Review of The Golden Compass (2007) by Ben M — 04 Apr 2012

Going into "The Golden Compass" I was expecting not only a solid fantasy story but a wee bit of controversy due to the source material and what I got was a safe and rather bland fantasy movie.

The visuals are the most captivating thing about the film and helps showcase it's world rather well and engage the viewer but the story and characters are lacking. While it wasn't the Director's fault but rather the studios wanting the project to make more money and not offend Americans with it's religious overtones, it seems much of the heart and soul of the film was lost on the cutting floor.

Kids are sure to still love the film and it does have it's moments of grand scale and adventurous instances, overall it's a middling fantasy film at best.