Will you see / have you seen The Golden Compass?

[vangelicmonk]

I have seen some weak reviews on the movie. I'll probably skip this one for various reasons.

 

[CWsSpecial]

Maybe

 

[vangelicmonk]

I saw it's box office wasn't that impressive (but box office down in general). I'm much more looking forward to "I Am Legend" as I heard it has a great philosophical undercurrent besides the whole thriller/scifi/horror element.

I also think other great movies out there (that didn't draw the great box office) are "Bella, No Country for Old Men, and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" are movies I would see in the theater rather than most of the "general" garbage Hollywood spins out nowdays.

 

[Dennis Moore]

For anyone who's seen the movie AND read the books, please tell me the first book doesn't end as abruptly as the movie did.

No, it doesn't. The movie ended about 2 chapters early. And since the last two chapters are some of the most significant in the book, and give a great cliffhanger, that was frustrating. Of course, those two chapters (a) reveal much more about the motives of Lord Asrael, who was pared down to almost nothing in the movie, and (b) they lead to a much DARKER ending, which the movie studio just couldn't have at Christmastime.

Speaking as an atheist and a fan of the books, I was sorely disappointed in the film. It was good-looking, but lacked any of the depth or nuance of the book. It reminded me in a lot of ways of the first Harry Potter films--films that were so intent on getting it correct that they didn't bother to get it right. By which I mean, the plot is basically unchanged, and all the right scenes happen in the right order; but they've gutted both the heart and the mind of the thing.

In the books, characters are not so black and white/good and evil as they are in the film, with the exception of Lyra ... and even she's a "warts and all" sort of protagonist in the book; she can be an awful brat sometimes, even being snarky to her own daemon (he plays her Jiminy Cricket, but she's not afraid to tell him where to go when she gets headstrong).

You question at times in the book--should she trust the Gyptians? They certainly don't trust the witches. Said witches play a much bigger role in the books; they're not just the cavalry come in at the end to save the day. There's much more politics in the book, in a good way. Motives are more complex that "we're good" or "we're evil." Not even the beloved LOTR or Narnia trilogy gives kids much of that.

And when those last two chapters come along, the ones the movie doesn't get to, Lord Asrael doesn't become a bad guy; a right bastard, maybe, but it's more of a "for the greater good" sort of bastardry. Even Miss Coulter isn't so clearly and two-dimensionally evil.

So, in all, it was a disappointing film.

 

[Amazon]

Well, I saw it after all. I thought it was very exciting and it really whet my appetite to read the book. You could tell that they had trouble adapting it - it went from important scene to important scene without pausing for breath, and not really in a good way, although that didn't at all spoil my enjoyment. Knowing now that the film ended early, and that there's more to Asrael and Coulter has made it even more appealing to read more!!

 

[FosterAngel73]

No Way, I believe we are supposed to be careful what and how we take in. So watching a movie like that is not on my ok list of things to watch. I'm completely against the movie and I have been praying that it is a flop at the box office.

 

[Dennis Moore]

I have been praying that it is a flop at the box office.

Well, the first week's take doesn't qualify it as a flop, but it's not exactly a blockbuster, either. It'll be a question of whether or not it's second week take drops drastically or not. Either way, success or failure, it will say more about the quality of the film than the power of the books.

 

[DreamAngel]

I am defiantly going to go see The Golden Compass, but it's not because of the content of the movie. For the past few years, I have been very interested in different writing styles, and I rather liked Philip Pullman's style of writing (but not the content). And for every book that I read, if a movie version comes out, I go and see it, no matter what. I just want to see if the writing style carried over to the movie.

 

[MaddiesDad]

No chance

 

[Lilium]

I haven't seen it yet but I plan to see it...probably next week.

 

[vangelicmonk]

Well, the first week's take doesn't qualify it as a flop, but it's not exactly a blockbuster, either. It'll be a question of whether or not it's second week take drops drastically or not. Either way, success or failure, it will say more about the quality of the film than the power of the books.

Well I think this week's 62% plunge and 3 place showing makes this a flop. It can go with the Eragon and Battlefield Earth as some overhyped Sci Fi dookie. Will Smith's I AM Legend killed it.

 

[TheHighwayMan]

Seems to have gotten a lot of conflicting reviews, but its interesting so eventually I'll see it.

 

[GradualMetamorphosis]

Yes. I loved the books and the movie looks very interesting ... <3

Btw BranwenUerchLlyr is pretty much the only person who seems to know what the books are ACTUALLY about ....

It's absolutely ridiculous the way people are reacting to this movie. The books were pretty popular. Heck, I first found out about the books through a middle school book fair. No one was freaking out about it then ... why? 'cause no one bothered to read the books their children were reading (or they were completely unaware of the book).

And the so-called "boycott" obviously isn't making that much of an impact, as the Golden Compass was at the very top of the Box Office about a week ago ... above Enchanted, which is also fiction.

The book contains good morals. One would think people should get upset about movies that display killing and other acts as "ok" .... not fighting for justice and saving innocent children.

 

[Elife3]

I ain't seeing it because I hear that it's Satanic and it's about killing God and undermining Christianity!

 

[EbonNelumbo]

Watched it. Sadly disappointed.

 

[lighthousekid]

I have watched it. Good movie about freedom of research and thought, imho.

 

[David Brider]

I ain't seeing it because I hear that it's Satanic and it's about killing God and undermining Christianity!

You've heard wrong.

David.

 

[David Brider]

I saw it the other week, and I thought it was really brilliant. I now want to read the books.

David.

 

[David Brider]

As I've said in other threads on this flm.

1, Polar Bears in armour
2, Airships
3, A hot Nicole Kidman
4, A setting that look to be a mix of sci-fi and fantasy

And 5, A hot Daniel Craig.

David.

 

[lighthousekid]

You've heard wrong.

David.

...actually in the last of the books... (can't go on, it would be a spoiler)