When I read the Golden Compass, the first words I read were:

"The Golden Compass forms the first part of a story in three volumes. The first volume is set in a universe like ours, but different in many ways..."

This was probably the most intriguing part of Pullman's trilogy, & I'm happy to say that the filmmakers did capture that! :) From the halls of Jordan College, to the Gyptian families out at sea, to the icy lairs of the Panserbjorn at Svalbard, my imagination was pretty much sated. ^_^

*from this point on, MILD SPOILERS abound*

As a matter of fact... Not counting the simplifying of several parts (which they'd obviously have to do), the faster pace (that too), & the side-stepping of the explanation of Dust & the other - *ahem* - religious conflicts, I was quite pleased that they got the atmosphere that I felt when I read the book!

Here are the best parts of the movie (in my opinion):

- Producers should be very proud of themselves for finding Dakota Blue Richards. I love this girl as Lyra! She embodied the ferocity & fire that made Lyra stand out from any other child hero that I've read about. Not to mention, this girl can hold her own while sharing the screen with veterans like Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, & Sam Elliot. AND she's purty! ^__^

- Lee Scoresby was my favorite charcter in the entire trilogy, & my heart gave a little leap when I finally saw him & Hester on screen. ^_____^ (Okay so while reading the books, it was Josh Holloway who was cuddling the bunny in my head. :P) So he's no Josh, but Sam Elliot does justice to Mr. Scoresby, & gets that Southern flavor just right. :D

- From the moment I saw the promo pics, there was no doubt in my head, I was VERY pleased with Serafina Pekkala & her clan of witches. :D (There was also a personal little grand-jete-of-joy for me... but that's another story. :P)

- Ian Mckellen & Christopher Lee again!! ^___^ Gandalf & Saruman, White Wizard reunion! :P Christopher Lee's role in this movie was brief, but I just like seeing LotR cast members in the same movie again. :P Ian Mckellen - there is no denying the power in this man's voice. :D (Uhm, still, there were a lot of parts that made the hobbit in me shout "Gandalf! :D" Hehehe!)

- A job well done to the CG, conceptualization, & costume teams! :D Seeing the London in Lyra's world (with everyone walking around with daemons), the panserbjorn, the flying witches (oh-so-gorgeous costumes, I want one pretty pls), & the battle in Svalbard made my eyes sparkle! :D

- Others: the headquarters of the Oblation Board at Svalbard (very Hanso-like!); Jim Carter as John Faa, the leader of the Gyptians; Freddie Highmore as the voice of Pantalaimon

When there's a good, there's a bad...

- The intensity of being severed from one's daemon wasn't felt in the movie. Neither was the seriousness of holding someone else's daemon.

- Why was the name of Iorek's rival changed? "Ragnar Sturlusson"? =/ "Iofur Raknison" would have been okay... Or was it too close to sounding like "Iorek Byrnison"?

- Iorek's armor didn't look as attractive as his rival's. It reminded me of a turtle shell sometimes. :)) (Well, his rival's reminded me of a styrakosaurus! :P) Pity that it wasn't as good a fit as Saphira's dragon armor in Eragon.

- ENDING. :| (Mara & I looked at each other here with big question marks above our heads.) Oh well... I guess they couldn't have ended it as in the book, anyway. So maybe this is actually a positive thing, hehe.

- Unfortunately, I'd advice those who have not read the books to watch this movie with someone who has. No doubt, a lot of questions will be asked. :P The film doesn't really explain a lot, & some will probably feel like the whole movie was spinning the plot around in circles, & didn't have much of a point.

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While I'm not exactly the biggest Pullman fan (but hey, I'm neither against him, his books just didn't capture my heart the way Middle-Earth, Narnia, or even Hogwarts, did) I did enjoy myself watching this movie. To those debating whether or not to watch this film, I say just put aside the controversy, sit back, & see the film! It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it can promise to take you to that universe so familiar yet so different. :)