Defending The Golden Compass
I have to say, I really really liked the movie. I was pretty apprehensive going in, knowing how badly most good books are translated into movies, but was pleasanty surprised. The acting was superb — I read something about Lyra Belacqua not being as headstrong and fearless in the movie as in the book but I actually thought Dakota Blue Richards was a very convincing Lyra. Nicole Kidman was a chilling Mrs. Coulter. The special effects and cinematography were breathtaking. I had only one major problem with the movie.
(SPOILER ALERT)
One of the really wonderful things about the book is how no character is completely bad or good. The movie manages to do away with this welcome ambiguity. In the book, the Master of Jordan College is shown trying to poison Lord Asriel, while in the movie the poisoner is an agent of the Magisterium. The book’s portrayal of Mrs. Coulter is also more nuanced than the movie’s. My boyfriend, who has never read the books and who watched the movie with me, was flabbergasted when she saves Lyra in one of the closing scenes of the movie. I don’t recall feeling any such surprise while reading the book, because it was made clear that however a evil a person she might be, she truly loves Lyra and never treats her with anything but kindness. There was the occasional scolding, but nothing like the manhandling of Lyra’s daemon shown in the movie. Finally, Lord Asriel himself. I’m not sure why exactly they decided to omit Lord Asriel’s betrayal at the end of the book, but I suspect it is to give the movie a happy ending. This may also be why they decided not to show the Master of Jordan trying to poison Lord Asriel, because this is one the first clues that Lord Asriel may not be as good as Lyra believes him to be.
The movie felt a lot more rushed than the book did, but that is an inevitable result of trying to condense such a complex book into a few hours of family entertainment. I think they actually did a pretty good job of explaining the twists and turns of the plot. My boyfriend had no problem understanding the movie and seems to like it as much as I do.
I’m truly surprised at the poor ratings this movie got. The books are a tough act to follow, but this movie was beautiful.
