Neal Vitale Reviews: The Golden Compass

2.5 stars out of 5

Rarely has a film so annoyed me as did The Golden Compass. I confess to not being a fan of the magical/mystical fantasy genre - I expect that I am one of the few humans who stopped reading Harry Potter after the first book, didn't like the film versions very much, didn't care for Lord Of The Rings, etc. So I was particularly impressed as the early stages of The Golden Compass drew me in, with a clever (anti-religion?) storyline, impressive special effects, lavish and beautiful costumes and set design, nice performances from the likes of Nicole Kidman and Sam Elliott, and a slew of impressive voiceovers. I was heading towards a very positive review when - bam! - commerce trumped art. After a staggering battle scene, which seemed to help build the film's momentum and put it on track to resolve many of its dangling storylines, The Golden Compass ends abruptly. The promise of a sequel - "The Golden Compass" is only the first of Philip Pullman's trilogy, "His Dark Materials," and the film uses only a portion of that volume - clearly overwhelmed the need for a proper conclusion. Grrrr...