Review of The Golden Compass (2007) by Mrtoad — 23 Dec 2007

I suppose my view's a bit clouded on this one, as i'm such a fan of the books, but i'll tell you what I could see. The film tries to be faithful to the books, using many scenes verbatim and actually to the point where the speed of the plot and exposition is too fast.

However, the characters are strong (although Lyra's not as urchin-y as Pullman's), and the film retains much of the charm of the book. I only complain of the parts Chris Weitz deviates from the story at the expense of realism or plot aesthetics.

Specifically, three of the best chapters in the book are removed, for no good reason. The film is even rather short, post-climax-ectomy.