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Golden Compass
9/12/07 15:12I almost didn't see it - but I ended up going. I suspect that for those who've read the book, it works very well as an illustrated version of the book (see also: the Harry Potter movies), and for those who haven't read the book it depends on how awesome you think armored polar bears in single combat are. (Correct answer: VERY awesome).
Now, it's been about six years since I read the book, so the people who are offended at how much it deviated from the book may be perfectly correct. But nothing seemed too glaring to me except that the pacing was a little rushed-- and I wasn't 100% crazy about the mystical-dust-stuff going on with the alethiometer. I had it in my head as somehow more mundane.
It's not atheist propaganda. It's really not. I easily get annoyed by really militant atheists - the ones who think it's okay to call other people weak and stupid as long as you're right - and I didn't get that sense from the movie at all (or from the book either, for that matter). I mean, we can all agree that if there was a church exactly like the Magisterium of the movie, that church would be a bad thing; and if you think that the Catholic church is nothing like the Magisterium, all right, move along, it's an alternate universe after all.
What I'm really looking forward to now is the Inkheart movie. I like Brendan Fraser even though he was in a bunch of really bad movies, but he is perfectly cast as Mo. And Mo is a fabulous character. Not that I loved Inkheart so so much, but that could be the fault of the translation.
Now, it's been about six years since I read the book, so the people who are offended at how much it deviated from the book may be perfectly correct. But nothing seemed too glaring to me except that the pacing was a little rushed-- and I wasn't 100% crazy about the mystical-dust-stuff going on with the alethiometer. I had it in my head as somehow more mundane.
It's not atheist propaganda. It's really not. I easily get annoyed by really militant atheists - the ones who think it's okay to call other people weak and stupid as long as you're right - and I didn't get that sense from the movie at all (or from the book either, for that matter). I mean, we can all agree that if there was a church exactly like the Magisterium of the movie, that church would be a bad thing; and if you think that the Catholic church is nothing like the Magisterium, all right, move along, it's an alternate universe after all.
What I'm really looking forward to now is the Inkheart movie. I like Brendan Fraser even though he was in a bunch of really bad movies, but he is perfectly cast as Mo. And Mo is a fabulous character. Not that I loved Inkheart so so much, but that could be the fault of the translation.