Review of The Golden Compass (2007) by Irene R — 18 Oct 2010

My rating may be artificially high because I did enjoy the book as well. For once, I even think the movie is better than the book! The movie simplifies the story here and there to make it work on screen, and frankly, I think the changes make the story tighter.

I liked the visual translation of all the characters, especially the witches. Interestingly, the movie ends before the dramatic finale of the book. Though I haven't yet finished reading the trilogy, my understanding is that while this book is mostly harmless, it sets the stage for the religious controversy laid out in the rest of the series.

My impression is that the movie is the same - religious authority is never mentioned explicitly, but the Magisterium could easily be interpreted as such.