorities of Lyra's world of which Mrs. Coulter is part of want to put a stop to all that, and at the same time extend their power to those other worlds......

I don't care I liked it.




8/10

[AvatarIII]

6/10 is quite a low score for a movie you say you liked imho, i think most reviews gave it about 3/5 which is equivalent to 6/10.... so really you are agreeing.

and i think the major qualms people had was the intense dumbing down from the books and the removal of the anti-religion message.

[Coco Pops]

6/10 is quite a low score for a movie you say you liked imho, i think most reviews gave it about 3/5 which is equivalent to 6/10.... so really you are agreeing.

and i think the major qualms people had was the intense dumbing down from the books and the removal of the anti-religion message.

I'm getting the books they sound awesome.

And revising my vote to an 8 after a second viewing. I love this movie. Shame no sequels were made.

[AvatarIII]

is the book called the goldne compass or the northern lights in aus? it's nothern lights in UKL and golden compass in US i think.

[Coco Pops]

is the book called the goldne compass or the northern lights in aus? it's nothern lights in UKL and golden compass in US i think.

The book is called "Northern Lights" the title "the golden compass" is the title they made just for the movie...

I plan on getting the books if they are still in print and the two sequels, The subtle knife, and The amber spyglass..

BTW many church groups protested this movie when it was released.

This really puzzles me as the movie had all the anti relgion stuff taken out and yet they still whined and complained.

[LoneStar1836]

I guess you really need to read the books before seeing this to understand the movie better. I watched this a couple a weeks ago and it seemed like a jumbled mess to me as I found the story rather difficult to follow and too much stuff going on. I didn't like the flow of the story.

I didn't hate the movie, but I didn't think it was all that good for a movie. It just wasn't that interesting. *shrug*

So I assume no sequel is in store as it ended like there was going to be a second one, but I gather this movie didn't make enough to warrant a sequel.