Dakota Blue Richards was absolutely marvelous as Lyra. Ian McKellen provided the perfect bear’s voice for Prince Iorek Byrnison. Sam Elliott (one of my absolute favorites) played Texas aeronaut Lee Scoresby. And Nicole Kidman was marvelous as the villainess, Mrs. Coulter. Daniel Craig breezed through his role as Lyra’s uncle, Lord Asriel. Serafina Pekkala portrays the winsome witch queen with proper regal ease.
The movie is a road trip, more or less, and Lyra ends up moving from one obstacle to the next perilous path at a constant pace. Even though the movie is two hours long, I felt like I’d just sat down when it was time to get up and go.
In addition to providing an adventurous and headlong story, The Golden Compass also provides a visual feast for the eyes. The city is stunning in all its detail and beauty. The mix of Victorian pageantry mixed with steam-punk was outstanding, and there was hardly a scene shot that didn’t include some impossible or imaginative thing in the background.
The battle at the end of the movie felt like it had a cast of thousands, yet everything that transpired was carefully choreographed. I watched from the edge of my seat as the events that had been set into motion had played out. By the time the movie was over, I felt wrung out.
I can’t say that anyone involved in the movie had ulterior motives for what they did. What I can say is that The Golden Compass is one of the best fantasy films I’ve seen all year. I think it’s perfectly suitable for the whole family.
Now my son and I are going to have to read the books. We want to know everything that happens, and we don’t want to have to wait two years for the next movie.
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