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Alright, so I could have put together the first half of The Golden Compass better than the directors/producers did. The atmosphere was all wrong - they're not playing in golden fields, they're playing in the industrial filth of steampunk London, and they do not see themselves as children playing anyway - and the exposition was rushed and clumsy. I am sick of movies being accessible. If children in the audience are mature enough to see a talking, thinking character get his jaw ripped off his face, they are mature enough to think while engaging with the narration. Anyway, I don't think the movie succeeded - my roommate read the book three days ago for the first time, and she reported, as was my feeling, that someone who didn't know what was happening would have been confused.
It should have been about two hours longer.
They are going to fix Roger, and the daemonless children, and that PISSES ME OFF. It's not reparable. It's a movie about the destruction of innocents in the name of preserving innocence, dance with those who brought you or go home.
There were many good bits - Serafina Pekkala was fierce and beautiful, and the girl who plays Lyra is not bad and does an excellent determined face. My absolute favorite part was the friendship between Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison. It was the only thing that didn't get explained but just was, and it worked beautifully.
I cannot wait to vid all of this.
Also, the clothes were way too revealing. There is nothing wrong with cinematic Victoriana! I will call Miss Coulter Senorita Sparkletits from this point forward. That is all.
It has been pointed out that I need to explicitly state here that I didn't hate the movie. I rather liked it! Yes, this is a twist ending on that, isn't it?
It should have been about two hours longer.
They are going to fix Roger, and the daemonless children, and that PISSES ME OFF. It's not reparable. It's a movie about the destruction of innocents in the name of preserving innocence, dance with those who brought you or go home.
There were many good bits - Serafina Pekkala was fierce and beautiful, and the girl who plays Lyra is not bad and does an excellent determined face. My absolute favorite part was the friendship between Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison. It was the only thing that didn't get explained but just was, and it worked beautifully.
I cannot wait to vid all of this.
Also, the clothes were way too revealing. There is nothing wrong with cinematic Victoriana! I will call Miss Coulter Senorita Sparkletits from this point forward. That is all.
It has been pointed out that I need to explicitly state here that I didn't hate the movie. I rather liked it! Yes, this is a twist ending on that, isn't it?
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Oxford worked perfectly for me: I have been *once*, for a day...but have been obsessed with it since I was a Tolkein booknerd as a child. I think it worked well as both symbol of free thinking academics, plus that version of pastoral English countryside that always seems to stand in for innocence. (cf. The Shire.) (Um. Also it makes my inner architecture geek happy. A lot.)
I am also very afraid of what else they will do to "fix" things. I still need to read the next two books, so I shall refrain from getting terribly worked up about it until then.
Also, Alternate London in DW put me in mind of The Difference Engine and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, although I hadn't read any Pullman at that point. But it's definitely an "everyone's playing in the same sandbox" moment.