Golden Compass

I watched The Golden Compass on DVD tonight. I had seen it in theaters in December. Even though I really enjoyed the book by Philip Pullman, my favorite of the His Dark Materials series, I was underwhelmed by the movie yet again. I think it shares a problem with many adaptations; the assumption is made that the viewer is familiar with the story so it is strung together more like a series of vignettes than a complete narrative. The movie jumped from plot point to plot point without smooth transitions. That being said, I liked the special effects. It must have been a monumental task to provide every person with a demon. Nicole Kidman must get the highest praise for acting. Her Mrs. Coulter was deliciously amoral. The scene where she slaps her demon made me shiver. It has been quite a while since I read the book, so I can't remember all the differences between the book and movie. The most glaring and unsatisfying is the ending. The DVD I got from Blockbuster didn't have any extras. When I buy it for myself I'll probably go for the two disk set so I can view some of them.

Upcoming movies

A number of book adaptations are scheduled to come out this year in theaters. Here are a few:

Blood and Chocolate based on the book by Annette Curtis Klause on January 26

Bridge to Terabithia based on the book by Katherine Patterson on February 16

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix based on the book by J.K. Rowling on July 13

Stardust based on the book by Neil Gaiman on July 27

The Golden Compass based on the book by Philip Pullman on December 7