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Located somewhere between Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, in an age which fluctuates between quaint Victorian Oxford and a snowbound vision of the future – full of airships and contraptions which move with ultramodern effortlessness, and characters accompanied by animal familiars or "daemons", shape-shifting embodiments of their souls, Chris Weitz’s anticipated adaptation of Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights, first instalment of the epic His Dark Materials trilogy, has finally hit the silver screen.
The Golden Compass follows Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards), a precocious 12-year old, as she embarks on a journey to the Arctic North under the watch of the cruelly seductive Mrs Coulter (Nicole Kidman). Her journey takes unexpected turns as the heroine teams up with a strange assortment of companions, including an airship-flying Texan, a horde of water-faring gypsies, and an armour-clad polar bear, who join her quest to save her friend from the clutches of the evil ‘Gobblers’ – child snatchers under the influence of the autocratic religious body, the Magesterium. Unbeknownst to Lyra, however, her mission will lead her to the North to fulfil a prophecy which will determine the future of civilisation.
Inevitably many loyal Pullmanites will write the film adaptation off entirely.
Inevitably many loyal Pullmanites will write the film adaptation off entirely, as somewhere in the transition between Northern Lights and The Golden Compass, much of the heart of the former has been lost. However, there will also undoubtedly be a number of adventure-epic fanatics crossing their fingers that New Line Cinema gives part two the green light. At best, Weitz’s effort is a charming and thoroughly watchable but uninspired adaptation of Northern Lights which fails to engage with the deeper, more controversial, themes of its source.
Pullman’s trilogy is shrouded in intriguing ideas; it transcends the conventional good-evil struggle to flirt with theological solemnity, philosophical dilemmas, and themes such as sex, religion, and free will, with deft and delicacy that grips you from the outset. In Weitz’s film, the character development is too rushed to honour Pullman’s thoroughly unique and idiosyncratic cast, and as a first instalment, The Golden Compass certainly doesn’t hold its own as well as Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring. However, there is merit in this film; the special effects are stunning, immersing us in a timeless world of daemons, bears, and glaciers. Richards’ performance is also undeniably impressive and Kidman excels as the coolly-evil Coulter. As the film ends and Lyra sails away in an airship bound for the icy reaches of the North, there seems to be a promise of more to come; more adventure, more intrigue, and hopefully more screen time for Daniel Craig, who saw a pitiful ten minutes.
The Golden Compass is currently showing at City Screen.
I didn't think much of the film. Having read the book it was interesting to see how it had been adapted, but for someone who hadn't read Northern Lights, I wouldn't recommend it at all. The child actors were startlingly unconvincing, as mentioned in the review it lacked a lot of the background themes about the church etc. it seemed to move far too quickly, and I thought some of the direction and fight choreography was pretty abysmal.
I think it is important to bear in mind the target audience of this film. I may be wrong, but i was under the impression they were aiming it at children and, if this is the case, i felt the film was a really good attempt at cramming such an impressive book into a short space of time. I first read this book when i was about 9 and obviously all the deeper meanings were lost on me. It was only re-reading it in my late teens that i discovered how much was hidden within its pages. I never imagined the film WOULD try to incorporate those themes, it alienates the younger generation and would take up far too much time, and as such i was really pleased with the film. I will definitely be hoping for The Subtle Knife to be on the big screen some time in the near future.
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