DVD review (region 1 & 2)
Directed by Chris Weitz
Starring Dakota Blue Richards, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Ben Walker
Release date Out now

In a parallel universe, young Lyra (Richards) is caught up in an adventure involving child kidnapping, armoured polar bears and a magical particle known as Dust…

The Golden Compass – or Northern Lights as it is known outside of the States – was never going to be an easy novel to bring to the screen. Although the first part of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy flew off the shelves in the thousands, the complex story and swipes against organised religion made it a tricky prospect for a mega-budget fantasy.

Inevitably, Chris Weitz’s movie jettisons much of the subtext, but this isn’t quite the sanitised blockbuster many fans had feared. Thanks to its mixture of real locations and terrific special effects, the film convincingly depicts a world in which the everyday and fantastical co-exist, and it effectively brings to life the concept of ‘daemons’ – talking animals that are inextricably linked to their human counterparts.

Crucial to the movie’s success was always going to be the casting of Lyra, and in this the film scores its biggest triumph. Dakota Blue Richards really captures the spirit of the rebellious but warm-hearted young protagonist, the kind of believably flawed heroine of the best children’s stories. Elsewhere, Nicole Kidman is perfect as the beguiling but scheming Mrs. Coulter and Daniel Craig makes for a suitably indomitable Lord Asriel, while the daemons are graced with the familiar tones of Ian McShane, Kristin Scott Thomas and Sir Ian McKellen amongst others.

Listening to the director’s commentary, there’s little doubting Chris Weitz’s passion for the material as he talks eloquently about the appeal of the novel and sheds light on why he made the changes he did (including, controversially, leaving out the final three chapters). However, the man previously best known for helming American Pie and About a Boy doesn’t really seem to have a natural feel for fantasy filmmaking, and the movie often shapes Pullman’s surprising ideas into an all-too-predictable narrative.

Fans of the film should plump for the two-disc 'Platinum' edition, which contains a series of featurettes charting every stage of the The Golden Compass’s evolution, from the origins of Pullman’s story through to the film’s eventual premiere. On a few occasions Weitz makes reference to the sequels to follow, but with the film’s underwhelming performance at the box office, it seems questionable whether they'll ever get made. Matt McAllister

VERDICT: 6/10
A watered-down version of Pullman’s novel that’s worth catching for its first rate performances and effects.

Click here to read an interview with Chris Weitz.

Click here to buy The Golden Compass at Forbidden Planet (forbiddenplanet.com)