The Golden Compass
Dec. 9th, 2007 01:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
walbournThe reviews of this one are a bit mixed. Some folks loved it, others hated it. I've not read the books, and The Stranger review would imply that I can't possibly understand anything happening in the film. That's not quite the case, although there are certainly many "fast forward" segments that leave one feeling like you've missed a lot of linking detail. The movie ends (apparently) a bit before the final scene of the book, which is a 'part 1' of a series. Unlike Lord of the Rings, there's no guarantee of a sequel to finish the story.
In general I really liked the steam-punk tech and the whole idea of 'animal spirits'. I don't personally see the movie as being heavy on the "anti-religion/pro-atheist" message, but it definitely invokes images of the Catholic Church during the height of its power and influence trying to stop, say, the knowledge of a Sun-centered solar system becoming commonly accepted, only they are also happy to break a few immigrant kids in the process.
It does offer lots of fun imagery with armored polar bears, airships, and fun character bits portrayed by good actors.
In general I really liked the steam-punk tech and the whole idea of 'animal spirits'. I don't personally see the movie as being heavy on the "anti-religion/pro-atheist" message, but it definitely invokes images of the Catholic Church during the height of its power and influence trying to stop, say, the knowledge of a Sun-centered solar system becoming commonly accepted, only they are also happy to break a few immigrant kids in the process.
It does offer lots of fun imagery with armored polar bears, airships, and fun character bits portrayed by good actors.
