The Golden Compass (2007)

All the elements of a 10 star movie are obviously prevalent here, but they don't all get put into play.

I don't understand why New Line advertised this as the "next Lord Of The Rings epic", when they gave that movie close to three hours of film time and this only two! (?) Another half hour at least of this movie would have done it more justice, because it felt extremely rushed. It seemed like they were throwing information out at you too quick to fully grasp, and never letting the cast just immerse themselves in it.

The music here was nothing short of ordinary. I don't remember a single song from the movie save the "gyption theme". I honestly think the music could have been 100 times better, and bring more immersion in.

However, I believed the cast was great. It is truly great that Lyra, portrayed by Dakota Blue Richards, now has a face. They picked someone with the look and talent to really shine. Lord Asriel, portrayed by Daniel Craig and Ms. Coulter, portrayed by Nicole Kidman were played fantastically. Although Daniel Craig fans will be disappointed. He only has a 15 minute cameo. Lee Scoresby, portrayed by Sam Elliot, was great. It seems they intended him for a bit of comic relief, but I just had hoped they gave him more time to show it off due to the non-stop drama sequences.

The scenery was amazing, and very believable. The daemons, magic, witches, are all very well done and very beautiful.

I see this movie as a financial failure. You have to look at this from a critical view, the "new comers". The people the movie is trying to grab. I brought ten people to the advanced screening December 1st, four of which had read the books (myself included). They (and myself) had said that the plot was too rushed. The six that had not read them either said it was too confusing and ending up requiring explanations, or said it was too boring because they didn't take the time to flesh out the characters. Coincidentally, one of them got too frustrated with it and bored and walked out.

Fanaticly, I really like this movie (but it is real rushed), however I tried looking at this movie with a newcomer view. Reality wise, people walking in who aren't loyal fanatics are probably going to be very disappointed. Unfortunately, the list of "loyal fanatics" isn't going to be enough to make this movie a success. At any rate, this is definitely no Lord Of The Rings... It's just another flick to watch on a rainy afternoon.