Kenneth Turran of The LA Time RAVES The Golden Compass

good to see another strong review from our side of the pond from a well respected critic and not some back of the alley website (....like mine...hehehehe). Though the review makes it seem as though Mr. Turran has read the books, he doesn't mention the ending change (although films and books are different mediums so maybe...whatever I'm not a mindreader). Anyways, he really has nothing bad to say about except

- Daniel Craig's role is brief.



.....that's it. Yes he says that the deeper philosophical/religious concepts and the nuances won't be as strong as they are in the book BUT they remain intact enough so that it still works.

The positive:

-...um.......almost everything but these two standout..:

1. " Much more friendly, at least on the surface, is the ice queen Mrs. Coulter (a delicious turn for Kidman)"



and

2. "Of all the people whom Lyra bonds with, however, the most exciting, as he is in the book, is that majestic, bad-tempered but fiercely loyal fighting bear Iorek Byrnison. McKellen's captivating performance might be the most memorable pure voice work since James Earl Jones took on Darth Vader."



Here's the whole thing: LA Times Review



by the way, the film has been fluctuating in the 40-50 range on rottentomatoes, but as of a grand total of 5 minutes ago, I've sworn off looking at the site(that bad reviews don't say anything new now), and for the most part any site that would have reviews for my oh-so-curious brain. That said, I think's it's nice to do this on a (VERY) high note.....and yes, I acknowledge that what I'm doing is extreme and pretty silly but hell, why not. I am a deranged His Dark Materials Trilogy fan and by GOD (ironically) I am proud of it! If I had a heart this would be the perfect time for me to sew it on my sleeve...