The Golden Compass

It was amazing our group of 6 were almost the only ones in the theater this past Saturday to view the opening of The Golden Compass with all the hype it's received. Maybe it was the mixed reviews. I had just read the book so it was fresh in my mind. Although the movie did not hold totally true to the book particularly at the end, the casting was superb, Dakota Blue who was a perfect fit for the wild, risk taking Lyra Belacqua and Nicole Kidman as the "Ice Queen" Mrs. Coulter. The opening scenes were reminiscent of Oliver Twist with kids running amok through some London streets. The juxtaposition of the animals with the people were seamless which added to the believability of this extraordinary fantasy. On the surface it's pure fun and beneath it all is the pull between the church and it's hold on society and it's desire to control our sexuality and as the book portends that "dust" which the church and the evil guys see as "evil" is probably really a good thing. The whole premise is that if we separate ourselves from our souls before they mature into adulthood, we can keep our sexuality at bay. This doesn't totally come out in the movie but likely will in the next. I'm anxious to get ahold of The Subtle Knife, the next book in the series to see where author, Phillip Pullman goes. It should be a wild ride. I'd love to hear some other takes on this movie, from others who have read the book and seen the flick. The Golden Compass in my mind was a great getaway from our everyday life.