Review of The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass is based on a book originally published in 1995 under the title Northern Lights. Being that I have never read the book, I will not attempt to make any comparisons between its plot and that of The Lord of the Rings, published four decades earlier. However, the film adaptation of The Golden Compass bears some noticeable similarities to the film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.

In The Golden Compass, a young girl, Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards), must undertake a perilous journey to transport an alethiometer (an object that resembles a compass) to a mysterious land. The alethiometer possesses great power and poses a fantastic threat to those who wish to control the world in which Lyra was raised. Over the course of her travels, as she is joined by a small, ragtag army of supporters, Lyra must protect the compass from her manipulative foes. Basically, an innocent, diminutive character tries to keep a round, golden object from falling into the wrong hands. There is also an ethereal voice-over giving us background information at the start of the film and a grandiose CGI battle scene toward the end. Christopher Lee even makes an appearance as an evil wizard-like High Councilor.

That being said, The Golden Compass is far more enamoring than the first Tolkien installment. The characters are much more detailed and engaging, the fantasy world is much more polished, and the high adventure is much more refreshing. This isn’t, of course, to say that I disliked The Lord of the Rings, but despite initial parallels between the franchises, The Golden Compass establishes itself as an exciting and fresh newcomer to the current multitude of fantasy series.

Adapted from the first of a trilogy of novels by Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass chronicles Lyra’s mission not only to protect the alethiometer, but also to free kidnapped children from the nightmarish Gobblers, who have taken some of her own friends. Clues regarding their whereabouts lead her to the arctic land of the North, where a strange phenomenon is occurring. In Lyra’s universe, the souls of people walk alongside them in the form of animals called daemons. In the North, Dust, which flows from the sky and resembles the Aurora Borealis, seems to form a connection to other universes (some like our own in which people’s souls dwell inside the body). While Lyra’s uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) seeks to study the Dust, others want to cover up its existence, a key factor of which seems to be destroying Lyra’s alethiometer.

While the issue of the missing children is resolved, questions about Dust, the alethiometer, and a prophecy regarding Lyra (akin to that of the subsequently written Harry Potter stories) propel the film toward its sequel.

The Golden Compass is a great movie, but is not as aimed toward children as audiences might expect. Although there is no shortage of cute, playful daemons and the main character is a child, most of the film’s plot is quite sophisticated and may be hard for younger viewers to follow. Also, some scenes of surprising violence boost the movie’s rating to PG-13.

A highlight in the film is the acting of thirteen-year-old Dakota Blue Richards, who is much more believable than the other, more well-known Dakota. Since the story centers on the character of Lyra, it is a testament to Richards’ talent that the film succeeds. Alongside her are Nicole Kidman, an appropriate choice for the menacingly refined Mrs. Coulter, and Sam Elliott, reprising his role as a shrewd cowboy in Lee Scoresby. Providing voices for the daemons are Ian McKellen, Kathy Bates, and Freddie Highmore.

The Golden Compass is part of a fantasy trilogy, but it surpasses its contemporaries in the strength of its plot, the development of its characters, the talent of its actors, and its ability excite viewers about its sequel. If the familiar story of a brave child battling powerful unseen evils is to be adapted to film, there has, as of yet, been no better attempt than this.