Rotten
The Catholic League thinks it's anti-Catholic. Admirers of Philip Pullman's 1995 His Dark Materials trilogy think the film guts the backbone of the book. Me, I just think it blows.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
The Golden Compass
There are worlds beyond our own. The compass will show the way.
2007 · 1h 53m · PG-13
Adventure, Fantasy
Directed by
Chris Weitz
Overview
After overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua trades her carefree existence roaming the halls of Jordan College for an otherworldly adventure in the far North, unaware that it's part of her destiny.
Director and cast
- Chris Weitz Director
- Nicole Kidman as Marisa Coutter
- Daniel Craig as Lord Asriel
- Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra Belacqua
- Ben Walker as Roger Parslow
- Freddie Highmore as Pantalaimon (voice)
- Ian McKellen as Iorek Byrnison (voice)
- Eva Green as Serafina Pekkala
- Jim Carter as John Faa
- Tom Courtenay Cast
- Ian McShane Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
42%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Some of the material is wildly imaginative, some of it is just kinda silly. But it all looks good, and the kids are likable, [and] Kidman makes for an intriguing villain.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Rotten
The Golden Compass is a blatant attempt to duplicate the success of the Harry Potter franchise. The only thing missing is richly imagined characters, a comprehensible story line, good acting, and satisfying special effects.
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
Rotten
With its rushed, jargon-pumped exposition, surplus of quarter-baked characters, stray narrative strands and generously dropped hints of things possibly to come, The Golden Compass is a movie that wears its franchise ambitions on its sleeve.
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Rotten
Weitz's movie remains ultimately remote. It ends mid-adventure, so blatantly setting the stage for a sequel that the whole thing suddenly feels like a preamble.
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
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