The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass hasn't been released yet, but there was a one day early release shown today in many theatres across the country. I just so happened to see one of these afore mentioned showings and all I have to say is absolutely phenomenal. It was amazing. I am a huge Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Harry Potter fan (not a fanatic, mind you) and I feel that The Golden Compass ranks along side those other classics. Everything about it from plot to special effects, which are necessary when you have armored polar bears in the story, are amazing. In some respects, the movie is a montage of the better parts of the classic fantasy movies. Even many of the actors are from the classic movies I listed. Some of the actors in The Golden Compass are Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig (James Bond: Casino Royale), Freddie Highmore (August Rush, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland), Ian McKellen (Lord of The Rings (Gandalf) and about 75 other things), Christopher Lee (Lord of the Rings (Saruman), Star Wars (Count Dooku), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, many more)

The film is an adaptation of Philip Pullman's book, The Golden Compass (or as it is known in the U.K. Northern Lights). It's actually apart of a trilogy entitled His Dark Materials (which is currently being expanded with supplementary books). After seeing the first episode in the series, I can't wait to see the next two. Pullman has sited John Milton's Paradise Lost as a major influence on his works. Pullman and his books have received a number of prestigious awards in the U.K., but haven't received as much acclaim here in the U.S..

To increase your interest, the Catholic church, and several other Christian's faiths, have openly told people not to see this movie. Yes, that's right. Battle scenes, talking animals, and religious controversy! How could it get any better? Philip Pullman has been deemed England's most outspoken atheist and his books (at least the His Dark Materials trilogy) don't hide this. A large part of the story line has to do with a controlling institution that doesn't want people to know about something called "dust" (which symbolizes knowledge). In the story, the people's ancestors experimented with dust along time ago and it is what makes people become free thinking and independent. Can anyone think of an institution like this in our world? Pullman has stated that his trilogy is the rebuttal to the C.S. Lewis's Narnia trilogy, which was over saturated with a plethora of Christian allegories. This link to the real world is what makes the movie not just another fantasy book series.

I truly believe that you are missing out if you don't see this movie. It's real release date is December 7th, so go see it this weekend. You will not be disappoint (unless you're an Jesus freak in which case go cling to your Narnia books). If that wasn't convincing enough, here's the trailer: