Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy has gained
a loyal fanbase in the 10 years since the first book, The Golden
Compass, was published, and for good reason: Pullman’s universe is
metaphorically dense and dizzyingly imaginative, populated by
tremendously likeable characters fighting for the highest stakes
imaginable. The bulk of the series is set in an alternate version of
our own universe, governed by an oppressive religious body called the
Magisterium. The way Pullman tells it, institutionalized religion warps
and perverts all that is good and natural in humanity, and it’s up to
one young girl, Lyra Belacqua, to overthrow the entire festering
system.
Heavy stuff for a kids’ book, much less a kids’ movie—but the
trilogy contains so much fantasy film gold that it’s easy to understand
why New Line snapped up the rights, despite the controversial subject
matter. From armored polar bears to shape-shifting animal sidekicks,
Pullman’s universe is packed with kid-friendly concepts just begging to
be brought to (computer-generated) life—and on a superficial
level, at least, The Golden Compass‘ director, Chris Weitz, does
Pullman’s vision justice. While acknowledging that he was an “underdog”
to direct the film (his previous credits include About a Boy and
American Pie, not exactly big-budget fantasy epics), Weitz told
me in a phone interview that he was given the job, at least in part,
because of his “tremendous enthusiasm for the books.” That’s the party
line, of course, but in this case, I buy it, as Weitz has pulled off
that rarest of feats in adapting a popular book for the screen: The
film looks just like it’s supposed to.
The film follows the scrappy Lyra (a perfectly cast Dakota Blue
Richards) on her quest to rescue her friend Roger (Ben Walker), who has
been abducted by a group of sinister Magisterium scientists who are
kidnapping children. Along the way, Lyra teams up with an armored bear,
a mustachioed pilot, and a band of gypsies—and she’s accompanied
all the while by her “daemon,” a shape-shifting animal companion.
The casting here is spot on, from Nicole Kidman as the
sexy-but-sadistic villainess to Sam Elliott’s bemused aeronaut; the
effects are gorgeous, and so are the sweeping arctic icescapes that
Lyra must cross to rescue her friend. Even the CG animals are
surprisingly not annoying—a fight between two armored polar bears
is one of the highlights of the film.
But what about the whole “overthrowing the monarchy of heaven” bit?
In a predictably spineless move, all direct references to religion have
been dropped from The Golden Compass. According to Weitz, “The
vast majority of people who love these books don’t see it as an
atheistic recruiting tool. They see it first as a beautiful story, and
an exciting story, and one that supports all kinds of wonderful
virtues.”
That may or may not be the case, but the fact remains: The
omnipresence of religion is crucial to the narrative urgency of the
books. By retaining plot points that tie into religious and
metaphysical themes—but avoiding the actual themes
themselves—Weitz has drained the narrative of its impetus and
cohesion. The bad guys don’t seem particularly bad, key concepts are
poorly explained, and the hasty ending is a painfully transparent
attempt to end on an uplifting, sequel-ready note.
Despite these criticisms, I’m cautiously optimistic about the
sequels. When I asked him what he would do differently if he got the
chance to direct the second and third movies in the trilogy, Weitz told
me that he would “adhere more closely to the letter of Pullman’s
books.” That bodes well for future projects that have perfected all the
bells and whistles of Pullman’s universe, yet hopefully won’t gut the
elements that make the trilogy truly epic.