THE GOLDEN COMPASS
RYAN: I’m delighted to say that we’ve finally seen one of my most anticipated films of the year, “The Golden Compass,” which is based on one of my favorite books. And LBH, let’s be honest, I’ve seen this movie 3 times already.
CAROLINE: I’m so glad you made me read these books, even though I only made it part-way through the second one, because if I hadn’t read them, I probably would have hated this movie.
RYAN: You may have even been a little confused. The movie takes place in a parallel universe and it moves pretty quickly, and I don’t know that they do that great a job of explaining it all.
CAROLINE: Fantasy, as you know, is not my genre of choice, but since I was familiar with the characters and the story from the books, I was able to enjoy this film more than I may have otherwise.
RYAN: I think it’s the best cast film of the year. Every actor so perfectly portrayed every character – exactly as I imagined them to be. In fact, everything was just how I pictured it with the exception of the movie ending only 3/4 of the way through the book. That made me furious. As much as I love this film is as much as I hate how it ends. It’s as if “The Wizard of Oz” ended right after the witch melts and you’re left to wonder whether Dorothy ever gets back home.
CAROLINE: I can’t say it bothered me that much. I’m sure they’ll pick it up in the sequel.
RYAN: If there is one. It’s not definite. But I loved Nicole Kidman in this movie. She’s so cold that a mere look from her could send chills through you.
CAROLINE: Shockingly, she was even able to raise her eyebrows a little bit.
RYAN: Yes, I think her new regimen must be to pause the Botox before filming a movie so that she can actually wrinkle her forehead a little.
CAROLINE: I was horrified by her tragic Lee Press On Nails in one scene toward the end. Please look for them.
RYAN: I was a little saddened that Dan Craig and Nicky Kidman didn’t share any scenes. This was the second film they appeared in together this year, and I was looking forward to seeing them together. And the scene would have been there if they hadn’t chopped off the end of the book.
CAROLINE: Daniel Craig looks very hot as usual in this movie, especially after he shaves his beard off. He doesn’t have a huge part though, so 007 fans be warned. What did you think of lead actress Dakota Blue Richards?
RYAN: What a shame that she’s a young actress new to Hollywood with the name Dakota. I thought she was wonderful and showed much more range in this film than any of the three child actors did in the first Harry Potter movie.
CAROLINE: This is so not a children’s film by the by. I would not recommend it for kids under the age of 10. I even jumped in my seat a couple of times. It’s got some pretty heavy themes too.
RYAN: I think kids will love it. Other than the ending, it’s pretty true to the book which has short chapters, so the movie feels a little choppy at times.
CAROLINE: The action scenes and C.G.I. are incredible though, especially the polar bears. They were so real looking. It’s a real technical achievement.
RYAN: The music and scenery are fabulous too. Bottom line?
CAROLINE: I certainly wouldn’t recommend this movie to adults unless they were accompanied by a child. If you have to bring your kid to it, it’s a good, thought provoking film and it’s entertaining, but I would never tell my friends that they have to run out and see it.
RYAN: If you like fantasy or science fiction though, you must check it out. Like the Harry Potter movies, it does have some crossover appeal for adults. I loved it and am already praying for the sequel!