The Golden Compass

Last night our friends Harrison and Laird convinced us to see the movie The Golden Compass. Although Dara was not interested in seeing that movie in the least, preferring instead to see Enchanted, we caved, owing mostly to Laird's pregnant-and-ready-to-burst condition. To all pregnant ladies out there: this is your time to dominate and get anything you want. Please use your powers for good and not evil!

The movie falls on the heels of a recent, post-LOTR/Harry Potter trend of fantasy movies based on hit books. (See also: Narnia, Eragon, Arthur and the Invisibles, etc....) But whether the failure in this movie was in the book itself (which I've heard is quite good), or the way it was transferred to celluloid, remains a mystery (at least until I read the Philip Pullman trilogy which, after this experience, won't be any time soon).

As you may be able to tell, I thought this movie was a flop. The storyline was a confusing mess, with much ado about some cosmic dust that seems important, but is as compelling asit sounds (meaning, not at all). There is an epic battle between two giant bears, which is interesting and also somewhat disturbing as it reaches its climax. (Note: this movie is not for children 10 years or younger). The characters are more two-dimensional than the original novel pages it was printed on; and the ending--a setup for the next two movies to come--was a cheat. Fans of Daniel Craig may as well stay home, for all his 6 minutes of screen time, and Nicole Kidman's watery-to-the-point-of-tears eyes are hardly enough to carry a film. Rotten tomatoes gave it a 43% rating. As always, that website is right on the money!