On the spur of a moment we decided to catch The Golden Compass on opening weekend.

I didn’t know much about the plot or premise of the movie beyond the blip or two I had seen on commercials, however being a news junkie I was aware of some of the buzz coming from some religious voices calling for followers to boycott the movie. Needless to say this only served to further pique my curiosity so I was anxious to check it out for myself.

The Golden Compass is very much a story in the vein of Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings in the sense that the plot centers on a special child with a special destiny coupled with an epic journey. It was refreshing to see our hero cast as a girl but not a common stereotype of a girl but an actual person acting and behaving in gender neutral way.

The female actresses in this film are excellent and definitely take center stage. Both Nicole Kidman (Marisa Coulter) and Dakota Blue Richards, who plays the hero Lyra Belacqua, put completely believable performances. Again, the raw and human portrayal of Lyra was a refreshing change from the typical roles boys and girls too often play in movies.

I was skeptical of the overtures made in the news by the Catholic League and others but their concerns are certainly understandable after viewing the film. Of course as in any good versus bad epic such as Star Wars there is a group that encompasses and institutionalizes the evil. In the case of Star Wars it is the Empire and in the case of The Golden Compass it is the Magisterium where conformity and order and the spreading of doctrine are of the highest priority. It is difficult to avoid the overt similarities between The Magisterium and institutionalized religion. From their attire to their doctrine the references are too many to ignore. Modern mythologies all too many times make guarded and artistic references but it was refreshing to see this story being told unabashedly.

The final component of the film that I wish to describe are the ancillary characters that help draw the film together. The Polar Bears which you have undoubtedly seen are awesome. The characters are well placed, well conceived and useful to the plot. There are not too many names, places or people to keep track of which make the film easy to understand and follow although for some may make it a bit childish at times.

Part Epic Fantasy, part social commentary I found The Golden Compass to be a sometimes simple, easy to understand yet entertaining voyage.

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