So there I was buying a ticket to the very first showing of The Golden Compass. I was somewhat anxious to get into the theater because of everything I had heard about the movie. As I was preparing to walk into the theater, I cleared my mind of everything I thought I was going to see in order to see the movie for exactly what it was. I didn’t want to judge it before I saw it, and I didn’t want to read into or assume anything based just on what I had heard. So here is my verdict on The Golden Compass: I enjoyed it and thought it was an excellent movie.
First, I’m sure you’re wondering about the whole “religious oppression” that is a huge factor in the books. Well, the group that is supposed to be “the Church” is nothing more than a generic governing body-a toned down approach from what the books portray. Actually, it is more than just a generic government, it appears from the movie that the “Magisterium” is the Government. They come complete with their own Police force, K-9 dogs, weapons, secret mechanical spy bugs, and everything. I’m sorry to say that I haven’t yet seen a religious group that has a police force (in the movie, the officers are called “Gobblers”). Needless to say, anyone who lives in America, with our separation of Church and state, will be totally unable to draw any parallels between the Magisterium and the Church. The character who is known as “The Authority” never appeared in the movie, but was mentioned a couple of times in an authoritative manner, but in no way were the references to “The Authority” spiritual, supernatural, deity-like, or godly in any way shape or form. (However, what the books say could be completely different…so watch out.)
(Let’s jump to the end for a moment to deal with one more issue concerning the Magisterium) As the movie ends, one of the witches is talking to Lee Scoresby, who is a pilot of sorts, and asks him if he has heard the prophesy of the war. She goes on to describe the war as one that will be over free will. The witch describes how the Magisterium is trying to control all people in all worlds and take away their free will. Lord Asriel, who is being held by the Magisterium at the end of the movie, if he has discovered a way to travel between the worlds, could possibly show the Magisterium how to get into these other worlds and then there would be no stopping the control the Magisterium would have. (Hopefully you followed that.)
With the mention of free will, you can think one of two things. First, you can think that this is a good sign that the Magisterium is going to end up paralleling a religious organization. However, then you’d have to reconcile the fact that God only gives free will, he doesn’t take it away–nor does any church I have ever known say they desire to end free will. If you went back a thousand plus years, you could possibly compare this mentality to the Roman Catholic Church that was one with the government, but it is too far a stretch to be any sort of modern day religious organization. Also, I have read many sources that say Pullman’s attempt was to attack the Catholic Church specifically. Secondly, you could view this “removing of free will” concept as merely the goal of an evil fantasy government organization, which it is and be at peace with The Golden Compass. I only need to say one more time that as the other movies are released, the foundation that has been established could indeed change into something else that is actually offensive, but to this point, it isn’t.
The Golden Compass is fantasy. Good guys and bad guys exist in a world where people’s souls walk alongside them in the form of animal personalities called “daemons” (pronounced “demons”). Polar bears are portrayed as the highest race of animals and exist as a fighting species fully equipped with body armor. By the way, the fighting polar bear scenes are the most exciting in the movie. As a note to parents, there is a bit of gore at one point, and when you meet the main polar bear character for the first time, he is a drunk. Another interesting thing is the mention of “Dust.” This is very vaguely explained but talked about quite often. Apparently the Magisterium is trying to conceal any existence of “Dust,” and at one point Lady Coulter (Nicole Kidman) explains that “Dust” is what happens when people disobey “The Authority.” She goes on to say that the Magisterium is trying to separate children’s “daemons” from them in order to keep the influence of “Dust” away. If that sounds confusing, it was confusing in the movie, too. Furthermore, the “Gobblers,” or police force, were actually stealing children by order of the Magisterium and sending them off to a medical-type research facility where “testing” was going on. Actually, they were performing the procedure of separating the daemons from the children.
Well, it is obvious from the movie that the Magisterium and Gobblers are the bad guys and Lyra (the main character) and the Gyptians (a group of renegade parents who are trying to protect the children from the Gobblers) are the good guys. The plot is very well done with the exception of the lingering problem of “Dust,” which I’m sure they’ll explain more as the trilogy continues. When the movie ends, it leaves no doubt that a second movie is in the works. Also, the religious boycott seemed to cause little disturbance. The Golden Compass grossed $26,125,000 opening weekend. Disney’s Enchanted was second place with a mere $10 million.
As I conclude my views on The Golden Compass, I have to say that it is pretty much impossible for anyone to come away from this movie with the impression that the Magisterium represents a religious organization much less the Church as we know it based on the movie alone. The only slight chance that could happen would be in the situation someone goes into the movie looking for something offensive and pairs the Magisterium with the Church only because they read a bunch of emails and heard a bunch of Christians talking about how the books were an attack on the Church. Parents can safely allow their older teens to watch this movie without wondering if they’re going to become atheists. But before going out to buy the books, be sure you read them first. The movie is said to be a “watered-down” version of the books.
Finally, while I enjoyed the movie thoroughly and thought the polar bears were incredibly entertaining, I am in no way saying that the trilogy as a whole will not at some point say, do, or imply some attack or condescension towards the Church nor am I saying the books are not anti-religious. Take the movie for what it is right now: Fantasy and Entertainment. I saw the Golden Compass and that’s all I have to say about it.
