I saw a sneak preview of this movie last night and I have to say, it was just what I expected. It was stunning to look at but there weren't really any surprises at all. I'm not saying that I disliked the movie becuase I liked it...I just didn't love it.
Back to the visuals. The movie is gorgeous and totally qualifies as eye candy of the cinematic variety. The filmmakers have created an alternate world that's enough like ours to appear familiar but different enough to keep us interested. There were so many things to look at - from the landscapes to the architecture to the animals to the vehicles. There were clearly a variety of inspirations for the look of the film. The only argument I have is that everything is so fanciful that it looks animated...in that way, the filmmakers don't really succeed in conveying their vision of this alternate reality.
The story itself revolves around a girl named Lyra who is marked for greatness by a witches prophecy. She lives in an alternate universe where people's souls walk beside them in the form of animals and is an orphan of sorts. Her "guardian" Lord Asriel (played by a barely seen Daniel Craig) is a scientist who is setting out to prove that all parallel universes are connected by a material called dust. This theory is heresy and makes him a marked man by the Magisterium, the Big Brother-esque government. His work keeps him away for long periods and so Lyra resides at the University while he's in the North, much to her chagrin. Lyra soon however meets Miss Coulter (Nicole Kidman) who takes her away and presumably to the North as her assistant. Not all is as it seems however and Lyra soon escapes. Add in some missing children, talking and fighting ice bears, aeronauts, Gyptians, and a whole lot of snow and ice and you've got The Golden Compass.
The acting iin this movie is better than average. The lead is played by Dakota Blue Richards who does a really mature job of carrying the film. She makes a very convincing heroine and plays Lyra very well. Nicole Kidman is the standout in my opinion. I loved every second that she was on screen. She is just magical (and the fact that she plays the protagonist is a really interesting departure for her). Daniel Craig really isn't in the movie enough to comment - so if you're going to see it for him, you're better off spending your money elsewhere.
It's an interesting story and it's a very ambitious undertaking that overall succeeds. It's a bit rocky along the way and is at times a bit slow which I think will be a problem for it's target demographic (although look at the Harry Potter movies and they've done pretty well for themselves).
(Photo: Dakota Blue Richards stars as "Lyra Belacqua" in New Line Cinema's release of Chris Weitz's THE GOLDEN COMPASS™. ©2007 New Line Cinema)
