The Golden Compass

[George Bellefontaine]

I don't know how many youngsters actually saw this flick but they must have had a hard time trying to follow the plot. The fog begins to clear as the film moves along, but most youngsters probably gave up trying to figure things out and just sat back and watched in awe-struck wonder as some of those marvelous scenes unfolded. I am one of those youngsters . Anyway, some one is kidnapping children, and their demons, ( in this world everyone has their own demon ) and conducting experiments on them for some nefarious reason. These nasty so and so's are separating the children from their cute little demons. So little Dakota Blue Richards ( a fine little actress indeed) along with the help of an old cowpoke ( Sam Elliot ) and a warrior polar bear, set out to free the children and bring them home.
Also stars a nasty Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, though we don't see much of Craig's character. Maybe in the sequel.

I rather enjoyed all this. Now what really got me though was the quality of the Blu-ray transfer. Holy mackeral. It rocked. The Dts audio, too.

The ending points to the sequel. I look forward to it. :T

[David Meek]

Glad you liked it George. With our track record, that means I probably will, too. Looking forward to getting it. :T

[George Bellefontaine]

Yeah, Tex, I got a feelin' you'll take to this one.

[Ovation]

Read the books if you enjoyed the movie. I've just finished the whole trilogy and while it is aimed at the 9-12 year old reader (like the Harry Potter books) it contains a lot of ideas that will make adults think as well. Moreover, it is written in a style that is not boring, nor does it "talk down".

I have the movie on BD, but I don't have a player yet (got the movie for 10$--new and unopened) so I expect it will be among the first titles to play on my eventual BD player. I don't know if I'll hold out that long before seeing the movie as I will likely rent the SD version. I do have quite a stack of films on my "unwatched pile", though, so I may yet wait.

[littlesaint]

Read the books if you enjoyed the movie. I've just finished the whole trilogy and while it is aimed at the 9-12 year old reader (like the Harry Potter books) it contains a lot of ideas that will make adults think as well. Moreover, it is written in a style that is not boring, nor does it "talk down"...

+1

I had read the books awhile back. Good material there. Makes one think whether you agree with the author's inclinations or not. Film is very good. They smoothed out some of the content to make it a tad more of a children's film, but if you read between the lines you can see where the material wants to go. Visually stunning, and a good mix of actors. I hope they keep the cast through the trilogy.

[Chris D]

I heard some news rumors about an agenda pushed below the storyline, so I'm a little leary of the movie, but it's in my Netflix list.

[littlesaint]

I heard some news rumors about an agenda pushed below the storyline, so I'm a little leary of the movie, but it's in my Netflix list.

I believe all fantasy fiction has an agenda. Even LOTR, in its day, had an agenda. It's all a matter if whether you want to enter the debate, or simply enjoy the fantasy.

[H.T.C]

I believe all fantasy fiction has an agenda. Even LOTR, in its day, had an agenda. It's all a matter if whether you want to enter the debate, or simply enjoy the fantasy.

Invasion of the body snatchers (1950s) version undeline had to do with communism or mcarthy ordeals back in the day.

[NMG]

Now what really got me though was the quality of the Blu-ray transfer. Holy mackeral. It rocked. The Dts audio, too.

Agreed! The audio and video was fantastic. Loved the armored Polar Bear. Oh I agree with the rest of your synopsis as well.

[Ovation]

I believe all fantasy fiction has an agenda. Even LOTR, in its day, had an agenda. It's all a matter if whether you want to enter the debate, or simply enjoy the fantasy.

Precisely. There are very few works of fiction, in any culture, that lack some sort of an agenda.

[impala454]

Was this one as "kiddie" as chronicles of narnia? I got that one expecting a LOTR type experience and was very disappointed.

[littlesaint]

Was this one as "kiddie" as chronicles of narnia? I got that one expecting a LOTR type experience and was very disappointed.

I felt it is definitely more Narnia than Middle-Earth, but the plot and overall theme is more mature. Also, be prepared that this is presented as the first of three films and has somewhat of an open ending.

[H.T.C]

I heard some news rumors about an agenda pushed below the storyline, so I'm a little leary of the movie, but it's in my Netflix list.

What is the agenda anyways ? a new world order ?

[George Bellefontaine]

What is the agenda anyways ? a new world order ?

Anti-religious , Chris. Think of this: the church sees demons as bad and wants to separate them from the souls of the innocent. In The Golden Compass, demons are natural, good, and every normal person has one. The bad guys are the ones who want to separate the demons from ( in this case ) innocent children. I guess that's what the furor is all about. Maybe. Maybe not. Anyway, the friggin thing is fiction so it doesn't bother me.

[littlesaint]

Lookup "His Dark Materials" on Wikipedia for some background and insight on the material.

[George Bellefontaine]

Thanks Santino. I did the search and read what I found. The part about " Controversies " pretty much explains the anti-religious things, which are probably more pronounced in the books than they were in the film version of The Golden Compass.

[Ovation]

Well, it isn't just a blanket "anti-religious" story. The Archbishop of Canterbury (highest ranking cleric in The Church of England) has endorsed the books and urged people to attend the theatrical productions based upon it that were quite popular in Britain about 5 or 6 years ago.

I don't want to reveal details, but it is more of a critique of a certain interpretation of religion rather than a wholesale condemnation of it (though the argument is nuanced and can easily be misinterpreted, particularly by anyone already reluctant to learn of the entire argument).

[littlesaint]

I'm also hesitant to say anti-religion simply because many would interpret that as an attack on their religion rather than a more generalized argument against authoritarian dogmas. People should just watch it or read the books and form their own opinions.

[Hdale85]

Diana and I really enjoyed this one as well.

[George Bellefontaine]

People should just watch it or read the books and form their own opinions.

Excellent advice.

Also, I will watch this thread as we don't want to get into religious debates as that is a no-no at The Guide.