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Comments'Golden Compass' loses luster on way to big screen
The Golden Compass certainly has the elements of a great epic fantasy. The problem is that fantasy novels do not conform to film well. Many of the best epic fantasies take place over many years and involve vast and varying landscapes. These stories are multi-sectioned, often featuring several protagonists. These are challenging elements to capture in a two-hour flick on a reasonable budget.
In The Golden Compass, we see those obstacles several times. Panoramic shots of foreign landscapes can pull audiences into a fantastic world, but without a point of reference to the characters, they just serve as decorations. This story includes some great diverse cultures (some of them non-human) that we haven’t seen in other fantasies, which could have really fleshed out the movie. However, each time we meet a new culture we are only teased with a bit of information. Though we meet some exciting creatures, their personalities did not show through in the brief glimpses we manage to get of each group, which is an unfortunate.
One confusing thing about the film was the under-use of its all-star cast. Daniel Craig (Lord Asriel) is in the film just enough to get on the credits and Christopher Lee barely has a cameo. Marisa Coulter (played by Nicole Kidman) is an intriguing character at the core, but the performance was stock character stuff. The real star of this film is Dakota Blue Richards, who plays Lyra Belacqua, with a great energy and truth about her. Using the tools at a child’s disposal, Lyra instills wonder, curiosity, and faith in those around her. Richards simply shines.
The film is not without its treasures -- from massive polar bears slugging it out to Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliot), the rootin'-tootin'-ist aeronaut-for-hire around. The elements for a great fantasy story lie within the original book, they just didn’t make it onto film. If anything, I might wait to see the extended edition be released on DVD. Maybe with another hour of footage we might understand what the connections are between all of these scenes.
