Golden Compass Sneak Peak

[GoodKingJayIII]

The movie was ok. The story was very rushed, and if I'd not read the book, I would've had a lot of questions. They didn't take enough time to establish the motivations for the various characters, and where Pullman's plots and characters are not 100% straightforward, I felt the movie sort of... ironed things over to make them more smooth and clear cut. Not a change I liked.

Once Iorek showed up, things got interesting. The CG is some of the best I've seen, and where the daemons could've looked pretty silly, they were quite natural and awesome.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

The only problems I had with the movie were the problems I have with almost every movie using certain of its tropes. Why is it that these child protagonists whose parents/guardians knew from the beginning were in great danger have never been taught to be suspicious? Never taught to be wary and how to use a weapon, even though it's been known their entire life they were in grave danger?

I don't know how the movie handled it, but in the book Lyra's mother had no idea that the girl was in any way special, other than when she found Lyra possessed the alethiometer.

I have not read the final book yet, which may answer a bit more, but my feeling is that her father suspected she might have a role to play but was not certain. He was afraid, if he was correct, of calling any undue attention to her, so he stayed away and let her be raised in ignorance by the Scholars at the college.

Also, as I recall, part of her destiny was that she could not know anything about the role she had to play. She had to make her decisions based upon her own nature, without the influence of others coloring those decisions if she were to succeed.

 

[Jubilee]

In the book, there were prophecies surrounding Lyra, but part of the prophecy was that if she knew anything about it or was in anyway prepared to face it, she would not be the child of the prophecy anymore. In the first book, there are a number of hints about it that Lyra overhears but never really understands, and I think it's all explained to a secondary character in the third book, or perhaps explained to Lyra. So at least in the book, there's "good" reasons Lyra is not fully prepared for what people know she'll face (and the head of Jordon school at least expresses alot of doubt and regret about it).

/ali

 

[Zaukrie]

I haven't seen the movie, but I recently read the books. My 11 year old son said the book isn't about destroying God, but about destroying destiny and lack of free will. I think it was clearly about rebelling against God, but at least one believer was not swayed. I hope this didn't go against what our moderator requested above, I don't think it did.

I'd recommend the books. The characters are well done, and the story is original. The last 100 pages dragged a little for my taste. Overall, they books are well written, the dialogue is pretty good, the pace is good (until the end), and the story is good. I can certainly see how many Christians would be offended by this books, however. I, otoh, appreciate questioning our world, which this book does.

 

[Thanee]

The only problems I had with the movie were the problems I have with almost every movie using certain of its tropes. Why is it that these child protagonists whose parents/guardians knew from the beginning were in great danger have never been taught to be suspicious? Never taught to be wary and how to use a weapon, even though it's been known their entire life they were in grave danger?

Because they would be no innocent children then.

Bye
Thanee

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

I have not read the final book yet, which may answer a bit more, but my feeling is that her father suspected she might have a role to play but was not certain. He was afraid, if he was correct, of calling any undue attention to her, so he stayed away and let her be raised in ignorance by the Scholars at the college.

Yeah I pretty much got that from the book. My problem is not with the Golden Compass but with the trope itself. That somehow children have to be "innocent" and trusting and never taught to defend themselves when those are the most important things to teach a child.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Yeah I pretty much got that from the book. My problem is not with the Golden Compass but with the trope itself. That somehow children have to be "innocent" and trusting and never taught to defend themselves when those are the most important things to teach a child.

Well, in most circumstances, and I think I might feel this way myself if I were in a similar situation (hard to say without it happening), parents feel it is better to take the fear and anxiety upon themselves and try to be there to defend the child rather than burden them with something they may not be able to cope with.

 

[frankthedm]

Well, it is out at wide release.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Yeah I pretty much got that from the book. My problem is not with the Golden Compass but with the trope itself. That somehow children have to be "innocent" and trusting and never taught to defend themselves when those are the most important things to teach a child.

Well, there are the exceptions - Terminator 2 being the most popular one. But I agree that a child of importance should more commonly be made capable of handling the pressure that may be brought to bear on them...

Tangent! : I had a PC in a low power supers game based somewhat on this idea once. She was the daughter of a major underworld figure who wanted to keep her safe without trusting a bodyguard who could be bought off or giving her the self confidence and independence that might come from giving her the power to defend herself - so he used a psychic to imprint a split personality on her in the form of a professional body guard's psyche (and got her plenty of dance and acrobatics training to keep her body strong enough to be used by the bodyguard personality when it took over.) She was terribly embarrassed by her habit of passing out in stressful situations and wondered why she never saw the thugs her daddy must have shadowing her... She also didn't know that her favorite belt had hidden throwing knives and that her handbag was weighted to be used as a flail.

 

[RigaMortus2]

This movie was not good at all. I applaud the originality of the setting/world/people, but the acting and plot was weak. Half way through the movie I was wondering when it would end. I'd say it is only one notch above D&D: The Movie.