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Movies / On DVD / The Golden Compass
The Golden Compass

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The Golden Compass (2007)

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Reviews Counted:187

Fresh:79

Rotten:108

Average Rating:5.6/10

Consensus: Without the bite or the controversy of the source material, The Golden Compass is reduced to impressive visuals overcompensating for lax storytelling.

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Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for sequences of fantasy violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 58 min.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Drama

Theatrical Release: Dec 7, 2007 Wide

Box Office: $70.1M

Synopsis: In a parallel universe, young Lyra Belacqua journeys to the far North to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from terrible experiments... In a parallel universe, young Lyra Belacqua journeys to the far North to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from terrible experiments by a mysterious organization. [More]

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Daniel Craig, Sam Elliott

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Daniel Craig, Sam Elliott, Eva Green, Christopher Lee, Tom Courtenay, Derek Jacobi, Ben Walker, Adam Godley, Simon McBurney, Jim Carter, Nonso Anozie, Charlie Rowe, Clare Higgins, Jack Shepherd, Steven Loton, Magda Szubanski, Edward de Souza, John Bett, Ian McKellen, Ian McShane, John Franklyn-Robbins, Freddie Highmore, Jonathan Laury, Kathy Bates, Paul Antony-Barber, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jason Watkins, Hattie Morahan, Jay Rawlings, Joao de Sousa, Tommy Luther

Director: Chris Weitz

Director: Chris Weitz
Screenwriter: Chris Weitz, Toby Emmerich, Paul Weitz
Producer: Toby Emmerich, Michael Lynne, Ileen Maisel, Andrew Miano, Mark Ordesky
Distributor: New Line Cinema

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  • Trailers
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  • The Golden Compass
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    THE GOLDEN COMPASS MEETING SERAFINA
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    THE GOLDEN COMPASS FEATURETTE CREATING ICE BEARS
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    THE GOLDEN COMPASS FEATURETTE DEFINING DAEMONS
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  • THE GOLDEN COMPASS THE BATTLE
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    THE GOLDEN COMPASS BEAR FIGHT
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    THE GOLDEN COMPASS I HAVE A CONTRACT WITH THE CHILD
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    THE GOLDEN COMPASS I WILL SERVE YOU
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  • THE GOLDEN COMPASS MEETING LEE SCORESBY
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    THE GOLDEN COMPASS ASRIEL FIGHTS THE SAMOYEDS
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    THE GOLDEN COMPASS THE MAGISTERIUM
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    THE GOLDEN COMPASS YOU MUSNT DENY ME
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  • THE GOLDEN COMPASS MEETING MRS COULTER
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    THE GOLDEN COMPASS THE PROMISE
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REVIEWS FOR THE GOLDEN COMPASS

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1 - 20 of 188 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
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Excruciating pap

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
Aug 27, 2009
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

An engaging fantasy adventure that, albeit no masterpiece, is hardly the disaster one might have imagined.

Full Review Source: ESplatter | comment Comment
Jul 14, 2008
Steve Biodrowski
Steve Biodrowski
ESplatter

I realize that when you make a book into a movie you cannot include every single detail, but it seems like Weitz purposely tried to take all of the magic out of the story.

Full Review Source: Watertown Daily Times | comment 1 Comment
May 20, 2008
Adam Tobias
Adam Tobias
Watertown Daily Times

This plot may sound somewhat ludicrous on paper, but Pullman has created a logical, well-thought-out world that Weitz has brilliantly translated to the big screen.

Full Review Source: MSNBC | comment 1 Comment
May 1, 2008
Alonso Duralde
Alonso Duralde
MSNBC

This kid film noir touching on magic dust substance abuse, cranky clerics, worrisome wizards, goth grownup child abusers and computer-generated homicidal polar bear throat slashers, is less likely to dazzle the senses than exhaust minds of all ages.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
Apr 30, 2008
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze

...if I hadn't liked Pullman's books so much, I probably would have liked this movie version more than I did.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
Apr 24, 2008
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Will it be enough to satisfy fans of Philip Pullman's widely read 'His Dark Materials' trilogy? Hard to say. But for the uninitiated this is an engaging adventure, even when Chris Weitz's screenplay lacks the compelling clarity of Pullman's prose.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
Apr 9, 2008
Rossiter Drake
Rossiter Drake
San Francisco Examiner

Sam Elliott shows up as a cowboy, who would normally be a pick-me-up, but with Golden Compass I just wanted to find my direction home.

Full Review Source: The Scorecard Review | comment Comment
Mar 4, 2008
Jeff Bayer
Jeff Bayer
The Scorecard Review

The Golden Compass should be fun, but it rarely is. It should sweep you away, but it rarely does. For a film suffused with magic, it is, regrettably, far from magical.

Full Review Source: Colorado Springs Gazette | comment Comment
Feb 28, 2008
Brandon Fibbs
Brandon Fibbs
Colorado Springs Gazette

No, I didn't read the novel before seeing the film, and nothing in this shimmering disaster made me want to read it, either. Made me hate polar bears, and I used to love the darned things, so that's saying something.

Full Review Source: Reno News and Review | comment 3 Comments
Feb 25, 2008
Bob Grimm
Bob Grimm
Reno News and Review

Read this review, skip this movie, and instead read the excellent books. Poor Dakota Blue Fanning is the perfect Lyra in a terrible adaptation.

Full Review Source: Cinerina | comment 7 Comments
Feb 16, 2008
Karina Montgomery
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina

A beautiful, thought-provoking fantasy film.

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
Feb 2, 2008
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy

Lyra surpasses the timid drone of Pan's Labyrinth or the Pevensies' do-gooder sap, she's brave, smart, and the best liar in the universe.

Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | comment Comment
Jan 29, 2008
Amy Nicholson
Amy Nicholson
I.E. Weekly

This Compass points to the end of a would-be franchise.

Full Review Source: Washington Times | comment Comment
Jan 19, 2008
Christian Toto
Christian Toto
Washington Times

Suggesting at once Mrs. Coulter's devotion to her Magisterial mission, her fears of soulful and sensual embodiment, and yes, her own split self, her slap-and-hug of her damon all but stops the film's action.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
Jan 17, 2008
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

Deus ex machina ... is the only driving force.

Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
Jan 14, 2008
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies

koyrastika amihani kai sygkehymeni kritiki sto thriskeytiko systima, den parehei oyte kata dianoia arketo allothi gia toys ano ton 16 na asholithoyn idiaitera me aytin tin yperparagogi, poy ehei aytapates megaleioy tin ora poy pashei sto rythmo kai ti syn

Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment 2 Comments
Jan 14, 2008
Joseph Proimakis
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses

The Golden Compass is an entertaining blend of feisty pre-teen girl heroine, CGI animals both adorable and fierce, and the usual suspects on the human side ...

Full Review Source: Atlantic City Weekly | comment Comment
Jan 2, 2008
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

The Golden Compass bears the brush strokes of a film produced by a committee of people intent on trying to make some money rather than a good movie.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
Jan 2, 2008
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

All the pieces combined feel like nothing more than a barrage of exquisitely crafted names

Full Review Source: Bangitout.com | comment Comment
Dec 31, 2007
Jordan Hiller
Jordan Hiller
Bangitout.com
 
 
1 - 20 of 188 (sorted by date)
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LATEST NEWS FOR THE GOLDEN COMPASS

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Every year, the BAFTA film awards present a trophy for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. Introduced in 1978, the award recognises an organisation or a person's career and influence on the... More...

April 28, 2008: RT on DVD: The Golden Compass, 27 Dresses, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
If you, like many others, opted out of The Golden Compass while it was in theaters, never fear; your chance to watch it at home has arrived. Then again, instead of picking up that or the underwhelming... More...

December 20, 2007: Vatican Gloats Over Weak Performance of The Golden Compass
Attention, filmgoers who have seen and enjoyed The Golden Compass: According to The Vatican, you're either "dishonest" or you haven't been "gifted with a critical spirit." More...

December 14, 2007: Atonement, Control Lead London Film Critics Noms
The London Critics Circle has announced the nominees for its year-end awards, with Anton Corbijn's Control and Joe Wright's Atonement leading the pack at eight nominations apiece. More...

December 13, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: I Am Legend Set For Explosive Opening
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