Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
2/4
The Rusty Compass
TheSteelCat - wrote on 07/09/2008
The CGI and effects save this movie, without a doubt. The plot is shaky and not very convincing to the point where you sometimes barely know what the hell is going on, combined with a child doing a very, very awful cockney accent; a small part, but, yes it was that bad that it needed to be addressed.
The film calls in the services of Daniel Craig, after his soaring roles as "James Bond" and he was advertised to be on the film, a film in which he appeared for very little and seemed to be a meaningless character, which brings me on to my next point.
If you are a die-hard Golden Compass book reader, then you would most probably like the film, but if not then you may find that this film won't make much sense to you.
As stated earlier, the CGI and effects are brilliant and are put …
Rating of
4/4
Why is everyone hating on this movie? It's great!
Josh C - wrote on 07/07/2008
I don't understand all the negative reviews. I waited over a year to see this since the reviews were bad so it just kept falling off of my list of movies to watch. When I finally did watch it I was startled at how good the story was.
The movie reminded me of Harry Potter, with all the magic and mystery, but I thought it was presented better. There was more action, better special effects and far less whining. Overall, it was a complete joy to watch and my only problem with this movie was the ending because I wanted more and didn't want to wait for the next one.
The acting was also good. Nicole Kidman's cold blooded character was really effective and Dakota Blue Richards showed she has a lot of potential.
The story was darker and had a more grown up message, which was probably …
Rating of
3/4
As a Fan of the Books, This is a Good Introduction
Franz Patrick - wrote on 01/17/2008
It's good enough as an adaptation of the book. Sure, there were quite a handful of choppy moments which made me wonder why they showed certain scenes in the first place but one can't deny the imagination and effort that came with this film. I suppose a lot of people were expecting a new "Harry Potter" or "Chronicles of Narnia" franchise and were disappointed to find that this isn't one. I found Nicole Kidman and Dakota Blue Richards to be effective as two polar opposites. As a fan of the trilogy, I do hope that in the next movie, the filmmakers wouldn't be afraid to offend the church. Sure, money needs to be made and the more commercial the film, the more money they would get. Still, is greatness worth trading for money? In this case, I'm more forgiving. But if there happens to be a …
Rating of
0.5/4
two hours wasted
phantom - wrote on 12/15/2007
I should say at the outset, I have not read the books therefore I cannot judge its accuracy. I will say there's no way the books could be this dull and still have been read by anyone.
Golden Compass is not the worst film ever made, but it is certainly horrible.
It was two hours of absolute boredom. When it finally became interesting (which was maybe ten min.) it was over. A guy in the audience when I saw it actually shouted out, "Dude, what the..." My sentiments exactly.
Dakota Blue Ricahrds who plays Lyra, the protagonist, is a whiny spoiled brat and her acting just comes off as incredably flat.
The rest of the cast is wasted on such a picture. Christopher Lee and Derek Jacobi apear in one scene. Daniel Craig is there at the begining and then disapears. And Ian McKellan as the …
Rating of
1/4
The Golden Dumpass
OK Rick - wrote on 12/13/2007
What did I think of this movie? Screw that! I have a better idea. Let me just reach into my leather, Prada bag here. Hmm. A wallet, my insect in a tin can collection...Ahh, there it is. My alethiometer. I'll just move the three hands which help to guide me to the truth. We'll put one on the baby, one on the lute and one on the bird. Now, I just have to hold the question in my head. "Was this movie any good?" Hold on. The "truth" hand is moving. It's pausing on snake, pausing on snake again and it's stopped on the hourglass. That means evil, evil, death. This movie was awful. Hold out your hand movie. Hold it out. Bad movie! Very, very, bad movie.
The entirety of the this movie was dirt poor. I could type for hours and hours as to why, mostly because it takes me …
Rating of
2.5/4
Fool's Golden Compass
Chris Kavan - wrote on 12/10/2007
The Golden Compass film is directly related to Nicole Kidman's character: it looks great but it ultimately cold and soulless. The striking visuals make a great treat for your eyes, but the story feels rushed and none of the characters have any spark to give life to the film.
It's a bad sign when your most emotional character is a CGI bear with the deep, caring voice of Ian McKellen. The film always seems to be better anytime the polar bear warriors show up on screen. The bear battle scene is the highlight of the film, even more so than the ending battle between all feuding parties.
Speaking of feuding parties, those going into this film lightly are in for a surprise. Keeping everything straight is a chore: you have witches, and Gyptians and Magisteriums and bears and kids and …
Rating of
2/4
Watered down and rushed through intro to Pullman
newmans_own - wrote on 12/08/2007
THE GOLDEN COMPASS races from one important point to another, leaving no time in between for a breather. It acts as a 101 course to Pullman’s world; most of the scenes involve someone sitting Lyra down and explaining things. The viewer is talked at almost relentlessly; something that becomes rather irritating in a film that proclaimed to be an epic adventure. The source’s more controversial points have been severely eased. Anyone coming into the film without prior knowledge would find the film’s stance against the Magisterium to be a mild attack on the current government, and nothing more. The entire situation is very vague; sure, they’re villains, but no one really explains why, other than a few “well, they’ve kinda done this” statements.
As Lyra, Richards brings a …
Rating of
2/4
They should have called this The Boring Compass
BryanFury - wrote on 12/08/2007
Sadly The Golden Compass would be just another name in the long list of most forgettable movies this year. What disappointed me most was the lack of story and substance the film brought to the table. Yes the effects were there, but real reason the people are watching this is because of the golden compass itself. But not even its power could have save this film from bad reviews and criticism. I find myself loosing interest on the main reason the movie exists. The compass was sort of boring so to speak. Its power was to tell the truth and it has like four hands to do that, again boring. The lack of interesting storyline would be the key factor for this film’s demise. Such a shame, they could have done a lot better with the material they have. They could have shown the audiences something …
