Ben Walker

The Golden Compass is a 2007 British-American fantasy and adventure film based on Northern Lights, the first novel in Philip Pullmans trilogy His Dark Materials. Written and directed by Chris Weitz, it stars Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Daniel Craig, Sam Elliott, Eva Green, and Ian McKellen. The project was announced in February 2002, but difficulties over the script and the selection of a director caused significant delays. At US$180 million, it was one of New Line Cinemas most expensive projects ever, and its disappointing results in the USA contributed to New Lines February 2008 restructuring.The film depicts the adventures of Lyra Belacqua, an orphan living in a parallel universe on a world that looks much like our own. In Lyras world, a dogmatic ruling power called the Magisterium opposes free inquiry. Poor, orphan, and Gyptian children are disappearing at the hands of a group that the children call the Gobblers. When Lyra discovers that the powerful Mrs. Coulter, whos hosting Lyra into her house, is running the Gobblers, she flees. Rescued by the Gyptians, Lyra joins them on a trip to the far North, the land of the armoured polar bears, in search of the missing children.Before its release, the film received criticism from secularist organisations and fans of His Dark Materials for the dilution of elements of the story which were critical of religion, as well as from some religious organisations for the source materials anti-Catholic themes. The studio ordered significant changes late in post-production, which Weitz later called a terrible experience. Although the films visual effects (which Weitz has called the films most successful element) won both a BAFTA and an Academy Award, critical reception was mixed and revenue lower than anticipated.

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