The Golden Compass

[Anakin Flair 0]

Just saw the movie this weekend, and thought it was an excellent, if a bit rushed, movie. I'm probably in the minority, but i loved how it ended (provided either the next one is made, or they include the original ending they shot on the DVD).

 

Anybody else here check this out yet? Or has the Catholic Church convinced you that it's evil?

[Nightwing 0]

It's not the Catholic Church who declared it evil. I believe they called it a well-written story. Just a few small sects have said something.

[Gary Floyd 0]

It's the Catholic League who hates it.

 

[SamoaRowe 0]

Yes, it's the Catholic League and they have no official connection to the Catholic Church.

[Guest My Pal, the Tortoise]

The Catholic League always beats the Public League in high school sports. Don't you hate that?

 

So what's the objection to this film?

[Nighthawk 0]

It's based on a book series which the author openly declares has an atheist message. Sort of an anti-Narnia. For once, they have a legitimate gripe. Of course, that made me want to see it even more. Which I did.

 

And I liked it. The anti religion themes were supposed to have been watered down in order to get kids to want to read the books and really get the message, but I still picked up a lot of it (perhaps because I'm a religious hobbyist).

 

Cool otherwise, too, good fantasy stuff, nice action, good design. Polar bears fight, and pull off some karate kid shit. There's a whiskey swilling polar bear.

 

Good to see fantasy making a comeback, there were lots of trailers for the genre as well.

[SamoaRowe 0]

They do not have a letigitimate gripe. There's no Hollywood rule against making a film with an atheist message. They don't have to like it, but protesting a film because of it's message in a country where we all have freedom of speech is just really funny to me. No little Catholic children will be held at gunpoint and forced to watch it, so all they are doing now is giving the film some free publicity.

[Nighthawk 0]

Nah, man, yes they do. I'm not talking about Hollywood, I'm talking about people.

 

As much shit as they bitched about Harry Potter, which was just a story, and all the breath they wasted on that, and now along comes another which outright tries to tell children that there is no god and never has been, that is just outright funny. So compared to the "Harry Potter contained numerology!" viewpoint, a movie which blatantly says "We want to teach your kids to defy the concept of a god." can be protested against.

 

I'm still one generation removed from people who are very religious, so that's part of why this is so funny to me. I brought it up to my old man, and he said "I hope they burn in Hell.", and I said "Wait a minute..." and he said "No, I don't really. I just really don't like it. I'm just talking shit."

 

But in any case, I liked the movie apart from any of that. It was good. Drunk bear!

[The Robfather 0]

It made $26 million opening weekend (Narnia got about 66 mil as a comparison). Not too good considering it was the only major release.

 

I found the film rather flat, the pacing was slow, and the acting was stiff (considering the talent involved, that was unforgivable).

 

The Magisterium types were laughably over the top, but at the same time, I'm at a loss to understand what is so bad about their teachings. Don't talk about the dust? That is the big law of the oppressive theocracy? It just doesn't seem like anything worth getting worked up about. Yeah yeah, they want to stop Lyra and her friends, get that last golden compass, and something to do with parallel words. Oh yeah, they kidnap children!

 

No motivation is given to why the witches are injecting themselves in the conflict to help free kidnapped kids. Nothing really about who they are, why they're in the story. Just a lame-o deus ex machina to help the climax of the film move along.

 

This is on the lower end of the epic genre, imo. Too bad, I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised when I saw it... but it sucked.

[Nighthawk 0]

Fuck that. That polar bear punched that other polar bear's jaw off! Isn't that enough?

 

Actually, when the bear was drunk, it reminded me of Wilfred Brimley in The Thing, when he got liquored up and was like "IT WANTED TO BE US!"

 

I might be too apologetic about this movie because of my anti religious beliefs, but I don't think so. It was pretty good.

[Dandy 0]

I am all for free speech, but I think it should have been clear what parents were taking their children to see. It would be the same as if in the middle of Shrek, they showed full on penetration. This film was marketed in a way that would make children want to see it. Parents might not want to take their children to a movie with that message, so I totally understand the complaints.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

The ending to this movie was atrocious. There was no real climax at all, it just ended and left the audience (at least in my theatre) with the feeling of 'That's it?'. What makes it even worse is that they filmed the proper ending and just didn't show it.

 

Even before that it was merely okay, the acting was good, but there was no depth to the characters at all and the whole thing appeared to be going through the motions. I'm not normally one to complain about innaccuracies with regards to the source material, but everything here was just so shallow and poorly paced. The one big complaint I have with regards to accuracy (other than the complete removal of Act 3) is the treatment of Iorek. The film makes him out to be a chump who got exiled because he lost a fight, as opposed to being exiled for being forced to kill another bear. It just made him look like a loser and was hard to get behind because of that.

 

Most disappointing movie of the year and not near the quality of the books.

 

As for the religious aspect of it, even though I am a Christian, Pullman is absolutely entitled to his views, however wrong I think he might be. These are fictional books regardless. One is not a very good Christian if a fantasy novel can get them to doubt their own faith. I view it as a story and nothing more. All that matters is my entertainment and I quite enjoy it (the book at least). Besides the Anglican Church fully supports it anyways. The Archbishop of Canterbury recommends them as a warning against the dangers of dogmatism, and I see no reason to disagree with him.

[Nighthawk 0]

The ending to this movie was atrocious. There was no real climax at all, it just ended and left the audience (at least in my theatre) with the feeling of 'That's it?'.

 

Fucking series. By the rest of your post, though, you probably knew that.

 

I went to see this with a couple hardcore atheist friends, who had no knowledge of the books, and they were all "C'mon? What happens now!" So yeah, I can agree with that.

 

PS [totally unrelated]; if any church supports this, that church is a fucking bitch. Take a stand, pussy,

[Nightwing 0]

PS [totally unrelated]; if any church supports this, that church is a fucking bitch. Take a stand, pussy,

 

Why? If it's a well-written, fictional story, why not say it's fine? If anything, supporting it is only a show of strength. How strong is your faith if you've never truly tested it? Of course, I speak as a lapsed Catholic, but still.

 

And why are all the atheists treating this like high-quality porn? Is it just because it's anti-religion, or do guys really take into account the story?

[Nighthawk 0]

Yeah, I'll agree. Look at what I said about my father saying he wished they'd burn in hell. My stepmother is a schoolteacher [K through 5th music teacher], and she brought this movie up in class, and the kids were right there with her with the "tool of the devil" bullshit.

God, it sickens me, the way Xtian kids were raised...

 

I am extremely anti Xtian. So take that into account when you relate to me.

 

So nah, it's not porn, we'll just take whatever we can get.

[Vyce 0]

As for the religious aspect of it, even though I am a Christian, Pullman is absolutely entitled to his views, however wrong I think he might be. These are fictional books regardless. One is not a very good Christian if a fantasy novel can get them to doubt their own faith.

 

That's not so much really the point as it is that some parents feel that the film (and the books) are an end-run by atheists trying to indoctrinate their children with a message they don't want them to receive. And judging by Pullman's remarks in the past, indoctrination really DOES seem like what he's going for. Which is his right, but I agree that people do have a legit complaint with regards to this movie and its message. The sensible thing to do, of course, if one does object to the film and its / Pullman's message, is to just don't go see it, or let your kids see it. They have that choice, and that's the best avenue of protest altogether.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I am extremely anti Xtian. So take that into account when you relate to me.

I swear to Christ I'd kill for one, but they're like $10,000. Someday...

 

Yeah, I get it's a figure of speech, but it amused me.

[Guest My Pal, the Tortoise]

That's not so much really the point as it is that some parents feel that the film (and the books) are an end-run by atheists trying to indoctrinate their children with a message they don't want them to receive.

Well, no wonder the Catholics are mad. Indoctrinating children is their thing. Well, that and the diddling.

[Gary Floyd 0]

I remember when I was a kid, my mom smoked a lot. Still does. Anyways, I remember talking to a priest about it (I was raised Catholic-I'm more of a non-religious believer now), and he told me about how he used to smoke pot.

 

He was a pretty cool guy.

 

 

As for the movie, well, it's not the worst of the year (That would be "Southland Tales"), it still didn't do it for me. It felt like they left alot of what was in the book out of the movie, and other than Lyra or the Polar Bears, I didn't really care about anything that happened on screen. At least I have "Juno" to look forward to.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

As for the religious aspect of it, even though I am a Christian, Pullman is absolutely entitled to his views, however wrong I think he might be. These are fictional books regardless. One is not a very good Christian if a fantasy novel can get them to doubt their own faith.

 

That's not so much really the point as it is that some parents feel that the film (and the books) are an end-run by atheists trying to indoctrinate their children with a message they don't want them to receive. And judging by Pullman's remarks in the past, indoctrination really DOES seem like what he's going for. Which is his right, but I agree that people do have a legit complaint with regards to this movie and its message. The sensible thing to do, of course, if one does object to the film and its / Pullman's message, is to just don't go see it, or let your kids see it. They have that choice, and that's the best avenue of protest altogether.

 

Granted, but I still think that if ones faith is tested by a fictional piece of work that you weren't a very good Christian in the first place. Otherwise you could just watch Star Wars and convert to Jedism or whatever. If they don't want to see it, then that is their right. I'm just saying that Pullman is entitled to his view no matter how much I disagree with him.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

The Catholic League always beats the Public League in high school sports. Don't you hate that?

 

So what's the objection to this film?

 

Bastards recruit.

 

As far as the film goes, they kill God in the books.