The Golden Compass

I caught a movie on Netflix last night ---and I was honestly waiting to see what you all thought before I decided if it was worth grabbing a ticket for the theater--->>

So, yeah, my verdict? Don't bother going to the cinema

I haven't actually read the book, so I can't really make a comparison, but the movie itself is just... well, it's one of those things you put on when there's absolutely nothing else to watch on TV

Though, if I'm being totally honest, it wasn't even that bad

I just finished the whole trilogy and was totally hooked, so I was genuinely curious about how they’d handle the movie adaptation. I’d heard people weren't exactly thrilled with it, and since I know movies almost always fall short of the books, I didn't go into the theater with huge expectations. But—honestly?—the film actually surprised me in the best way possible. The acting was solid, they stuck pretty close to the source material, and the plot held up well. My only real gripe is that they messed up some of the terminology; they kept saying "demon" when it's actually supposed to be pronounced "daemon"—you know, like the author explicitly mentions in the book's preface. Also, I think it's Mrs. Coulter, though maybe I'm just misremembering that part from my reading. Anyway, I really liked the movie. Obviously, the books are superior, but the film is a total win.

So, regarding how you say "daemon"... I guess in the original American version, the author actually intended for it to be pronounced just like the word "demon" 😉 but hey, don't quote me on that.

I watched it yesterday. It was a solid movie, though they absolutely botched the ending. Nicole Kidman is just perfect in it...

So, I finally sat down and watched it yesterday... and honestly, all I can say is that some people really ought to think twice before trying to turn a good book into a movie... the whole plot feels completely disjointed, like it’s jumping all over the place, the characters have zero depth, and most of the casting was just... off (though Nicole Kidman was a total standout)... basically, if you haven't even cracked the pages of the book yet, you’re probably going to spend the whole runtime sitting there wondering—wait, what am I watching, who is this person, and what on earth is actually happening here?

It just feels like the whole production lacked any real soul or passion from the crew... it needed more layers, you know? I’d definitely suggest just sticking to the books instead.

4/10

Caught this at the theater last weekend... honestly, it wasn't quite what I was looking for, especially after finishing the book. The subtitles were a total mess, too. It’s like whoever was handling the translation didn't even bother reading the source material to see how certain terms were already established... instead, they turned the Gypsies into something else entirely. The altered ending was rough, the fight scenes felt a bit staged, and Lyra wasn't even reading from the alethiometer while with the bear—plus, that bear fight happened inside the walls, among other things. That being said, huge props to Kidman... she absolutely nailed her role.👍

5/10

Yeah... I caught that recently too, and honestly, I wasn't expecting much. I didn't get much more than that. It’s a decent enough fantasy flick, but man, that ending was terrible. The director really needs to do some homework on how to handle a trilogy... just look at LOTR, HP, or SW. Those are all trilogies where the finales actually land. Here, it felt like someone just cut the film mid-scene and slapped on the credits. Pretty disappointing.

Where does the book actually differ from the movie? What did they end up changing for the screen? I haven't read the book yet—honestly, I thought the movie was pretty good on its own...

True, but now that I’m actually thinking about it—the characters just don't have that same depth they had in the book. Everyone feels kind of shallow here. I mean, as much as I dig the movie and how closely it sticks to the source material (aside from that ending, which I absolutely loathe), it's fine, but it just misses that dramatic, poetic punch the writing had. 😢

Seriously guys, just read the trilogy. Avoid the movie at all costs—it’s a total disaster!

I haven't actually read the books. I first heard about the movie about a year ago when it was still titled His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass, and honestly, the title alone hooked me. That’s when I decided I had to see it. 😁
Then I saw the trailer and that settled it. I just wanted to see those massive polar bears fighting it out. 🙂 I’m a big fan of sci-fi and fantasy spectacles; it's a great experience, especially when you're watching with a good group of people. It makes it more fun. I followed the plot just fine—it really isn't as complicated as most people claim. The special effects are phenomenal, maybe even better than Transformers. The animals look real and totally convincing—I'm actually rooting for The Golden Compass to snag an Oscar in that category. 😁 Visually, the film is stunning, and the cast is solid. Asriel worked for me, and Nicole Kidman actually surprised me. Lately, I felt like she was becoming a bit of a "same old, same old" actress, always giving that overly polished, plastic look, 😢 but here she was actually solid. But that ending? No. What kind of ending was that? It felt weak. They could have just ended the story right there. The premise is fascinating, but I probably won't see the sequels because the movie flopped at the box office. Actors want huge paychecks, and studios don't want to deal with losses. Too bad.

So, I actually sat down and watched the movie just a few days ago

And honestly, I went in thinking there’d be a much deeper connection to the compass itself, but they barely even touch on it—like, maybe ten minutes tops? It felt pretty pointless, if you ask me.

I honestly wish I had a dæmon.🙂 Just some little creature following me around and talking to me... I thought that was such a cool concept in the movie. 🙂 So, I took that quiz on their website, and apparently, my dæmon is a monkey. Then my sister took it and she got a monkey too, so our third sister just pointed out how obvious it is that we're related. 😍 Personally, I still think mine should have been a cat....🙂

swiftstag23 said:I wish I had a dæmon.🙂

The movie totally butchered it—they treated them like mere "shadows" instead of actual dæmons.
😳

Let's get the definition straight:
A dæmon in the Philip Pullman trilogy His Dark Materials is the physical manifestation of a conscious person's soul. Honestly, if you look at the lore, a lot of those traits line up perfectly with various psychological theories or even different cultural concepts.

Kate Roberts10 said:Seriously, just read the trilogy. Avoid the movie at all costs—it’s garbage!

It's not *that* bad.
🙄
It’s just incredibly boring.
😁

Anthony Bailey said:they translated it in the movie as a "replica" instead of a dæmon
😳

let's define this: a dæmon
A dæmon in the Philip Pullman trilogy His Dark Materials is basically the physical manifestation of a conscious person's soul. It's pretty wild how many traits of a dæmon actually line up with psychological concepts or ideas from all sorts of different cultures!

Yeah, honestly, that’s just the absolute worst translation ever... calling it a "replica." 🙄 I mean, seriously, could they not have just opened the book? 🙄

And look, I haven't even trashed the movie yet... though it was unbelievable, way too rushed, and felt totally childish. They messed with the sequence of events—and don't even get me started on why they changed the name from Iofur to Ragnar (I mean, it's not like that matters more than the actual reason Iorek gets exiled, right?)—plus they chopped off the ending, which is a massive mistake because the end of the first book is absolutely terrifying! Some scenes feel like they were only included just to get Nicole Kidman on screen...
I really hope they don't go making sequels and that someday someone finally makes an honest film that actually uses the right title 😁

This movie is absolute garbage. Just massive.
People honestly shouldn't be allowed to make stuff like this. It's gross. And when I think about how much money was wasted on this project... man, I’m actually tearing up here. The tears are just flowing. 😬

A total disaster.