Fantasy films have a fine line between reality and... fantasy. There also is a faint division between great and original, and poor and rehashed. For "The Golden Compass," it points toward the latter.
Young Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) is an orphan, put into the stead of her uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) while she lives her youth at Jordan College. In this magical, fantasy world, every human being has their soul in the form of a dæmon (pronounced "demon" in the film). As Asriel heads toward the artic north to search for a mystical event occurring in the frozen land.
Meanwhile, Lyra causes mischief all around when the mysterious Marisa Coulter (Nicole Kidman) shows up to whisk Lyra away to rejoin her uncle, but things do not necessarily go to plan-and Mrs. Coulter is not who she seems.
Children are disappearing, including one of Lyra's friends. The kids are taken by "the Gobblers," who were thought to be of myth and superstition. All this ties to the governing body of the lad, The Magisterium, who have a look of totalitarianism. Meanwhile, Lyra comes into the possession of an alethiometer, a golden compass that can provide answers in her quest to save her friend and the other kidnapped children by telling her the truth being one's statements, past and thoughts. Aiding Lyra in her quest is witch queen Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green), skilled "aeronaut" Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliott) and exiled ice bear prince Iorek Byrnison (voiced by Ian McKellan).
That is the best that the plot can be surmised, since the tedious storytelling bores the audience rather than engaging them. The pacing is so slow that its 114-minute running time feels a little more excessive. It drags you through a visually stunning world with no feet to hold it up.
Even with the impressive and talented cast of Craig, Kidman and McKellan, with other work from Kathy Bates, Kristen Scott Thomas, Christopher Lee and Ian McShane can't affix itself to the minds and imaginations of viewers. There isn't much for them to do anyways, especially with Craig and Kidman, who go through the stiff motions in decent style but for not very long.
Richards, making her acting debut, does well in some parts but is turned into a stubborn kid in others. She's ok and will do better in the planned sequels.
Flaws notwithstanding, the film does have some very good special effects. Whether a giant blimp or two armored polar bears squaring off in combat. Children will certainly be drawn in by the impressive look of the film but left empty and restless by the story. The film will no doubt find a big and profitable audience opening weekend, but parents will saddened to find a good-looking shell of past stories-think part-"Star Wars," part-"Lord of the Rings" and part-Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom."
Based on the first of Phillip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series of books, "The Golden Compass" neither dazzles nor dozes, but things haven't started out well for a film that claims to be going north when all it did was head south.
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