Film: The Golden Compass

Wishy washy tale about some smart-mouthed kid stepping up to embrace her true calling as the hero of prophecy yada yada yada.

But if I'm being cruel, it's only because I was expecting so much more. On seeing the trailers to this I was a bit weary but managed to convince myself that it may turn out to be surprise hit, much in the same way the brilliant Stardust was. Unfortunately it fell way short of the mark.

The acting was okay at best (and although Dakota Blue Richards was good, she wasn't that great), the CGI effects terrible and two-bit and the plot had clearly been raped from its literature roots. There were some redeeming points - some fantastic battle and drama scenes and some genuinely well made moments. However, the fact that they were so sparse and then gaffer taped together by the staccato dross in between meant that their effectiveness was stunted.

A note on the religious controversy too: there isn't one. I had to force myself to interpret the Magisterium as some kind of fanatical clergy that needed taking down, but even that was my tenuous attempt at engaging this flick. If anyone knows exactly what the issue was, I'd love to be made aware of it. Perhaps I need to read the books or something.

Based on my experience with the film, I can't really recommend it. Avoid avoid avoid.