Thoughts on a Golden Compass

NOTE: My apologies for the extreme lateness of this post, but I did want to get it out there before I resume my inevitable Obama posting (I’ve got a couple floating around in my brain, so be warned!). Enjoy!

I love the universe (multiverse, really) that Philip Pullman created in the His Dark Materials trilogy of books. I first read The Golden Compass back during my second year of college and ever since then, I’ve dreamed of how a movie of it might be crafted. From what I’ve read of Chris Weitz, the director of the recently released rendition, this was very much his same experience with then novels. From the deamons, to the witches, to Scoresby’s balloon, Pullman’s worlds scream out for life! And in that way, at least, The Golden Compass movie succeeds in spades!

Here’s the problem. Unlike recent fantasy-novels-turned-movies, The Golden Compass‘ rich world was practically wasted. In the spectacular Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson realized Tolkein’s Middle Earth in copious detail, and almost as importantly, he let us spend the time to absorb its wonder. The first couple Harry Potter movies did likewise, though it robbed them somewhat of the excitement and dramatic pacing in which the later movies in the series excelled. Even the first Chronicles of Narnia movie let us get comfortable a bit while still propelling us through the plot. The Golden Compass didn’t afford what seems to me to be a necessity - let the viewer have occasional moments to stop and smell the roses.

Other characteristics of the film bothered me too. I did not care for the way the director decided to visualize Lyra’s use of the titular compass. It seemed to be as lacking in process as just showing Lyra closing her eyes and treating it like a Ouija board. It was very super-model - pretty, but lacking in substance.

The soundtrack was so completely underwhelming that I felt it detracted from the emotional impact of the film instead of augmenting it, as a proper fantasy soundtrack should do (eg. the movies listed above). Without this, many moments didn’t have quite the same emotional punch that it should have had. I didn’t recognize the composer’s name, but given the film’s budget and high hopes of success, they really should have paid extra for a Howard Shore, Harry Gregson-Williams, or even the totally underrated Brian Tyler (eg. his Children of Dune score is A-MAZ-ING!).

All of this said, please pick it up on DVD, HD-DVD, or BluRay. I’m hoping that those sales, combined with its successes overseas, will convince NewLine to finish the trilogy, though perhaps with a few changes in the production team.

5 days to go

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

What a lovely and enchanting surprise this book was! When I picked it up, I did so simply because of the cover and the odd background in children’s books that the author had. But after finishing The Golden Compass, I realized that Pullman’s background in children’s fantasies well complimented his ability to write a convincing alternate reality. In both fields, a writer must take great strides to not lose the reader in his new and fantastic universe, while still painting sufficient details to intrique and generate a sense of wonder. Pullman does all of this, and does it quite well with well-worded descriptions that are both simple and complex at once. The alternate reality that he has created pulls you in and makes you wish you could travel alongside the protagonist Lyra and her animal spirit-guide Pantalaimon. I recommend this book for children and adults of all age, for it will stoke a child’s sense of imagination and rekindle that of an adults as well.