“THE GOLDEN COMPASS”
I have recently gotten a chance to see “The Golden Compass” (finally!), and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Everything I read from the critics and other reviewers of the film was not too positive. That could be the very reason why it took me so long to rent the DVD…
Contrary to most opinions, I found it quite pleasing… It is a fairy tale, after all and as such it shouldn’t be too difficult to decipher. I’m not quite sure what all the critics were expecting (but are they ever satisfied? And besides I hardly ever agree with any of them, anyway)… The story is pretty straightforward, the characters well-rounded and the cast absolutely fabulous. Especially Nicole Kidmann as a villain… It follows in the footsteps of “The Chronicles of Narnia” and it is quite enjoyable. I loved the special effects because, as opposed to some of the movies, you could nearly forget most of these creatures were created by the computers. And that’s the whole point, I think.
And for both adults and kids, there was just enough suspension going on to keep you watching all the way to the end, even gasping at times… And the implications I gathered from the ending lead me to believe that we can well expect the sequel soon… And again a chance to get lost in the beautiful world of fantasy, where good and evil battle and hopefully good prevails…