The Golden Compass (New Line Platinum Series Two-Disc Widescreen Edition) | 
| Director: Chris Weitz
Actors: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker, Freddie Highmore
Studio: New Line Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $34.99
Buy New: $2.98
as of 3/22/2010 10:24 EDT details
You Save: $32.01 (91%)
New (46) Used (30) Collectible (3) from $2.24
Seller: wholesale_deals
Rating:  301 reviews
Sales Rank: 21829
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), Icelandic (Original Language), Russian (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 113 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: 1000038167
UPC: 794043120435
EAN: 0794043120435
ASIN: B00005JPNY
Theatrical Release Date: December 7, 2007
Release Date: April 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Features:
| • | In a parallel universe where witches rule the skies and armoured bears are the bravest warriors, young Lyra Belacqua journeys from her home among the scholars at Oxford to the far North to save her best friend. Based on the first book in the Carnegie Medal-winning series, His Dark Materials. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY Rating: PG-13 Age: 794043120435 UPC: |
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
A fantasy epic with more than a passing resemblance to the Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia film franchises, The Golden Compass takes place in an alternate universe where each human's soul is embodied in a companion animal called a daemon. Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards), an orphan who's lived most of her life among the scholars at Oxford, is intrigued when her uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig), announces his plans to travel north to investigate the source of some mysterious particles called Dust. Lyra has little hope of following her uncle until a mysterious woman named Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman, at her most icily beautiful) asks Lyra to travel north as her personal assistant. All is not as it seems, however, and the disappearance of Lyra's friend Roger (Ben Walker) sets her on a dizzying adventure. She does have an alethiometer, or golden compass, that can help her see the truth, and a number of companions, including her shape-shifting daemon, Pantalaimion (voiced by Freddie Highmore of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), polar-bear warrior Iorek Byrnison (voiced by Ian McKellen), Texas aeronaut Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliott), and witch queen Serafina Pekkala (Craig's Casino Royale co-star, Eva Green). Even before its release, The Golden Compass was the subject of controversy over its perceived anti-religious themes. While it does involve an oppressive institution called the Magisterium, it's not overtly religious, particularly to a young viewer. The movie's PG-13 rating should be taken seriously, however. Suitable for an older audience than Narnia (though younger than The Lord of the Rings), it deals with complex concepts, violence (though largely bloodless) and implied death, children and animals in peril, and an unrelentingly ominous and unsettling mood. Despite a few changes and rearrangements, the overall plot of the movie is remarkably faithful to its source material, the first installment of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. It doesn't finish the book, however, and--much like The Fellowship of the Ring did--leaves the viewer hanging in anticipation of the next film, The Subtle Knife, due in 2009. So even though The Golden Compass is impressive--especially with its spot-on cast and terrific visual effects--we probably won't know its full emotional impact until the story is complete. --David Horiuchi
Product Description
IN A WONDEROUS PARALLEL WORLD WHERE WITCHES SOAR THE SKIES & ICE BEARS RULE THE FROZEN NORTH, ONE SPECIAL GIRL IS DESTINED TO HOLD THE FATE OF THE UNIVERSE IN HER HANDS.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 301
 Sequals Please March 12, 2010
Draco (NYC)
Amazing futuristic fantasy film based on the first of a series of three books. It was lamb-basted by the church for it's supposed "anti-religous" theme and "subversion of children's minds". Interesting how the Catholic church found the oppressive, mythical "Magesterium" likened to itself. In fact there was no allusion direct or implied against any bonified organized religous group... yet we are being denied our right to artistic license and free speach in the USA as a result.
I suggest flooding the studio/producers with letters demanding the two sequals be made, and true to their original format as well! The only other way of actually realising the outcome is by reading installments number two (The Subtle Knife) and three (The Amber Spyglass) in the trilogy written by Phillip Pullman. Thank goodness for the forward thinking of the English without which we'd have also been denied the "Harry Potter" series, destined to be the "Wizard of Oz" of the 21st Century!!!
What a shame this movie didn't do better. February 2, 2010
Caraculiambro (La Mancha and environs)
I say "shame," because I'm afraid the poor performance of this movie will get you to not read the series of 3 books it's based on (this film is an adaption of the first). Not reading those books would be a tremendous loss.
And I think you'd have to read "The Golden Compass" to understand why the reason the movie didn't do better. It wasn't a problem with the director or the actors or anything. Rather, the book interwove two emotions: fear and wonder, with wonder being uppermost. The movie, for the most part a faithful adapation, also interwove the same two emotions, but with fear uppermost, and wonder taking a back seat.
It's just one scene after another of relentless, pounding fear. Kids don't dig that so much.
 A fun movie, but hard to understand if you haven't read the book January 30, 2010
C Lynn P (New England, USA)
Having read all 3 of the books in this series, I was excited to see a film version. I did enjoy it very much, so much that I bought my own DVD and have re-watched it at least 10 times. BUT, if a person sits down to watch the movie and is not familiar with what all the controversy is about "dust", then it's a very lightweight fantasy film that just has good special effects. I would love to see the other 2 books made into movies also, but I hear this one did not do well enough to make that happen. As for all the "church" controversy, hogwash. A truly religious person is not going to be swayed by the innuendos in this tale, and non-religious people will just have those snide comments go right over their heads. Impact to the church? NIL. As for impressionable children, heck how often do kids pay attention to dialogue in a film? They watch for the action. And the special effects. If you are looking for a good fantasy film with some great acting, this is a fun time.
Fun Movie Too bad there won't be a sequel January 6, 2010
mrmooseesq (St. Louis)
The movie was fun. It's not great and it's not a must see. It's just fun. The scenery is fantastic and the acting is pretty good. If you like Sci-Fi / Fantasy then you will enjoy this. If not, then probably not. It's a shame that a sequel will not be made. Also, I do not understand the fury over billing this as an anti religous movie. Opponents tried to paint this as a picture (and book series) aimed at convincing children that religion is silly and bad and that all intelligent people should be atheists. Perhaps I don't try hard enough to find messages in movies - I sit back and enjoy them - but the anti religion aspect on this movie seems like quite a reach. This will no more corrupt your children than Harry Potter. Personally, I think the true hatred of this movie by religous supporters stems from the fact that the author of the series is a confirmed atheist and they don't want to see him succeed and / or gain any type of forum. My belief is to each their own and I would have loved to see a sequel. Although, I must say studios are generally bloodsuckers so I'm guessing they quashed a sequel not out of pressure from the Vatican or religous advocates but rather because they felt like it wouldn't be profitable. I'm sure if they could make money from it, they would do it in a heartbeat. To me there is some irony that the same parents who were duped into keeping their children away from this movie are the same parents who allow their children to worship all things Harry Potter much like my generation worshipped all things Star Wars!
P.S. I grew up worshipping Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars and have enjoyed Harry Potter in the last decade. Somehow I didn't turn out to be an atheist.
The names were changed to protect the innocent January 6, 2010
bernie (Arlington, Texas)
Come to think if it the whole story is about protecting the innocent.
Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) was raised relatively unsupervised which lead to a wild child hood of mock-wars and mischievousness. An excellent liar who saves her from many situations, she may someday find her assets are liabilities. A chance visit by her uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig), will change her life for ever.
Well movies can not be the book and many times for brevity speeches are cut and locations are rearranged (from a 400 page book to a 110 page script.) But you have to draw the line some where. Unfortunately this is one of those times where they left the action in and changed the story form a multifaceted mystery to a black and white good guy vs. bad guy. We may as well have been watching Saturday afternoon cowboys with black and white hats. Some of the facets were skillfully woven into the non-verbal part of the film with the hope that you read the book and know what is happening. Still the focus switched from a coming of age story to free the slaves and what not. And what is with introducing a bad guy from the next installment to an earlier scene at Jordan collage that masking the turmoil of conciseness at the college?
I do agree that the movie needed to stop short of the cliffhanger end of the book. Let us see what happens when Lyra brings her father what he needs.
On the plus side, the costumes and props were excellent. The CGI did not overwhelm the story. Daemons knew their place. The music matched the scenes and did not overwhelm the dialog. They did a great job of choosing the actors. We can hope they will be around for "The Subtle Knife" (2009)." Nicole Kidman made a perfect Mrs. Coulter and the added scene where she slaps her monkey give hope to becoming more complex character. The voice of Iorek Byrnison (name changed) is Ian McKellen of "The Da Vinci Code" fame.
Well with any luck things may straighten out by the next installment.
-----------------------------------------------------
The Blu-ray comes with a bonus disk that has more footage on it than the movie its self. Watching this dark material and re-watching the film may give more insight to the story.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 301
|
|
|
![Journey to the Center of the Earth [Blu-ray]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B001GAOY5U.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)