The Golden Compass

2007
PG
1h 53m

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

199K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

2,323

Nicole Kidman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sam Elliott, Ian McKellen, Daniel Craig, Freddie Highmore, Ian McShane, Eva Green, Dakota Blue Richards, Helen Soraya, and Caridad Angus in The Golden Compass (2007)

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Dark Fantasy Fantasy Epic Adventure Family Fantasy

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.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.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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

199K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

2,323

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 7 wins & 32 nominations total

Trivia
George R.R. Martin cited this movie as one of the reasons he wanted Game of Thrones (2011) to be turned into a television series rather than a movie.

Goofs
Pantalaimon is able to transform into a small moth when he wishes. When he and Lyra are confined in the intercision machine, they are separated by a metal grid through which Pantalaimon in moth form could easily crawl: it is not clear what prevents him from trying this.

Quotes
Ragnar Sturlusson: Is that all?
[hits Iorek]
Ragnar Sturlusson: Is that all? IS THAT AAAALL?
[Iorek swings at him and breaks his lower jaw off, then bites him in the throat, killing him]
Iorek Byrnison: Yes, that is all.

Crazy credits
On the DVD, the FBI anti-piracy warning is displayed with the Magisterium logo and has the Magisterium building behind the warning as a watermark.

Connections
Edited into The Wolfman (2010)

Soundtracks
Lyra
Written and Performed by Kate Bush
Featuring The Choristers of Magdalen College Choir, Oxford
Conductor: Bill Ives
With Thanks to Andrew Halls
Kate Bush appears courtesy of Noble and Brite Limited / EMI Records Limited

User reviews737

Review

Featured review

8/10

Surprisingly Good

For some strange reason, a theater in the middle of the cornfield in Indiana had a sneak preview of the Golden Compass, and being a fan of the books I decided to take advantage of it. I wasn't sure what I was getting into, as there seems to be a rather large glut of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings wannabes crowding theaters now and in the near future. This version of the Golden Compass beautifully brings the books to life and was very pleasing to watch with rather nice visuals. The acting is quite good, especially from the young lead, and the animation makes one wonder what they can't do with computers these days. The only true complaint I have about this movie is that it is difficult to understand and follow if one is not familiar with the books. Some scenes at the beginning seems disconnected, but after the halfway point the story comes together. The Golden Compass series is rather dark in its nature, and I'm glad that the movie didn't pull any punches with the supernatural combat (which is awesome, specifically when the witches and bears do battle). Some liberty is taken with the story as expected, and many church references are renamed, but the quality of the story never suffers. I recommend the movie and I look forward to seeing the rest of the trilogy completed.