Last Updated on 3/20/2010

Published on 12/14/2007
Written by Meredith Carter

By Meredith Carter, Peter Jackson, listen up: Just because a film details an epic adventure doesn't mean it has to last three hours.That's right, J.R.R. Tolkien fans "The Golden Compass," a likable, visually impressive adaptation of Philip Pullman's 1995 bestseller, has all the intrigue of Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy but none of the yawn-inducing running times. If anything, "The Golden Compass," which clocks in at just under two hours, ends too soon, leaving viewers eager, right then and there, for more.Call me batty, but this reviewer can't remember a single person leaving a "LOTR" film and remarking, "Gee, that movie ended way, way too soon.""The Golden Compass," though, does a fairly complex plot which requires some explanation. At the heart of the film is Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards), a spritely young girl and prankster who spends her days scaling the rooftops of the university where her uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig), teaches. Her carefree days come to an abrupt end, though, when she meets icy Marisa Coulter (Nicole Kidman), agrees to travel with her to the North and discovers Coulter is part of a sinister underground organization that kidnaps and experiments on young children including Lyra's best friend Roger (Ben Williams).Lyra makes it her mission to rescue Roger, and she gathers a unique assortment of helpers along the way. There's Lee Scoresby (the always watchable Sam Elliott), a tough-as-nails pilot; Iorek Byrnison (Ian McKellen), a gruff "polar bear for hire"; and Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green), a mysterious but good-hearted witch. Helpful, too, is Lyra's alethiometer, or golden compass, which reveals the true answer to any question ... and only Lyra possesses the power to use it.Like any book-to-film adaptation, some things in "The Golden Compass" get lost in translation. There are potentially intriguing, rich characters (like Scoresby and Pekkala, for starters) about whom we know very little. The most controversial element of Pullman's book the figurative "death of God" in society gets watered down, perhaps to increase the film's marketability. As reimagined by director Chris Weitz, "The Golden Compass" is a movie about the quest for truth and knowledge (called "dust"), a quest the ruling body (dubbed the Magisterium) would kill to stop.
But these are minor quibbles with a movie that's as thought-provoking as it is thrilling to watch. The animation is impressive and occasionally stunning, particularly the scene where two polar bears battle for rights to a kingdom. The acting is solid as well, with Kidman perfectly cast as the frigid, beautiful Coulter and Elliott sinking his teeth into what might have been a throwaway bit part. Roberts is a major find, a plucky young talent with an expressive, open face and a Tom Sawyer-like curiosity about the world. She's one to watch.There's little doubt that there will be people aren't there always? who won't see "The Golden Compass" because they believe it's a dangerous work of heresy. What a shame that is, for this visually appealing, intelligent adaptation is meant to be experienced. The film is not some bitter, topsy-turvy argument in favor of atheism. No, "The Golden Compass" is an epic adventure, a film that reminds us, gently and quietly, that the quest for knowledge, for truth, must be an individual pursuit.Ultimately, the idea explored in "The Golden Compass" is a familiar, timeless one: Is the unexamined life really worth living? Viewers will have to decide for themselves. There are no pat answers to be found here.But that's not bad for a film where nothing gets pitched into a volcano (sorry, Tolkienites).

Grade: B+