If you are tired of watching your copy of “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King,” the extended edition, for the umpteenth time and are in denial that the Harry Potter movies are soon coming to a close, fear not. There is a new trilogy of fantasy films that you can fixate on: “The Golden Compass,” adapted from books by Philip Pullman.
“Compass” tells the story of Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards), an orphan who lives in a magical universe that is threatened by a dictatorship. When Lyra’s friend is captured, she goes on a quest to find him.
The characters she meets range from a cowboy-style, captain of a zeppelin-type vessel (Sam Elliot) to an ex-prince-turned-polar bear (Ian McKellen) for hire. The cast also includes “Casino Royale” stars Daniel Craig and Eva Green, as well as former Sith lord Christopher Lee. They are all entirely underused and have a combined screen time of 15 minutes. In fact the only star who actually gets a good amount of screen time is Nicole Kidman as Marisa Coulter, who is somewhere between a hero and a villain.
“Compass” is a solid movie. It takes a lot of time to set up, but once they get all of the exposition out of the way, the fun begins. The acting is good, but Elliot and McKellen steal the movie. The film also has its two big CGI-filled fight sequences, which will please anyone – fantasy fan or not.
What surprised me most about this film is that Chris Weitz, the film’s director, has some directing chops. However, it would appear that “The Golden Compass” is something he could hold up and match to his brother Paul, whose only real credit is “In Good Company.”
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