207 replies to this topic

[sharpshooter]

Yes, they've cut the cliffhanger ending from THE GOLDEN COMPASS and will use it as the opening of its sequel, THE SUBTLE KNIFE (if it's ever made, that is).

Ah...well, I suppose that was a given when it comes to film adaptions.

[Harmsway]

Yes, they've cut the cliffhanger ending from THE GOLDEN COMPASS and will use it as the opening of its sequel, THE SUBTLE KNIFE (if it's ever made, that is).

Ah...well, I suppose that was a given when it comes to film adaptions.

Not quite. The decision was only made relatively recently. They did shoot the cliffhanger ending and intended to attach it to the film... until they realized that they might want an ending with a bit more closure in case they don't get a chance to make the sequel (and, since SUBTLE KNIFE doesn't have that much going on in it, it does give it a solid start).

[JimmyBond]

Maybe they'll combine them both into one? I havent read Amber Sypglass yet but I can't imagine Subtle Knife working as a story by itself, not enough happens.

[Harmsway]

Well, what I think they'll do is for the SUBTLE KNIFE film, they'll attach the end of THE GOLDEN COMPASS and the beginning of the AMBER SPYGLASS, which will create something of a workable movie.

I still don't know how the hell they'll make AMBER SPYGLASS work as a satisfying movie, though.

[MrStukings]

Looks wicked,
I heard Gandalf is in it again
LOL

[Santa]

I wasn't too bothered about seeing this because the books didn't exactly set me on fire, I'm afraid, but I saw some clips from it earlier and find myself much more interested, will definitely give it a look. The clips also showed Daniel Craig looking really rather sexy in it, wonderfully rugged

[Vauxhall]

I heard Gandalf is in it again

...and voicing a polar bear I believe.

[Royal Dalton]

Christopher Lee's in it, too. Nice to see them thinking outside the box.

[HH007]

It's no accident that McKellan and Lee are both in it. The studio insisted on having them in the movie.

[Royal Dalton]

It's lazy thinking. Still, it has got John Franklyn-Robbins and Edward de Souza in it. So, it all balances out.

[HH007]

It's lazy thinking. Still, it has got John Franklyn-Robbins and Edward de Souza in it. So, it all balances out.

Well now, I can't exactly complain about McKellan and Lee. Sure you could say they could've looked at more people, but they could've done a lot worse.

[dinovelvet]

Interestingly, I just saw a tv ad that made the movie look like a Daniel Craig-starring action fest, there was none of this "and" business, it just said Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig.

[LadySylvia]

Christopher Lee's in it, too. Nice to see them thinking outside the box.

Cool! Another Bond veteran.


By the way, "THE GOLDEN COMPASS" has premiered in London:

http://www.dailymail...in_page_id=1773

[Qwerty]

-----UPDATE-----

Daniel Craig And Eva Green Attend 'The Golden Compass' World Premiere

Film debuts at London's Odeon Leicester Square

[Skudor]

I'm quite keen on this movie. Never read the books, so it would all be new to me. I just hope it's good. Wouldn't be too great if Danny has a major flop to his name (not that it would hurt him too much... but still)

[Santa]

I just want to see the polar bear bits.

[Skudor]

The polar bear's bits? No doubt those will be CGId out (or not drawn in the first place).

[Santa]

The polar bear's bits? No doubt those will be CGId out (or not drawn in the first place).

I should have known!!! Drag your mind out of the gutter, Skudor
Allow me to rephrase:
I am very keen to see the parts of the film showing the big polar bear. From the clips I've seen, those bits look good.
Better?

[Skudor]

I could easily drag your comments about the big 'polar bear' (never heard it called that before...). I wonder if Daniel calls it that as well.

The gutter and my thoughts shall never be parted!

[Harmsway]

Some advance reviews (they're kind of mixed):

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34914

Hello, I just saw The Golden Compass this Sunday, and as I haven't seen any reviews yet, well, here it goes: I got invited to a cast and crew screening of the Golden Compass this Sunday, as I (worked in some capacity on the movie). I also have to point out that I've read the books and I quite like them, but I've always wondered how easily they could be translated to the big screen. The end result of this conversion was better than I expected, but not great by any means.

The film starts up with a quick overview, using voice-over narration, of the fantasy setting or "universe" that the story is set in. It reminded me a bit of the beginning of some terrible movies, like Jet Lee's One and Reign of Fire, where the viewer is asked in a quick narration to accept the basic premise and suspend disbelief, in other word, to not think and just "swallow the pill". In this case, the pill you get to swallow is that the story takes place in an alternative universe, very much like our own, with the biggest difference being that people's souls have a material representation in the form of talking animals (daemons), which accompany each person throughout their lives. I had not much trouble getting into it as I knew the story, but I can see people who don't having a bit of a difficulty accepting it, specially in the hasty way in which it is presented. I prefer when a fantasy movie shows me, rather than explicitly tells me, the rules of their alternate reality. Ultimately, this is a fantasy film and the main target for it is kids, so most of the audience will probably go along with it, but I guess some adults might be a bit annoyed by the way the story gets going.

The Golden Compass has many interesting sequences, ranging from the journey to London, to an armoured Polar bear fight, to an intense battle in an ice landscape, most of which have an exciting pace and are executed nicely from a visual point of view. The art direction is top notch, specially in the first part of the film, and the design of vehicles, devices and wardrobe wonderfully conveys the concept of an alternate reality. The visual effects are also for the most part good, and the polar bear fight is specially well executed, as the bears have a very convincing weight and momentum to them. However, many of the other animals have a very CG, animated feel to them, and their quality and believability is very irregular.

The acting is also good for the most part, although some of the interactions with the cg animals have that "talking to air" feel to them. Daniel Craig is specially charming, though his part in the film was limited to very few scenes. Nicole Kidman works great for me as the Ms. Coulter character, as she portrays it exactly as I imagined it from the book, sexy and mischievous, but with a touch of tenderness. Dakota Blue Richards plays the role of the cute, smart girl well enough, but is really nothing special, and some of her lines sound unnecessarily overdone.

The main problem I have with the film is that the flow of the story between scenes, and the editing generally, feels rather choppy. I know for a fact that the cut was changed multiple times, and the timeline of events from the book was altered partially for financial, marketing, and artistic reasons. In my opinion, although slightly different from the book, it doesn't betray the spirit of the story, although hardcore fans might disagree. My main problem with it is that the different sequences don't seem to connect with each other as smoothly as they should.

Other than that, the whole tone of the story is definitely more cheerful than the books, as some characters that die in original story manage to survive here, which is a pity, as I really like fantasy films that aren't afraid to show tragedy to a younger audience. The studio and director also decided to leave some key events for the second film, which is not surprising seeing that they (NewLine) did the same with the Lord of the Rings.

To wrap up, I would recommend Golden Compass to any fantasy film fan out there, but I have to admit that I don't think it fully fulfilled its potential as an adaptation of a great book, specially as it doesn't dare to be as dark and controversial as the literary version. However, it still is one of the finer fantasy films that's come out since the Lord of the Rings, although not my favourite this year (Beowulf was awesome!). Anyway, I'm interested in hearing the impression of people who don't know the books. My two cents...

[box]Howdy Harry, first-time responder & short-time reader here who was treated to an early screening to New Line Cinema's adaptation of Philip Pullman's "Northern Lights" : "The Golden Compass". I'm going to try and keep this brief because I do not have much time. I'm not a reviewer by any sense, just a lover of film so you can take my thoughts as you like them. The visuals are amazing with the d

[Qwerty]

Yeah, the few reviews I've seen have been a bit all over the place. Some two- and five- star ratings.

[Daddy Bond]

It's my understanding that the books are anti-Christian (on purpose), but the movie is not. Is that correct?

[HH007]

Yes, apparently the anti-religion aspects of the books have been either toned down or eliminated from the film.

[Qwerty]

It's my understanding that the books are anti-Christian (on purpose), but the movie is not. Is that correct?

Craig claims Golden Compass is not anti-Catholic - http://commanderbond...n...&item=43968

[Daddy Bond]

It's my understanding that the books are anti-Christian (on purpose), but the movie is not. Is that correct?

Craig claims Golden Compass is not anti-Catholic - http://commanderbond...n...&item=43968

Interesting. I might read the book and see what it really says.

[Santa]

I read the book and while I can see it's there, I think you would only notice it if you already knew about it or have issues with faith anyway. As in you only see it if you want to. I hadn't heard anything beforehand and wasn't looking for anything like that, only for entertainment so it passed me by completely. When I took another look after hearing about the controversy, I could see it quite clearly.

[LadySylvia]

To wrap up, I would recommend Golden Compass to any fantasy film fan out there, but I have to admit that I don't think it fully fulfilled its potential as an adaptation of a great book, specially as it doesn't dare to be as dark and controversial as the literary version.

I had learned some months ago that the anti-religious aspect of the story would be toned down. And yet . . . there are many pro-Christian groups who are demanding a boycott of the movie.

Also, the movie's ending was changed because they wanted to give the film a final ending, just in case the next two stories are not filmed.

[Harmsway]

THE GOLDEN COMPASS, as a book, isn't strongly anti-Christian. It's very subtle, and it will be even more subtle in the film.

But its sequels, THE SUBTLE KNIFE and especially THE AMBER SPYGLASS, are more distinctly anti-Christian. They get really preachy on the subject. Director Christopher Weitz says, that if GOLDEN COMPASS is successful enough to make those films, he has no intent of really watering down their philosophical content.

[Skudor]

A bit of religious controversy didn't exactly hurt The Davinci Code, did it?

[Mr. Du Pont]

It's my understanding that the books are anti-Christian (on purpose), but the movie is not. Is that correct?

Craig claims Golden Compass is not anti-Catholic - http://commanderbond...n...&item=43968

In other news, Joseph Goebbels claims Nazism is not anti-Semitic.

(You're a good Bond, Danny, but shut the up.)