The clergy, theologians, and the average layperson have long pondered the notion of the human soul. Most believe it's an immaterial entity that can exist apart from the physical body and thus is related in one form or another to religion, while others believe it's simply one's consciousness, something along the lines of "I think, therefore I am."
In Philip Pullman's trilogy, "His Dark Materials," the soul is a non-human, supernatural being that tags alongside people as they go about their lives. Such entities, known as daemons, reflect the nature and mindset of their owners and become set once a person becomes an adult. Yet, in childhood, they're shape-shifting creatures that can morph at the drop of a hat or, more accurately, the change of a kid's emotion and/or imagination. It isn't exactly a case of "me and my shadow," but in this fantastic world, the animal-based souls accompany their human masters and offer advice, warnings and such.
Accordingly, one can see how such a notion might not sit well with more traditionally minded, religious folk. Then again, "The Golden Compass," the first installment of the promised movie series based on Pullman's works arrives preloaded with controversy. But that stems -- depending on whom one's listening to -- from the source material, the author's beliefs, and/or those who've decided to protest the film's release even before seeing or knowing what's in it..
I haven't read the novels and thus can't comment on them beyond what I've learned from others, but for those concerned about the movie as its own entity, it's fairly benign in terms of its alleged anti-religious stance and/or underpinnings. Save for the soul angle and the bad authoritarian ruling body being called the Magisterium, one would have to do a lot of suppositional projection to find anything worth raising the ol' hackles.
For better or worse, those external soul bits are the most interesting thing about this film that comes off as a somewhat hurried-feeling introductory piece to a greater whole than a pic that can stand on its own. I'm not a huge fan of extended running times for any sort of movie, but the less than two-hour runtime here seems to hamper writer/director Christ Weitz (making quite a jump from "About a Boy" to the scope here) from getting this one completely off the ground.
As a result, it's less satisfying than the first installments of "Harry Potter" or "The Chronicles of Narnia." In addition, and when boiled down to its core, the actual story is pretty simple (girl sets off to rescue a kidnapped friend) despite the preponderance of characters (many of which are just introduced here, presumably to have greater parts somewhere down the line in future installments), plotlines, and the various details of this specific world (which presumably were given more time and explanation in written form than afforded onscreen).
Much like many a recent fantasy flick, this one is about a kid, Lyra Belacqua, who discovers that something's rotten in her world (that being the Magisterium) and sets out to make things right, all while accompanied by an eclectic collection of other humans, supernatural beings, and fantastical creatures.
All of which means kids will likely eat it up (just as they did with "Potter," "Narnia," "Lord of the Rings, "Star Wars," et al.), and they're good and/or engaging elements to be found. In a young star making turn, Dakota Blue Richards is terrific as the young protagonist, and the fact that she's a girl, for a change, makes the character all the more interesting.
Daniel Craig is as visually magnetic as ever, but isn't around enough to make us care about his character. Nicole Kidman, on the other hand, gets more screen time and is appropriately icy cold as the story's suggested villain. But as is nearly always the case, Sam Elliot is the most fun playing, well, himself really, this time in the form of an aeronaut while joins forces with the young heroine in his futuristic yet antiquated dirigible (the film's production design is a mix of styles, but Jules Verne is likely to come to mind regarding the craft and city stylings).
For the most part, the special effects are good (although some aren't quite as photorealistic as others), particularly in regard to the armored bear known as lorek Byrnison. Once he's introduced (as a fallen bear king now resigned to serving as a town's blacksmith of sorts who's paid in whiskey), the film becomes interesting once again, no doubt helped by Ian McKellen providing the vocal work for the proud but irritated critter who becomes an integral part of the girl's journey.
Certainly never boring (if anything, due to trying to keep all of the characters and details straight for those unfamiliar with the source material), the film nevertheless feels too much like an introduction (and occasionally a discombobulated and less than emotionally engaging one at that) rather than a standalone piece of entertainment (the same flaw that bedeviled the first "LOTR" film, at least in my opinion).
"The Golden Compass" is sure to get plenty of coverage, but that will likely (and unfortunately) be from its accompanying controversy rather than due to it being a stellar piece of filmed entertainment. It rates as a 5 out of 10.
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