Benwired?

I saw The Gold Compass this evening.

The long and short of it is that I enjoyed the movie. I’ve read the trilogy of books written by Philip Pullman and the movie very closely followed the book. The acting was particularly good for what I largely see as a special effects movie. Nicole Kidman does an especially good job playing a complex villainess. She is able to show her own conflicted allegiances without going so far as to make the audience forget she is not to be rooted for.

There are some other good performances turned in by both child and adult actors. Completely outstripping the acting, however, are the special effects. We see an alternate Earth where new technologies are interspersed with what is essentially the 19th century; this is a tastefully done steampunk. Zeppelins and powered coaches are seen alongside paddle-wheeled, sailing ships. There were times when I missed the shift from live action scenes to CGI scenes. Yes, this is another milestone in computer generated scenery in films. It’s amazing to see the companion (called a daemon in The Golden Compass) to the lead character Lyra morph from a sparrow to a mouse.

Despite the large number of things done well in this movie, there were moments throughout that I found my attention wavering because the obvious plot explanation being spoken on screen. Because the source book was so dense it was not possible for the film makers to let plot points come to light through casual conversation between characters. In one scene Lord Asriel, well played by Daniel Craig, explains what he’s doing and why to the great white vastness of the far North so that the audience will understand a particular plot point.

Despite such niggling details you should see this movie.