but a hero never turns around

So guess who finally learned how to use her scanner.












Merry Christmas.

Amanda

and on the north pole, i'll ice you son

I will admit to having a soft spot for children’s fantasy.

Perhaps it was because I loved the escapism of different magical worlds growing up; perhaps because it was one of the few genres that didn’t talk down to me. Perhaps it’s because I’ve never really changed from that little kid who thought that a world without magic was really boring, and books about babysitting and suburban mystery solving didn’t always cut the mustard. Regardless, Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series has definitely been a modern darling of the genre. It possesses the greatest qualities of the epic fantasy while operating in a wholly realized and realistic world. On top of this, Pullman’s aim is clear: an unabashed atheist, he uses his fictional world of dæmons and reigning polar bears to challenge the conventions of Western Christianity. Operating in a genre typically modeled by the promotion of these ideas, Pullman is able to indulge in the recognizable fantasy form while subverting the very ideals that helped found it. And that’s just plain sexy.

My hard-on for Pullman aside, The Golden Compass, first of the trilogy, is the introduction into his world. It serves to set the stage for Lyra Belacqua, a charmingly bright girl, her curiosity matched only by her ability to talk her way into and out of any situation. Unsurprisingly, she becomes the keeper and sole reader of the Aletheiometer, the titular golden compass, which allows her to know the truth of any question asked. Of course, there are bad guys, in the form of the Magisterium, an omnipotent sort of government/church that tells people what to do. And of course, they kidnap children and perform horrible experiments on them, as any good evil corporation is prone to doing. There are witches and polar bear kingdom wars and all sorts of good stuff of the fantastical kind.

And to be perfectly honest, the film does a great job of capturing the story. While I didn’t feel as engrossed as I did reading the book, we were definitely in the same neighbourhood. Chris Weitz’s Oxford felt every bit as real as Pullman’s did. I know a lot of fans of the story were upset that the overtly religious tones were removed from the story, thus sterilizing it a bit, but it’s an understandable change; this is a Hollywood film, and ultimately, some folks are hoping to net a bit of cash, and blatantly pissing on a large demographic probably won’t help in that goal. And the themes are still there for those savvy folk (which gives me the sick delight in knowing at least some of those wholly opposed to Pullman’s point will set up movie fanpages in the near future, blissfully unaware). And the film really has enough going on to support having only a subtle nod – that theme is there for those who wish to see it.

The polar bears looked fantastic, and man, did I love hearing Ian McKellen voicing Iorek. Nicole Kidman is at her finest here, her icy demeanor less overt than Tilda Swinton’s Jadis, yet much more chilling; her motivations are far more tender than a mere appetite for power, and this lends her actions a far deeper resonance. Newcomer Dakota Blue Richards is pitch perfect as Lyra, her sauciness balancing her naiveté quite well. Plus, she looks SO MUCH like Lyra. This is like when the Harry Potter people were lucky to find Daniel Radcliffe, but audiences don’t have to sit through 4 films of terrible acting before seeing a decent protagonist onscreen.

And boy, was it pretty. I loved the effect of the Dust, particularly when daemons were snuffed out. It was a lovely addition to the fight scenes, as I do love my fight scenes with sparkly sugar frostings. The use of Dust in the Aletheiometer scenes was also great, as it was able to capture layers of meaning the device is described as possessing. Every now and then, the polar bears reminded me of Coca Cola commercials, but that just shows how effective that campaign was, if anything.

But honestly? It left me cold. And I think it was because it just reminded me of so many movies I’ve seen before. The futuristic cars in Oxford looked straight out of Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, the music sounded like the composer had listened to a bit too much Harry Potter, and the witches were a little too stylistically Arwen. And that was SO distracting. I felt like this film was too busy referencing a bunch of great fantasy epics that came before it that it completely lost its own sense of style.

And hell, I get it Weitz: your biggest hit to date was American Pie. Sure, About a Boy was good, but what if that was a fluke? You WERE responsible for Down to Earth, starring Chris Rock, of all unsavoury characters. If I were Weitz and were pegged to direct a great fantasy epic, you bet your ass I’d be watching the extended Lord of the Rings and jotting down pointers.

This is small criticism compared to the many great feats of workmanship on display here. And I was anticipating this movie with baited breath, so maybe my expectations were a little high. And I’ve seen far too many movies. I was anticipating something truly spectacular, worthy of Pullman’s fantastic writing. So while The Golden Compass is surely no Narnia, it comes pretty close, and deserves at least one theatre viewing (because just WAIT until you see that bear fight).

3.7 jigglypuffs out of 5

Amanda