Golden Compass moves so fast before you know it it's over and it leaves you wanting more. I really liked Fellowship of the Ring but the pace of the Potters really tests my patience. It's a relief to see a fantasy film that brings it in at almost exactly two hours and has a cracking momentum, as opposed to the seemingly endless drag of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Narnia.
Rather than frustrating me that I might be missing key elements of what this world was about I felt happy going with it and was left thinking I'll watch it again when it's released just to be sure I didn't miss anything. The uninitiated (like me) may occasionally lose track of what's going on early on as strange terms and names are thrown back and forth but it soon settles down and makes sense. As for the film itself it really zips along quickly. However the leopard creature with Daniel Craig doesn't look right at all. The polar bears have a cartoony unreal feel but in a fantasy setting with battle armour and stuff they work well enough. Some of the bigger creatures are less perfect. The smaller creatures are also brilliantly rendered, Pan in particular. The world is beautifully created and always feels real, whether Scorsby's flying ship or the blimp thing from the trailer, or stunning Arctic landscapes and big cities. I had worried they'd be as weak as Narnia and they aren't. My only note on this casting would be once or twice I couldn't tell is Lyra or Pan was speaking in their interaction as in quiet moments Highmore and Richards' voices are remarkably similar! The effects are good but not great. Of the voice-only cast McKellen is a perfect choice for the honourable polar bear while Highmore is either getting less annoying or it's just beneficial not being able to see him, as he is nicely understated as Pan. She has a couple of slightly actorly moments but does incredibly well for a first timer under this kind of pressure. She's in virtually every scene and has a lot of different emotions to get across as well as having to have significant interaction with CGI creations like her spirit animal Pan (the ubiquitous Freddie Highmore) and the polar bear played by Ian McKellen.
It will work or not for people based on whether you like her. This is just as well as the film is really entirely on her shoulders. Precocious and feisty without seeming too forced she is generally believable whether is her rebellion or her loyalty. While the first two Potter films and Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe were significantly hampered by the incredibly mannered, unrealistic, wooden acting of the young leads (most of the Potter cast got better, time will tell on Narnia) Richards is a winner from the outset. Dakota Blue Richards is a great find as Lara. You know he's a villain from the moment he enters frame. Meanwhile Simon McBurney is magnificently slimy and loathsome as the magisterium main face. There's something indelibly creepy about her rigid manner that works for the elegant but sinister Mrs Coulter. That sonorous voice sneaking out from underneath that bushy moustache feels exactly right for Lee Scorsby. He feels set up for a more significant role in future instalments. Green is suitably witchy and Craig makes an impact in his one/two dialogue scenes early on which, along with a couple of wordless inserts of his storyline, put him enough into your mind to wonder about him. However Daniel Craig and Eva Green are barely in it and Christopher Lee has one blink-and-you'll miss him scene. Nicole has the most significant work and Sam Elliott, while a late arrival, is a great presence once he's around. On the cast, I don't know how it works in the book but the adults are barely in this. I have to say i haven't read the books so can't comment on a book to film comparison. A really entertaining and immersive film that intelligently builds a fantastical world that the uninitiated can marvel and thrill in. I went in cynical about this, especially after the travesty that was the Narnia film, but i was quickly converted: it's great fun.
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