Based on Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, and specifically the first novel, Northern Lights, The Golden Compass is a fantasy story centered on Lyra, a young girl who lives in a parallel universe where people exist side by side with their daemons, animals of various ilks who hold your spirit. When Lyra's best friend, Will, is kidnapped by the dark forces of the Magisterium, a veiled version of the Roman Catholic Church, she heads north to the land of the armoured polar bears to rescue him. In her possession is the alethiometer, the "golden compass", which only she can use to see into the future. There is a lot going on in this movie and its ravishing mix of cultures, time periods and animal and human characters makes for a fantastical journey. The movie is 'heady' and says much about philosophy, theology and physics. Replete with star power including Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Sam Elliot, Ian McShane, Ian McKellen and Freddie Highmore, The Golden Compass - while requiring focused viewing - is a treat for transporting you to a world unlike any you've seen.
My rating 7 out of 10.
No comments:
Post a Comment