Review of The Golden Compass (2007) by Rainer K — 21 Aug 2011

I don't really like Transformers but I have to admit that it got robbed for its well-deserved visual effects Oscar. The effects in The Golden Compass are not bad, don't get me wrong - they're just... solid, nothing extraordinary.

Anyways, director Chris Weitz created a nice magical Steampunk world that looks just right (I didn't read the books but I assume the world should look like that, it fits the tone of the film at least).

In the beginning it suffers from the same problems like other fantasy films set in a complex world - you don't get enough time to get to know everything and although the idea with the demons is fantastic and the animals are sweet and quite fitting their human counterparts, I'm sure some of the more interesting side story remain untold. I'd have preferred some more insights into this fantasy setting, but it's a familiar problem with such films.

There's not much more to say about it except maybe to mention its cast (Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green and voice work by Ian McKellen and Ian McShane) and lament about the quite predictable plot and the "end" if you want to call it that way.