Benny and I finally saw the movie a few weeks ago. It was good…if you haven’t read the book, and even then, I guess it was good. I know, I know, some of you are rolling your eyes at me. You knew I was going to say that. There were a few things in the movie that filled in some blank spots in how I imagined the story, so I’m glad I saw it.
If I had to choose a favorite thing about the movie, it would be Sam Elliott. There is no one on the planet that would be a better Lee Scoresby. The man rocks in everything he’s in. Period. Several of his lines in the movie were better than his lines in the book. I loved it. I enjoyed seeing some of the creative means of travel come to life on the screen. The Gyptian boats and the zeppelins were especially cool. I thought most of the casting was a good fit for the story (I loved John Faa) with a few exceptions. I also liked the look of the alethiometer. It was beautiful and mysterious, and much bigger than I had imagined it from the book. The scenery was amazing and I love cg art. Computers have done amazing things for cinema.
Now for the negative. I thought the movie was rushed. There wasn’t time to develop feelings about the characters, or for the characters to develop the friendships found in the books. Lyra and Lee Scoresby would be a good example of this. He shows his loyalty and protection of her, but moviegoers who haven’t read the books don’t have the background of the friendship that developed over time between the two, and how many times he comes to her aid.
I was also disappointed with all the liberties the screenwriter took with the script. So much gets lost in translation to the big screen. Maybe it’s my love for writing and being surrounded by writer friends who agonize over how to present their characters, settings, plot lines, etc. but it really bugs me when lines and actions are given to a different character in the movie than they were in the book. If the author of a book takes the time to repeatedly use a certain physical feature to describe a key character, why on earth would you decide to do the opposite for the movie? Such was the case with several key characters. It must be really hard to maintain literary integrity and also make things more appealing for the big screen. Benny thought that a few of the inconsistencies that bothered me were necessary for the flow of the action in the movie. Maybe I’m just a book snob. 😉
The movie ended 3 chapters shy of where the book ended which totally sets us up for movie number two, whenever that will be. The book ending leaves you hanging more effectively than the movie ending, but whatever. Time constraints, yada yada. I still think the story is too dark for children, but Benny and I enjoyed it as the fantasy story that it is. We sat in the theater as the credits rolled and I filled in the plot holes for him as he asked questions about this and that. I tried hard not to annoy him with my book snobbery. lol He told me I should always see the movie first. Nonsense.
From a religious aspect, I thought the Magisterium was more wicked and powerful in the movie than in the book. It is not THE church, but an arm of the church and their goal is to wipe out free will and free thinking. That is something I would oppose as well. It is not a matter of “choose whatever you want to believe and it will be right”. It’s still very much a good vs. evil tale, at least in my mind. When I watch a movie and the bad guy is a police officer, an airline pilot, or a priest, that doesn’t mean that those professions/lifestyles are under attack, the bad guy just happens to be those things. I think the same is true for this movie. The bad guys happen to be an arm of the church. I don’t think it represents the community of believers I’m a part of or THE church – God’s redeemed people. There are churches out there that I would consider evil and their goal is total control of the people. The people who drank poisoned kool-aid so they could be picked up by their spaceship hiding behind Halley’s Comet comes to mind. I think it would be crazy to have them be compared to God’s church. I see the comparison to the Magisterium and God’s church just as ridiculous.
Let’s talk about the daemons (pronounced demons) for a minute. I have already said that I didn’t like Pullman’s choice of the word. I’ve read that is was based on the Greek word for companion. He could have chosen another word and it would have worked just as well and there would have been less controversy. The whole idea of a person’s soul being on the outside of the body is interesting. You have to remember this is taking place in a parallel universe, not our own. It makes me think of Gary Smalley’s personality type assessment with animals representing the different personality types. His theory says there are four basic personality types which are represented by the Lion, the Otter, the Golden Retriever, and the Beaver. Just thinking about those animals probably gave you an instant picture into what traits those particular animals might represent. You can read more about this and take a quick test to figure out which personality you may be HERE. I think I am a Beaver with Lion tendencies. IF I lived in Lyra’s world, my personality – a part of who I am deep inside me but existing on the outside of my body, would look incredibly silly if it were a lion/beaver mix. I hope you get the idea. I wish I would have thought about this when I wrote my review of the first book. The daemons in the story are not demons (as in Satan’s angels) from the Bible. I hear that “rebel angels” appear later on in the series. There is a clear distinction and I can’t think of any other way to get that point across. Lyra’s daemon Pantalaimon, called Pan in the movie more often than in the books, is named for a saint in the orthodox churches. His name in Greek means “all forgiving”. (I read that on wikipedia)
In short, people I dearly love sit comfortably on the opposite side of the table on this issue and I have to respect their concern and opinions. My friends can boycott the books and the movie and that is fine with me. I did not find it the sinister piece of film some of the commenters from earlier posts might. I said in my very first post that you will probably find what you are looking for in this story. If you go looking for good vs. evil, you will surely find it. If you go expecting to hate the movie and be offended by it, you probably will be. If you want to view the story as anti-religious, I can’t change your mind.
So far, I believe it to be a good story. It’s an entertaining work of fiction that spins an adventurous tale. The themes of loyalty, friendship, and a fight for the good run strong throughout the story. I’ll be posting my review of the second book, The Subtle Knife, next week. As for the movie, I liked it enough to watch the second movie when it comes out, though the book will still be better. 🙂
I am a book snob as well. I think the Harry Potter books are SO much better than the movies can translate. I liked the movie of The Secret of NIMH, that one actually was identical to what my brain imagined, and didn’t leave too much out.
I am happy to hear that you gave the movie and the book a fair look. You have both positive and negative impressions, but you give both equal air time. I think that this, like any other fiction, needs to be previewed by a parent and enjoyed as a family. One can find anti-religious themes in any work. The Bible has many examples of people doing everything in their power to deny God.
Good thoughts!
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“I thought the movie was rushed.”
um, well, gee… you take a gazillion page book and cram it into less than two hours… uh, yeah you’re going to get rushed. LOL
Now, I’ll be honest, I pretty much just skimmed this post because I don’t care about the movie one way or the other. Not because of the controversy surrounding it but simply because it looks boring to me. LOL Yeah, yeah, I know you know this. However I’m being the good friend and supporting you by commenting. LOL So… how badly are you wanting to smack me right now? LOL
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I agree with you that Sam Elliot was great. He always is. 🙂 I also agree that the church thing was a non-issue.
However, I thought the movie was boring 😦 and I still don’t like the daemon aspect, though you explain it really well. In fact, you’ve written a very well thought out post. I don’t happen to agree with all of it, but I still love you and I won’t question your faith or character as a result of it. I respect your right to voice your opinion as I know you respect mine. I’m glad that we don’t feel like we need to convince each other to change our minds.
I know you were as shocked as I was about all the controversy this movie received. Stand firm, honey, ’cause I have the feeling this is just the beginning. It’s all part of being Bold and Free.
Happy 2008 – it’s going to be a rocking year. May God bless you and your family in the coming year. And may He continue to increase your circle of influence. (((h))) Love you!
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Are you interested in writing movie reviews?
Pls check out this opportunity at MoviePress,
http://metalbirds.com/popkorns/jobs/
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