Dozed Off Watching Golden Compass

First of all, I want to thank my sis for bringing me to a nice movie night-out on Christmas Day. I don't think I have been to cinemas for a couple of months and I have been missing quite a few good movies lately.

Here we go with true confession time. I have always struggled with the likings of fantasy movies such as The Lord of the Rings and even Star Wars (but the Harry Potter series is alright). therefore I wasn't anticipating much from Golden Compass. However, the movie is nonetheless an enjoyable one, albeit confusing diversion.

The most interesting has to be the setting of the story - in the early 1900s in Oxford, England (see pic above), each kid has their own “daemon,” that changes shape and species to reflect the always-changing moods of the child. A little girl named Lyra’s daemon starts out as a cat but at times during the movie reverts to being a ferret, then a mouse, and even a moth. Lyra is given an “alethiometer,” or the golden compass, which apparently only she can read and can then reveal the truth.

I dozed off watching some zeppelin-like contraption flying over London and the next I knew was some kids got kidnapped by a sinister group called the “Gobblers” and sent to a secret laboratory in the frozen north in order to be separated from their daemons. I awoke in time to catch two enormous ice bears in body armor going at it in mortal combat. Things really picked up at that point even though I do feel pieces of the story were a bit scattered.

I really enjoyed the spectacular battle scene at the end in which the bad guys evaporate into flames when they get zapped. Then it sort of left there stranded and invites you to wait for Golden Compass II.

Anyway, dazzling imaginery that constitutes to a good novel, but may be not so for a movie plot.