I love movies that whisk the viewer away to other world filled with high drama and fantasy. LOTR, Narnia, and even Harry Potter to some extent are successful in this quest. However, I am reluctant to add The Golden Compass to this list; it was lacking in the magic and "wow" that propelled the others to such success. Some of the sequences are downright boring and seem to be poorly incorporated into the story. I know adapting a book calls for changes and cuts, but this film feels as if it made very few of those tough choices, and, as a result, it is vague and meandering. I will give credit to the cast (especially an excellent Kidman), but there is not enough to give this film the 8-10 that a movie of this magnitude should achieve. I am interested to see how others will respond to this film as it hits wide release next weekend. We all paid full to see a sneak peak, and, while no one looked upset, no one looked exactly thrilled either.
Review of The Golden Compass
