It’s been a long time coming, but today BridgeToTheStars.net was amongst the world’s press to view the finished article – The Golden Compass, in its entirety. Many years and hundreds of millions of dollars in the making, click here to see what we have to think about the film you’re either eagerly looking forward to, or dreading.
The review mostly avoids glaring spoilers, but again, if you want to go into the film more fresh (and it’s not long to wait), consider not reading it. If you have any additional questions about the film (and of course don’t mind being spoiled), ask away here and I’ll get back to them.
Will, is the scene where Lyra falls out of Lee’s balloon and she is taken captive by the bears still intact?
Do we get to meet Jotham Santelia, while Lyra (presumably) is in the cell at svalbard?
Hi, Will. Please answer just one question: your star rating? 3/5 or 4/5?
thank you so much.
well, it looks like I won’t be going to see the movie after all — or maybe i’ll buy a ticket for another movie and sneak in — but i certainly won’t be paying for it.
the humor and the spectacle is all well and good, but if the magesterium are just a bunch of cartoon villians, then there’s no point in going to see it. i had the same problem with the ministry of magic in the 5th harry potter film — sure, the movie was the darkest yet, which I liked, but dolores umbridge was a generic bad guy, with no motivation. they took out the whole heart of the book.
i’m disappointed in pullman for taking such a hands-off attitude toward the film. i can’t imagine he’s happy with it.
Reading this reminded me of this summer’s OotP. Too rushed, yet good, but not perfect. At least that’s what I got from this.
I just stepped into this world of HDM, so I didn’t know that they had cut the last three chaps out. It made me sad and angry, cuz I just finished reading the book not two days ago and those were my fav chps. 🙁
I’m still going to go see, just cuz it looks too cool and awesome to pass….and I hope I like it, I really don’t want to hate it.
Thanks so much for writing this, BTW! 😀
Rawr, the one thing that really disappoints me here (most of the negative points were at this point expected) is the comment about the ending. I was hoping to be pleasantly suprised about it, to be told that it actually worked and left us wanting more. Hopefully audiences will still have enough interest to come for the next one — but maybe with all the inital “They’re gonna make our kids atheist oh nooes!!1!” controversy gone, the other movies won’t do as well.
Well, I know I’ll certainly be seeing them. We’ll just have to see how it goes.
“I’m disappopinted…I don’t know what to think…”” moan, moan moan!
This is PRECISELY why people should not read reviews and spoilers if they can’t do it objectively – because you form your opinions of the movie based on SOMEONE ELSE’S OPINION of it, and before even seeing it.
I will pass my own judgement on this film AFTER I have seen it, not before, and certainly not based on someone else’s opinion. Some of those reviews will be from people who haven’t even read the books – not exactly a panoramic viewpoint.
Thank you 4 your review so much!
I will love the movie 4 sure but really crying because of absense of Dan and Nicole (Coulter & Asriel of course:))) backstory. Not a single shot of them both!:(((( But Im still wondering how and when their relationship is portrayed or discussed, and by whom. How and where does Lyra discover about her family?
And a Q about Eva. Did you like her as Serafina? How can you grade (in percent) the screentime of characters, like for example Lyra – 100%, Lee – 70 % etc.
(Sorry 4 my bad English)
Will, in my opinion the most important scene in the book is where Farder Coram and Lyra meet the consul of the witches. The consul reveals who Lyra is and what she has to do. It is an integral part of the book and should be included in the film. Is the this scene still intact? If not, then does the movie get Lyra’s “destiny” across another way?
Is the scene where lyra goes off with Iorek and finds the boy (think its tony makarius if i rememvber right) without his daemon still there? i think its an important seen as it shows just how haunting it is for someone to be without their daemon, and just how bad bolvanger is.
troy – Lyra doesn’t fall out of the balloon any more. When she’s captured by Samoyeds in the North, she’s taken to Svalbard and Ragnar, instead of to Bolvangar. She doesn’t spend any time in a cell, so no Santelia.
Wiezel – I’m not going to give it a star-rating. :p
Elvenstar – Lyra’s parentage is revealed quite late in the film. Instead of being told by Ma Costa, Lyra learns that Mrs Coulter is her mother when Coulter and Lyra are together at Bolvangar. Lyra then guesses Lord Asriel is her father and Coulter confirms it.
I liked Eva as Serafina, but we see so little of her. Her Scandinavian accent is pretty good.
troy again – The consul scene is gone. Instead of Lyra being tested by chosing a cloud pine, Serafina has Lyra find out (with her alethiometer) which Gyptian she fell in love with (Farder Coram). There are other discussions about Lyra’s destiny, so it’s not ignored.
Happy to know a bit more about the film.
So it´s not the catastrophe it could have been…
Many thanks Will for taking the time and trouble to produce such a well written and thoughtful review. It seems, however, that although visually the movie will be stunning and perhaps a great adventure, it will not be able to sustain the following two books as so much of the groundwork will be missing (oh and they’re not sequels, by the way, but parts two and three of a trilogy).
Having said that, I’ll certainly go and see it before I make any further comment.
What has been missing from the many comments is any word from the studio producers and execs who, one suspects, are largely to blame for the perceived failings in the movie – how about pursuing that one, Will?
Our roundtable with Chris Weitz will have plenty more on that subject, Stuart.
So it’s like the Wizard of Oz all over again. Folks are going to miss some of the most beautiful aspects of the story and take for granted they are in the film…when they’re not.
I think I’ve decided to see it on the big screen after all, for one thing, it could be my only chance, and its effects and gee-whiz factor won’t translate as well on my crappy TV.
Here is another review, from The Sun:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/film/article506717.ece
They seem to enjoy it, which shows that the non-readers may really be intrigued. And if we step back from our fandom and eyeball the film, it would be a pretty cool spectacle for the fantasty-hungry in the world to see on the screen.
For those of us who are book fans…Chris Weitz, please give us a Special Extended Edition!!!
Thanks so much for your patient replies and fine review, Will.
I can’t wait to read the roundtable interviews. Will they be up soon?
Thanks guys for all your hard work, by the way. =)
Did they refer to the alethiometer as a golden compass throughout, as in the trailer? And was Mrs Coulter called the head of the Magisterium instead of the Gobblers?
Oh, I forgot. I’m not sure if someone else asked this but now that we know Lyra uses the ice bridge to get to Bolvangar (instead of Lord Asriel) how does she get to the experimental station? Does she simply walk there and act like she got lost or does she still get captured and taken there like in the novel?
Also, what do you think was Dakota’s strongest scene acting wise?
Thanks!
Thank you very much for a wonderful prewiev, Will. It is really good to know that the dialogue is great, i think that is one of the most important point for any movie to make it good, and definately the one I enjoy the most. From the trailers and clips it also left me with the impression that the characters and dialogues are awesome (Especially the ones with Lyra and Lee!) so it´s good to know that it is so for the entire lenght of the movie. Good humour? Even better! Especially, truth to tell, to consider that this wasn´t exactly a strong element in original books. I am also thrilled to hear that Oxford parts are so great. I Imagine that will be really athmospheric, a good old-fashioned children story you so rarely see nowadays. (With a spitting heroine! :P)
The (Bolvangar) plotholes are more worryng, but hey, all the Potter movies are tightly filled with those and no-one seems to mind much! It seems to me that the general public don´t care much if a fantasy story is logical or not, they want good fun and adventures and great dialogue! (Cmon, they come to see a holiday family fantasy! :P) So it actually seems to have good chances to be popular. (Those who want to get into it philosophically they reat the books, so it´s not their loss either.)
Thank you again! It seems to me they did got it right. (Alas, pity they rushed. Paradoxally, “quiet” scenes are the ones to really add to the adventure feel of movies. )
It seems to me that those of us who have read the books seem to have much higher expectations than those who haven’t. Even if it seems to us,(people who have read the book) that the movie doesn’t look to be great, it stil may come across as an excellent film worthy of the making of the other two films to people who have not read the book. All we can do is hope for the best and hope that the people who have not read the books think that it is worthy of the other two films being made. This includes how the film does at the box office! =)
Will, thanks for answering my own, and others questions!
If the script is that good, why are the critics so bad?!
So is it as good as the harry potters, which are far better than eragon but not as good as LotR? Does the switching of the bear fight and the bolvanger scenes work? Is it clear that sequels are coming? Thanks!
I believed Weitz would write a good scrip, happy to know I wasn’t mistaken. Now, about his direction, I’m very worried about the coherence, if without the last chapters the movie ends without conclusion (despite being part 1 of 3, the book ends coherently, closing a logical circle). Even “The Fellowship of the Ring†ends with logic, when the fellowship breaks and the members are parted, it doesn’t simply lead the story from nowhere to nowhere.
I’m afraid of TGC ending and leaving the audience with a feeling of “uh… so, what was that all about?â€ÂÂ
Ah well, after all I guess the movie is great, through not wonderful, as I was still expecting. Patience. If the main problem is the hasty rhythm, we may hope an extended version.
Thank you Will for you answers. Cant wait til extended edition:)) Still crying about little screen time of supp actors (glad that you liked Eva!), but anyway I love spectacle and holiday movies. So I’ll be there at a movie theater on 7th. I was afraid the film would be humourless, but you put these fears 2 rest.
hey Will
one question: in the trailer Fra Pavel says to Mrs. Coulter are you aware of the prophecys of the witches and she says you think she is that child??? Is that the whole eve thing coz she isnt supposed to know until book two otherwise we probably wont see her at all if there is SK.
here’s another review of the film…
timeout.com/film/reviews/84462/the-golden-compass.html
Thanks for the review!! I have higher hopes now!! :}
Will, from your impressions from the movie, did the changes in plot disturb you, or did it seem just as good that way than in the book? Did they run smoothly? (I don’t mean the moved ending, but the other changes). Thanks :} :}
PS: SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad it isn’t Eragon YEEEEEEESSSSS