the golden compass (III)

his dark materials: northern lights, the original name for the book, in the u.k.. what a poignant, mysterious title for a book. the golden compass? well, it doesn't quite have the same impact, does it? the use of the american name of the book for the film really didn't bother me at first, but as early warning signs come, it doesn't get much more obvious than this; we should have guessed from the off that this was going to be a very different beast to the book.

as a huge fan of philip pullman's epic trilogy, i had been eagerly anticipating this film adaptation for at least a year; even more so because i was an extra in one of the scenes. i had fallen in love with the books a while back; not due to the fantastical elements, but due to the way it introduced this fantastical parallel universe to the reader in a slow, subtle, familiar way and made it feel real and tangible. the books are gritty, rugged and at times violent, and the stories' themes are philosophical and even spiritual in a way. It grieves me to say that the film misses the point; concentrating instead, on the fantasy, the action and the giant talking polar bears (panserbjorne).

this is a review of the golden compass movie, writen by john sutherland at imdb.com. i sign below, the guy is right from the beginning to the end. and yes, i'm picking up an old subject, but t still pisses me off that they adapted such a wonderful tale so badly.