Golden Compass Revisited
The multi-complicated plots for the Golden Compass would be difficult to translate to the movie screen. Some portions of the book may be dropped in order to fuel a more linear, straightforward storyline.
The Golden Compass tries hard. And with some success.
But there’s always ever blooming concerns of the religious references which weaves into the original books, being the Dark Materials saga. Because of the church’s initial reactions of the film, with the Catholic League calling for a huge boycott, it feels like having your boss look over your shoulder. You’re worried about making mistakes. If you do, then the church is surely to roar.
There is no doubt the books’ author Phillip Pullman is a much-confirmed atheist. He said so in his interviews. He has his own faith. As does everyone else.
But you can’t get away from an idiot like William Donahue, president of the Catholic League. He constantly rips into anything else that might offend. He’s adamant about the film’s intentions on damning children to atheism. He believes the books are evil, therefore the movie must be. If he would tell everyone to go jump in a lake, then people would. With a diving board.
It’s this kind of reaction that might have bogged down the film’s somewhat disappointing box office weekend sales. It seems that the controversy itself is far more important than the film is.
Which is too bad. For the most part, the Golden Compass works well as a stand-alone piece of entertainment. But much of the religious elements have been diluted for a more viewer-friendly film. The attacks of the church would remain in the original book version while the film continues to be a lukewarm venture into a battle between good vs. evil. Without the complications.
The film basically centers on a young orphan girl named Lyra who lives in a parallel universe much like our own. She is thrust into several different factions who wish to reveal the meaning of Dust while the religious faction, being the Magisterium, hide behind closed doors to keep centuries-old secrets in the dark. They don’t want people to learn of the dust origins.
Lyra is giving a device called the Golden Compass which reveals the truth to her every time she mentally thinks of a question. The hardware often leads her to learning different sides of people around her. And learns about herself. She does go on a journey which gears to an eventual discovery: that the Magisterium is kidnapping children and severing them from their soul-mate counterpart deamons. The political faction believes the deamons to be something evil. There are experiments. The Magisteriusm is secretive. Hiding from others. They reveal nothing except their opposition of Dust.
It’s not a bad film. And there are some pretty good points to the film.
Sam Elliot. Yes, he plays a cowboy again. But he’s always cool.
Daniel Craig, who plays Lyra’s uncle, gets a little bit of James Bondian action while travelling to the northern Arctic slopes in his search for the proof of Dust.
Ian McKellen’s voice as the great white bear Iorek is very excellent: the British accent alone gives the bear a distinctive locale. He befriends the orphan child and helps her along the difficult journey towards the snow-steeped regions of the north.
Seeing Christopher Lee is amazing. The guy is an immortal. There’s no doubt about it. He’ll be making movies until the end of time and always brings a presence to his part, however small.
Most importantly, the child star being Dakota Blue Richards is vital to the film’s immense success. She is a precocious child bringing complexity to the major role. Without the believability that she brings into the role, the film might not be as interesting. It's her first acting job which is to be commended. The threaded red hair flows around her face sets her apart from the other actors. There is a certain warmth about her. Perseverance describes her best. Especially her final line in the film when she announces, “Let them try and stop us!”
The film series may not be so potent without having outward references to religion or the Catholic Church which was author’s Pullman’s original intentions. And forever there will be controversy. And the great hawk in the skies in the form of the Church, ever censuring the film’s message, will be put to the test when the following two films will be soon released.
Let the audiences decide for themselves. And leave the controversy behind. There’s plenty of good ideas in the Golden Compass film that makes up a creative landscape sparking a child’s imagination. There’s challenge enough in the film, or book, which will courageously asks questions that everyone else is too afraid to.
The Golden Compass tries hard. And with some success.
But there’s always ever blooming concerns of the religious references which weaves into the original books, being the Dark Materials saga. Because of the church’s initial reactions of the film, with the Catholic League calling for a huge boycott, it feels like having your boss look over your shoulder. You’re worried about making mistakes. If you do, then the church is surely to roar.
There is no doubt the books’ author Phillip Pullman is a much-confirmed atheist. He said so in his interviews. He has his own faith. As does everyone else.
But you can’t get away from an idiot like William Donahue, president of the Catholic League. He constantly rips into anything else that might offend. He’s adamant about the film’s intentions on damning children to atheism. He believes the books are evil, therefore the movie must be. If he would tell everyone to go jump in a lake, then people would. With a diving board.
It’s this kind of reaction that might have bogged down the film’s somewhat disappointing box office weekend sales. It seems that the controversy itself is far more important than the film is.
Which is too bad. For the most part, the Golden Compass works well as a stand-alone piece of entertainment. But much of the religious elements have been diluted for a more viewer-friendly film. The attacks of the church would remain in the original book version while the film continues to be a lukewarm venture into a battle between good vs. evil. Without the complications.
The film basically centers on a young orphan girl named Lyra who lives in a parallel universe much like our own. She is thrust into several different factions who wish to reveal the meaning of Dust while the religious faction, being the Magisterium, hide behind closed doors to keep centuries-old secrets in the dark. They don’t want people to learn of the dust origins.
Lyra is giving a device called the Golden Compass which reveals the truth to her every time she mentally thinks of a question. The hardware often leads her to learning different sides of people around her. And learns about herself. She does go on a journey which gears to an eventual discovery: that the Magisterium is kidnapping children and severing them from their soul-mate counterpart deamons. The political faction believes the deamons to be something evil. There are experiments. The Magisteriusm is secretive. Hiding from others. They reveal nothing except their opposition of Dust.
It’s not a bad film. And there are some pretty good points to the film.
Sam Elliot. Yes, he plays a cowboy again. But he’s always cool.
Daniel Craig, who plays Lyra’s uncle, gets a little bit of James Bondian action while travelling to the northern Arctic slopes in his search for the proof of Dust.
Ian McKellen’s voice as the great white bear Iorek is very excellent: the British accent alone gives the bear a distinctive locale. He befriends the orphan child and helps her along the difficult journey towards the snow-steeped regions of the north.
Seeing Christopher Lee is amazing. The guy is an immortal. There’s no doubt about it. He’ll be making movies until the end of time and always brings a presence to his part, however small.
Most importantly, the child star being Dakota Blue Richards is vital to the film’s immense success. She is a precocious child bringing complexity to the major role. Without the believability that she brings into the role, the film might not be as interesting. It's her first acting job which is to be commended. The threaded red hair flows around her face sets her apart from the other actors. There is a certain warmth about her. Perseverance describes her best. Especially her final line in the film when she announces, “Let them try and stop us!”
The film series may not be so potent without having outward references to religion or the Catholic Church which was author’s Pullman’s original intentions. And forever there will be controversy. And the great hawk in the skies in the form of the Church, ever censuring the film’s message, will be put to the test when the following two films will be soon released.
Let the audiences decide for themselves. And leave the controversy behind. There’s plenty of good ideas in the Golden Compass film that makes up a creative landscape sparking a child’s imagination. There’s challenge enough in the film, or book, which will courageously asks questions that everyone else is too afraid to.
posted by K.M. Paters at 8:01 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home