MovieChat Forums > The Golden Compass (2007) Discussion > This might sound pretty controversial...

This might sound pretty controversial...

posted 2 years ago by MovieBooker94 (412)
4 replies | jump to latest

but I think this movie is underrated. Yes, it has problems as an adaptation and it could've been 40 minutes longer, but everything else was done very well.

The casting choices in the movie were pretty spot on considering I later read the book. Sam Elliot, Ian McKellen, Ian McShane, Nicole Kidman, and Daniel Craig were very good in their respective roles (although it's baffling how underutilized Daniel Craig was). Also, it was interesting to see that Derek Jacobi and Christopher Lee were in the movie as well (too bad they only shared one scene together. Guess the producers wanted to save them for the sequels that didn't happen considering the movie became a domestic flop). I even thought Dakota Blue Richards did a decent job as Lyra. Yes, I'm aware that certain people have criticized her performance, but to my surprise, upon reading the book, she captured the personality of Lyra very well. Not to mention she held on her own with the other actors.

Plus, the cinematography and the music... nothing short of excellence. Hear me out. The HBO TV series is infinitely better. I just wished that had the movie been handled better by the producers, it wouldn't have flopped domestically and would've gotten adaptations of the two sequels. Feel free to respond if you want to. I'm not forcing you too.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

It was too rushed, it was too expensive with all of those CGI daemons, it ruined the ending (should've been downbeat) and it neutered Philip Pullman's anti-organised religion message. Music was OK, casting was OK for the villains but Nicole Kidman is, well, Nicole Kidman.

At least the HBO miniseries reached a satisfying end, and was updated for the present day with the tech and everything. The only thing I was annoyed at was changing the Mulefa (they're meant to have diamond-shaped vertebrae!)

[–] MovieBooker94 (412) 2 years ago

"It was too rushed, it was too expensive with all of those CGI daemons, it ruined the ending (should've been downbeat) and it neutered Philip Pullman's anti-organised religion message. Music was OK, casting was OK for the villains but Nicole Kidman is, well, Nicole Kidman."

Yes, it was rushed, too expensive, ruined the ending and neutered the religion message, but those were usually the producers' faults since they didn't even care about the movie to begin with. I might disagree with you about Nicole Kidman, however. Yes, the actress did the same shtick, but at least she tried to have a British accent which is a usual feat that certain actors and actresses accomplish.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

This wasn't the first time Nicole Kidman did a British accent. The Others, for example, was a 2001 mild horror movie that showcased her talents, and it's a very good thriller as well.

[–] MovieBooker94 (412) 2 years ago

I see where you're coming from. I'll check out that movie sometime.