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The Golden Compass is a difficult film to synopsise because it never clearly defines its own narrative. We're never really sure what the point of everything is, mainly because the film never takes the time to solidly establish anything. Character development and logical, organic plot progression are sacrificed for pure pacing, and while it means there's no time to get bored, there's also no time to become significantly engaged by the film. The only character we are really able to get to know is Lyra, the girl at the centre of the story (played convincingly by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards, who avoids falling into the traps that hamper many a child actor). All the others, except perhaps Nicole Kidman's sinister Mrs. Coulter (a good bit of casting there), are reduced to mere cameos, with Eva Green and Sam Elliot the most shortchanged. Daniel Craig is excellent as Lord Asriel, Lyra's adventuring uncle, and it's a shame that he leaves the story for so long. Indeed, there's a nagging feeling that a film with Asriel at the centre would have been much more compelling. Making matters worse is the fact that just as it seems we'll meet him again, the film ends with a frustrating lack of closure - the end of the book was apparently filmed but lopped off after some negative test screenings. Won't studios ever learn that test screenings are so often counterproductive?
What we're left with is, at times, a magnificent looking film. The beautiful Oxford University locations are well utilised at the opening of the story and the depiction of an otherworldly, sort-of-familiar-but-not-quite London borders on breathtaking. When the action moves to the frosty north, the snowy surrounds get a little less interesting, but the Norwegian town where Iorek the Ice Bear is introduced is well realised, with a rustic, earthy feel. Iorek, who has been so central in the marketing campaign, is an excellent CGI creation, but a problem arises when he speaks. Ian McKellen's voice is so recognisable now that it is simply distracting (similar to Liam Neeson voicing Aslan in Narnia); originally a younger unknown actor was cast but the studio then decided they wanted a "name" in the role. The whole film really has a whiff of studio interference, although it's unclear whether the abbreviated length was studio-imposed or just the inexperience of the man at the helm.
Writer-director Chris Weitz - half of the brotherly pairing behind, of all things, American Pie - displays some aptitude for creating a believable fantasy world, but much of the credit for that must go to the production designers and CG artists. His script is merely an exercise in traversing from scene to scene, with all the dialogue lumpy exposition to set up what's coming next. Philip Pullman's intricate and original source material means that there is a lot to explain, and there's little creativity in the way that it is delivered: basically, Lyra just asks "why", "what" and "where" a lot. Weitz could have taken a few pointers from Peter Jackson and his collaborators on how to deliver exposition without it feeling like it's being shovelled at you. The film does deserve credit, though, for not being another Lord of the Rings knock-off (it's ironic that this is New Line's first attempt at a fantasy franchise since the groundbreaking trilogy). Its freshness, so lacking in fantasy outings like last December's Eragon, is a major selling point and one of the film's great advantages.
Eragon is, in fact, a good comparison. It shares a lot of The Golden Compass's weaknesses, primarily brevity and lack of character, but was not backed up by such a gargantuan budget. The director has admitted that the official $180 million budget ballooned to nearer $250 million due to the complicated effects work, and although the end result doesn't justify the cost (particularly considering it's hardly a 3-hour epic), the effects are, for the most part, exemplary, and there sure are a lot of them. One of the parameters of Pullman's fantasy world is that everybody has a daemon accompanying them, which is their soul embodied in the form of an animal. Why the more mundane animals (many daemons are dogs) had to be computer-generated is a mystery but due to their ever-present nature they appear in virtually every shot that isn't a tight close-up.
If this mostly sounds very negative, that's because there is a lot to criticise. Importantly, though, the story remains consistently intriguing for the duration, making that abrupt ending all the more jarring. There's not even any guarantee of a sequel yet, so the open-endedness of this instalment may in the future look even more foolhardy. A further plus is the much-publicised bear fight, which ends in an unpredictably brilliant, PG-pushing way. It should have been the last set-piece, because the sloppily filmed skirmish that follows is lacklustre. The overwhelming feeling that The Golden Compass concludes on is frustration - not just at the ending, but because what has occasional signs of excellence is reduced to a merely interesting diversion that needs a greater injection of personality.
The summary
The Golden Compass mostly gets by due to its innovative literary roots and some great CGI work. It could do with an extra half an hour and less blatantly expository dialogue.
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