 
The Golden Compass
a.k.a. “His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass,” “His Dark Materials: Northern Lights,” “Der Goldene Kompass,” “À la croisée des mondes - La boussole d'or,” “Altin pusula,” “La Bussola d'oro,” “Kultainen kompassi” MPAA Rating:
 for sequences of fantasy violenceReviewed by: Sheri McMurray Extremely Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Very Good
Primary Audience:
Kids, Family
Genre:
Fantasy, Action, Kids, Romance, Adventure, Drama, Adaptation
Length:
1 hr. 53 min.
Year of Release:
2007
USA Release:
December 7, 2007 (wide); DVD: April 29, 2008
     Relevant Issues
Daemons
THE OCCULT - What does the Bible say about it? Answer What is the Occult? Answer Is Satan a real person that influences our world today? Is he affecting you? Answer Atheism
How can we know there’s a God? Answer What if the cosmos is all that there is? Answer If God made everything, who made God? Answer What does God say? Answer Secular Humanism
Secular Humanism - What Is It? For kids
     
“It is the Alethiometer. It tells the truth. As for how to read it, you’ll have to learn by yourself.” “The Golden Compass” is being marketed to children. Your child watches the movie, wants the books, reads the books and gets a whole new perspective of God, which could doom him eternally. Don’t be deceived. The movie is bait for the books. And that makes me more concerned than Phillip Pullman going on record as an atheist. What he says will fade away, but what he has written will remain for unsuspecting minds to read for generations to come. Our work as Christian parents is cut out for us. Christian parents are no stranger to The Fight, and, although it seems a shame, we must take to the task once again, we have The Word as our two-edged sword. “God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in times of trouble.” —Psalm 46:1 Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, notes in an article titled “The Golden Compass—A Briefing for Concerned Christians,” that:
Like most of you who are concerned with what The Golden Compass in book form says to our children, I have been reading with great interest what most reviewers, commentators and religious leaders have been saying about Phillip Pullman and his active, fervent put-down of God. Pullman has not been shy about his active disdain for Christianity or his own comments about the stories of Tolkien and Lewis. Here are his own words:
And his scorn for Lewis’s fantasy world has been widely documented.
He has called the series “one of the most ugly and poisonous things” he’s ever read. Here is a point Mr. Pullman hasn’t noticed about himself, because he’s been so caught up in his atheistic rhetoric, and that is his stories follow closely the very lines he so venomously discounts. Pullman is following in the footsteps of Lewis and Tolkien. Like them, he has created alternate worlds of fantasy that vividly manifest his own particular world view and his perspective on spiritual matters. Tolkien and Lewis established the foundation of modern fantasy storytelling, adding to that a beautiful sense of Christian love and friendship. It brings a smile to me to note that Pullman continues the fantasy tradition he so urgently puts down—and most notably in The Golden Compass. His crafting of his stories, though, is where the similarity ends. On a more sinister note, Mr. Pullman even sees that he has the edge, because J.K. Rowling has taken most of the public bashing before him. To quote Phillip Pullman:
We should be praying for our children and for the effects Phillip Pullman’s books and now the movies will most assuredly have on a new generation coming up in the wake of the fuss over J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter series. I believe we should not fuel this author’s negative view of Christianity or of his blatant declaration of being an atheist. We dare not focus on him so much that we wind up making him stand out, while we at the same time risk the Christian community looking like the villainous Christians in his stories. The best way to expose Pullman’s lie is to respond like Christ himself: With grace and truth. Putting on the full armor spoken of in Scripture, and praying for our children, teachers and the movie industry and it’s power over the public is where we must begin if we are to make a difference. “The Golden Compass” focuses on a 12-year-old girl named Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards)and her daemon (pronounced “demon”)—her soul in the form of a talking animal—Pan (the voice of Freddie Highmore). Everyone in her world, in fact, has a daemon, which could range from a monkey to a lion. Lyra saves the life of her Uncle, the good Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig), from an evil man in power who has tried to poison him. After hearing her Uncle talk about something called the “Dust,” which is symbolic of original sin and knowledge, she is intrigued. Lyra still is wanting to know more about this captivating thing called Dust, but keeps her curiosity to herself, for the time being. Lyra and Pan are enticed to go and live with the beautiful and alluring Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman)for a while in the wonderful “North.” Before her departure to the North, Lyra is given an ancient device called an alethiometer. Lyra has no idea that the alethiometer is, in fact, the famed Golden Compass. She is told never to let anyone know she is in possession of it and that it measures “truth.” Once Lyra learns how to read it, she is able to see the past, present and future. The alethiometer becomes Lyra’s source of knowledge, and, as the film progresses, she leans on it more and more for guidance. Early in the movie, her friend Roger (Ben Walker) is kidnapped by the Gobblers, and she sets out to find and rescue him. Once Lyra realizes Mrs. Coulter is head of the Gobblers, she and Pan breaks free of her evil hold and, following their escape, meet many animals and peoples who help Lyra in finding not only her dear friend Roger, but to rescue all children being held captive by Mrs. Coulter and her band of Gobblers. Keeping them confined to an experimental station in the far North, the kidnapped children undergo a procedure called Intercision in which their daemons are cut away from them, leaving them without a soul and without a means for Dust to enter their lives as they mature. Lyra is aided on her quest by Gyptians, a group of sea fairing people who resemble gypsies, an overgrown, gruff-talking armored bear (the voice of Ian McKellen) named Iorek Byrnison, a clan of witches led by the mysterious and beautiful Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green), and a slow-talking Texan aeronaut named Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliott). “The Golden Compass” is a well-crafted film with top notch special effects and actors. It’s imagery is beautiful and exciting. It easily takes the viewer away into a fantasy world full of intrigue and wonder. Kids love this kind of stuff, and even most adults get a kick out of it, too. Don’t be seduced, however, by what’s on the surface. Underneath lurks many subversive, anti-religious messages which appear in euphemistic terms. “The Golden Compass” avoids using the word “church” and instead calls it the “Magisterium,” an openly Roman Catholic term. Additionally, in the second and third books “God” is regularly called the “Authority.” And, as you well may have read by now, even if you knew nothing of the Pullman books before now, God is “killed” in the end. Kids probably won’t pick up on any agenda at all. In fact, they may be so enthralled with the intrigue and adventure of the film that they think of it as nothing more than a great movie about another world of make-believe—assuming they are not scared by several intense scenes and some frightening characters. Whether we pick up on it or not, Pullman’s demented beliefs are reflected in this first installment of the trilogy for all of the world to see, and that is more than enough reason to stay away from it. In addition, what is being touted as a children’s movie is very dark and is rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence. Personally, I think “fantasy violence” is an understatement. There is a lot of fighting and death throughout the film, including a bear’s jaw being completely ripped off, not to mention Lyra’s attempt to kill her own mother. There is very little, if any, blood shown, however. There are a number of twisted biblical references and a play on biblical names. There is some immodesty and sensuality seen in the character of Mrs. Coulter, who is shown always wearing form-fitting 30’s inspired dresses. The consumption of alcohol is present in the movie, and there is a scene where 12-year-old Lyra takes a sip of wine and spits it back into her glass. There is what also sounded to me like one use of the s-word, but I was unable to tell for sure. Lyra’s character should also be of concern to parents. At times, Lyra appears to be a sweet heroine, whose boldness is commended. But she is also very conniving, manipulative and deceitful, and when she acts in these ways, she accomplishes her purpose. I know there are many times in film and fantasy where this type of behavior appears justified, but Lyra is never ultimately reprimanded for it, and is in fact applauded for it. Parents will not want their children mimicking our heroine. In the end, as we all very well know, the production must make money in order to warrant the production of the next two movies which cover the last remaining books in the series. Within the pages of these volumes is where the trouble really lies. The final books are the ones which cover Phillip Pullman’s horrific view of God, and Christianity as a whole. If you want to make an impact publicly, instead of verbally bashing Pullman, hit the industry where it hurts. Do not spend your money on tickets. Stay away from the movie, the books and the following films in this trilogy. The Christian community has shown in the past that we are a massive community that has the power to make an impact on sales. I refer here to Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of The Christ” and how we were able as a group to bring it to the forefront, not just publicly, but profit wise. Pray for Philip Pullman. Pray about the negative influence of his works. And pray for humility and wisdom in your own response. Pullman is a man who, somewhere along the way, has fallen into a perilous pit of treachery. In closing, I agree with what Jeffery Overstreet of Christianity Today suggests, and I wish to credit and quote him here. This is what Mr. Overstreet extols us as Christians to do:
Al Roker of NBC’s Today Show recently even made The Golden Compass part of his children’s book club. And, children are reading it: During an interview with Roker, Pullman took videotaped questions from children about the The Golden Compass. He also took questions on the show’s Web site, where one boy, an 8 year old in Virginia, said he was reading the book with his class. It is being sold nationwide in schools through Scholastic, which also is selling the other two books and claims the The Golden Compass is appropriate for grades four and up! Talk about a temptation. Soon this series will be too prevalent to ignore. We will need strength. Scripture tells us that God tempts no man. Temptation always comes from the devil. Let not you nor your children be tempted by the wiles of this author or the films his pen will spawn. How do we overcome it? A little child once told of her method. “When the devil comes knocking at my door,” she said, “I don’t answer it. I send Jesus to the door.” Tell your kids that’s the way to take care of it. They don’t have to read the books they shouldn’t, and they don’t have to view movies they shouldn’t, even when all their friends say how great they are. Send Jesus to the door! Lord Jesus, help us all to remember the power of Your Holy Name. Violence: Heavy / Profanity: Minor / Sex/Nudity: None See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers. Facts about the books, their author and the film’s director
 
Chris Weitz directing “The Golden Compass” “The Golden Compass” movie is an adaptation of part of an objectionable trilogy of novels (10 million copies sold). Titled His Dark Materials, the books were written to be an influential atheistic counterpart to “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “The Lord of the Rings.” They are aimed at children and were written by anti-God activist Phillip Pullman who was featured in the 2005 documentary series “Why Atheism?”. He is described as “one of England’s most outspoken atheists” by New Yorker journalist Laura Miller. Director and screenplay writer Chris Weitz (“American Pie” 1 & 2) says “that the film would make no direct mention of religion or God, two of the key themes of the books—a decision attacked by fans of the trilogy. According to Weitz, New Line Cinema feared that ‘perceived anti-religiosity’ would make the film ‘financially unviable’ in the USA. However, Weitz reassured fans by saying that religion would appear in euphemistic terms” (Source: Internet Movie Database).
Director Weitz also explained that although he made this first film more acceptable to religious people, he would certainly not water down the sequels. “…I saw it as my duty to build the franchise of His Dark Materials on as solid a grounding as I could… The whole point, to me, of ensuring that ‘The Golden Compass’ is a financial success is so that we have a solid foundation on which to deliver a faithful, more literal adaptation of the second and third books. This is important: whereas ‘The Golden Compass’ had to be introduced to the public carefully, the religious themes in the second and third books can’t be minimized …I will not be involved with any ‘watering down’ of books two and three…” (“‘Golden Compass’ Director Chris Weitz Answers Your Questions: Part I & II,” MTV Movies Blog, November 21, 2007). About Pullman and his books:
  Comments available:
Positive
Positive - …the film is essentially a serial adventure, in the spirit of the Flash Gordon shorts of yesteryear. This is good and bad—the film has plenty of excitement throughout, but it’s also kind of slapped together and doesn’t really take time to breathe, instead offering a rapid (sometimes too rapid) succession of adventure sequences. Positive - Faith: Agnostic / Although I may not be as devout of a Christian as many of the reviewers on this site, I feel that my opinion as somebody who viewed this movie not defensively or in opposition to the church may shed some light on how many people will view this film. I feel as though this movie was not so much anti-Christian as anti-authority. I might add that when I say anti-authority, I mean anti-extreme authority, as this movie did not criticize any type of establishment, only one that would attempt to have total control of the people. I don't think that anybody would argue that an organization that would attempt to control the thoughts of others is something that children should be taught to obey, as everybody should have the right to chose their own path through life. What disturbs me is not the movie, but the negative reaction it has received from many (I might add, not ALL) Christians. I could not help but see the irony in the message from these people who would attempt to silence this movie and prevent people from seeing it because they felt it offended their belief. The only way this film could have offended the belief of anyone would be if that person fit the description portrayed in the film, which described an organization that I for one, could never support. I feel as though if these people who felt offended by the film had expressed their distaste but had instead encouraged others to see it to provoke thoughtful discussion of belief and its role would have avoided conflict altogether by proving to the makers of the film that the church is NOT as it may have been portrayed in the film. Sadly, a select few, and often an influential few have chosen to criticize not only the movie, but the possibility of children reading the books, bringing to mind scary images of Dark-Aged book-burnings to the minds of those who believe that faith is a personal choice that should be offered to everyone. I would like to add that I applaud those who enjoyed the movie, proving, at least to me, that there are still people in this world who can have beliefs without imposing them on others. I would also like to add that I am not criticizing those who found the movie offensive, I am simply saying that the response of many people was a large letdown for someone who has often viewed the Christian church as a devout, but open and accepting place.… Positive - What I saw of this movie stimulated discussions about orthodoxy and orthopraxy among my adolescent children. Positive - I had read the books before seeing the movie, and if you haven't it may be hard to follow what is going on. I would say that the complexity needed to set up and follow the story make it less primal than comparable series, and it has satisfied audiences less. Otherwise it a gloriously drawn and reasonably well acted, rousing adventure movie of the alternative universe science fiction/fantasy variety. Most of the controversy actually surrounds the later books of the trilogy. While many take these books to be an exercise in God bashing on the science versus religion issues, things are actually much more complicated. Neutral
Neutral - …This film poses NO threat to Christianity. It was a mess of a film, and I found that it was actually pretty stupid.… Neutral - You know, I walked into the theatre after my mother had told me not to go see the movie because it was pushing satanist ideals and was an out-right attack on Christianity. All I saw was a much more poorly made athiest version of the “Chronicles of Narnia” (which I thought was a bad movie to begin with). It wasn't controversial to me, nothing in the film offended me and I think that people just need to stop looking at movies like this as giant religious statements. The only reason this movie is a big deal is because people are making it out to be a big deal. Perhaps the second and third movies reveal more anti-Christian ideals, but if we as a Christian body aren't willing to be tested by people who are skeptical of our worldview, how will we stand for anything? We need to understand that people have opinions about Christianity, and whether they're right or wrong, we need to stop complaining about them and boycotting them. Instead, we should be going to see movies like 'The Golden Compass' to see what all the fuss is about. I did, and everyone is overreacting. Not like it matters anyway, the movie was so boring and terrible that any athiest agenda they'd try to push on anyone wouldn't be heard. haha. Neutral - This movie is an opportunity. “The Golden Compass”, as it has been done, is an engaging fantasy film that is appropriate for children—if they don't dig deeper. If they do, they will need guidance. Hurray for making them think outside Sunday school! Negative
Negative - It is really a shame that this movie is in the negative column. The cast for this movie is great with Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman, and Eva Green, but with the lack of a sure hand behind the camera, the film’s capable cast is left stranded in front of it. This movie is just a chase picture with a titular object standing in. Action scenes are great, but the camera shaking up and down made me move me eyes around, and by the end I was taking Advil. Save your eyes and your money on this one!! Negative - The movie was good and so were all the action scenes, but some things made this movie a negative. …the camera work was terrible. …The actors hardly moved, due to the computer graphics. There is no sense of wonder in this movie. This film is just constant shaking and constant fighting, with no movement from the actors whatsoever. Save the pain pills and your money. Trust me!!! Negative - “The Golden Compass” makes Harry Potter look like the Virgin Mary! …I was going into this movie with an open mind. I wanted to give “Hollywood” a chance to deviate from the book series before I came out against the movie. …I can now personally judge the movie on its merits and share with you my own personal thoughts and opinions about the moviemaking and religious slant. Negative - This movie had great actions scenes, but the movie was too predictable. The actors never act. They just radiate around. BORING.… Negative - The movie's heroine, Lyra, lies quite often and easily, which makes her a very poor role model for children and teen viewers. Although the word “church' is not mentioned (as it is in the books), it is clear that some kind of church-like authority and organization is the villain. The movie is very violent—way too violent for young children. One of the characters who helps Lyra is a witch, Serafina Pekkala. This is problematic as it gives a positive view of witchcraft, even though this is fiction and Serafina can fly, which is fantasy. Nevertheless, thanks to the Harry Potter books and movies, the idea of sorcery and spells has been softened and made positive, so that the witch in this movie probably causes no one to even bat an eye. Comments from young people
Neutral - …I had absolutely no idea of what to expect. I knew that the author of the book was trying to say that you could destroy God, but I also knew that the movie was directed in a way that religion would not get mixed into it. After viewing the movie, the attempt to make religion a non issue in the movie was a success. Trying to piece together how the destruction of God fit into this movie was almost impossible. At times it could be stretched that the Church, specifically the Catholic Church was evil and needed to be destroyed, but the depiction of the “Church” was incredibly off and therefore made the point moot. The idea that religion and theism were being attacked by this film are absolutely absurd. The only part of the movie that was at all disturbing to me was that people’s souls were called daemons, pronounced demon. This sort of just seemed to flirt too much with evil. I understand and support the decision not to see this film because it supports the author of the book… For me this movie was a mildly entertaining film with some captivating visuals and nothing more. Positive - This was a well-made fantasy movie that, in the end, I actually really enjoyed. While not quite up to par with the HARRY POTTER series and the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, it was a lot better then THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA (which I personally find myself impartial to). This film is darker in tone then many of the POTTER films done so far, but I find that in ways it is also more mature. The only thing I really find offensive with this movie is when *SPOILER WARNING* MRS. COULTER is explaining why they are cutting the children’s daemons… The parallels between that and ADAM & EVE and LYRA’S reply to MRS. COULTER could (and is) offensive. *END OF SPOILER* The special effects are FANTASTIC!! I have found very few settings as captivating as where the battle takes in BOLVANGAR. My sister personally found the movie too be a little boring, while HARRY POTTER had many things in it before the climax that were more of side stories all with hints and leading up to the climax, THE GOLDEN COMPASS is more made to set up what is too come. I really liked this movie, and thought it a pretty good add to the fantasy genre. This film isn’t for the little children though, while it is a low PG-13, it is too dark in tone and content for littler children. I recommend this movie. A- Negative - “The Golden Compass” is just a kiddie ride from beginning to the end. This movie is an attack on the Catholic Church. The movie is full of animals who are actually demons and can speak good English. Be prepared to take your eyedrops, because the camera shakes more than enough to stand worthwhile for. Positive - I have to say that I have always been a fan of His Dark Materials, and this movie has only increased my love for the series. From a purely cinematic standpoint, it excelled far beyond any movie that I have recently seen, in that the craft of the film propelled the story forward in such a way that I was never left to think, 'Oh...this is dull'. In fact, I was filled with excitement, anticipating every twist and turn that I remember so vividly from the novel. The book itself does have a few fairly slow moments, but these were either left out or shortened, without destroying the comprehensibility of the story nor the cohesion between scenes. I completely stand by the producers' decision of using computer animation to create the daemons, as they are far more expressive, look more natural while talking, and can do many more things that trained animals cannot. It was also mind-blowing to see how well all the actors interacted with their daemons, especially Dakota Richards, who is by far one of the best child actors I have ever seen. It is usually extremely difficult for children to create convincing performances, but I was totally drawn into Lyra's mind and emotions, and she is what brought me into the story. It was amazing how she and Pantalaimon acted together, making me forget entirely that while acting she was probably staring at a little stuffed toy on a stick, or nothing at all. I was impressed as well by the gorgeous sets and creation of Lyra's world, especially the opening sequence which helped to fill in a bit of back-story so that people who hadn't read the novel would be on the same page as everyone else. I absolutely loved the portrayal of Dust in the movie, the brilliant specks of light that swirled in the air, making the battle sequences all the more thrilling. Movie Critics
“…the work more broadly concerns the war between a rational, scientific domain and the monolithic oppression exercised by the power-mad Magisterium, a hierarchical order intent upon claiming the souls of all children. It’s this undisguised anti-religious theme that has numerous groups in a lather, but perhaps more of an issue for some auds will be the film’s lack of exciting uplift and the almost unrelievedly nasty treatment of the young characters by a host of aggressively unpleasant elders.…” “‘The Golden Compass’ offers a world of talking animals, flying witches, majestic airships and lead-balloon storytelling.… presents an almost unrelentingly grim tale that’s too dark for younger kids and not quite thoughtful or exciting enough for adults.…” “…a terrific sleigh-ride of a movie… Artfully contrived to take up the late-year holiday slot left empty by the conclusion of New Line’s own ‘Lord of the Rings’ and the lagged scheduling of Harry Potter and Narnia follow-ups, some may baulk at its chilly tone and (admittedly tiny) moments of really quite alarming violence.…” “…Everyone in this world is conjoined by an animal spirit, a soul mate or alter ego called a ‘daemon,’ that entwines itself into that person’s life.… Several grand fights, one key revelation, a rescue of Lyra’s playmate plus an old-fashioned ‘To Be Continued’ ending make for a rousing finish. Witches sweep out of the night sky, bad guys when shot vanish in balls of flame and the glories of free will get celebrated by championing a child who never does what she is told. What kid won’t go for all this?…” “…It is a world in which everyone has his or her own ‘daemon,’ like a witch’s familiar, representing each person’s irreducible spirit.… entertainingly pits a feisty teen heroine against the evil cosmic forces of psychological tyranny. It’s a convoluted, enjoyable, very mad, deeply conservative and, at one moment, horribly violent extravaganza. There’s no doubt about what buttons ‘The Golden Compass’ is pushing. It looks like Hogwarts, Narnia, Middle Earth, or Tatooine.…” Comments from non-viewers
…The header of the marquis poster shown in PR spots and in advertisements reads “There are worlds beyond our own; the compass will show you the way.” The Compass will certainly not live up to that promise either in theatres or in the minds of a huge majority of Americans. Jesus is not just an “Authority” which is one of the more common usages in the film for God’s name. He is also the Lamb of God who lay down his life for the sheep (John 10:11). Without a shepherd, everyone is just wandering aimlessly around this planet, and no contrived, imaginary compass (golden or not) will substitute for the true guide. This enduring truth is best said in a stanza of an old and much loved Christian hymn entitled “Jesus Savior Pilot Me.” This beloved hymn was written by Edward Hooper a former seaman and minister to many of New York’s hearty sailors and career mariners. These words first appeared in the “Sailor’s Magazine” published in 1871, but are still sung by the faithful around the world today. Jesus Savior pilot me, Over Life’s tempestuous sea —Rev. Michael Bresciani, age 63 I find the movie to be more of “gnostic apology” than anything else. From all the information I can gather on it, it is coming from the same realm as “The Da Vinci Code” in its world view. This is really what may be called a “frontal” attack by Satan. Smoke, an explosion or two and a lot of noise. While truly more subtle attacks are happening with movies such as “The Bridge to Terabithia.” I think the warfare analogy is a good one to remember. Its the suprise and sneak attacks on faith that are in essence far more dangerous. So it’s good to be forewarned, but don’t forget to keep an eye out to the flanks. This might be an entertaining movie and not as offensive as some portray it, but as a Christian, I will not give my money to this Atheist knowing his future plans. The avoidance of this movie by Christians isn't just for this film, it is for the author's agenda through future films. I will not support him. I am not against this particular movie so much as the ticket sales, if it were free I might see it and use it for discussion. Should your money go to this atheist, or are there enough better movies out there that will not be a stepping stone to corrupt young minds? Your ticket sales make you an accomplice to his plans! The actors and crew also are accomplices to his agenda... Are they in such dire need of this paycheck so as to support this man's visions? If you are not for Him, you are against Him. |
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In an MTV interview, Weitz reported that “Philip [Pullman] was very involved in the making of the film, from before I became involved myself. …I was adapting his book, which also happened to be one of my favorite books, and the whole thing wouldn’t work for me unless I could turn around at the end of the thing and feel that I had done it to his satisfaction. Thereafter, I was in touch with him all the time …Often we would pass scenes back and forth…”