Fantasy fans have a golden opportunity to bulk up their movie collection with a DVD packed with entertaining and enlightening special features that chronicle the making of The Golden Compass, Chris Weitz's film that adapts the classic Philip Pullman novel. But consumers should beware of what they are shopping for.
For those unfamiliar with the movie or the novel it is adapted from, Compass is a thinly veiled - but thought-provoking - macro-metaphor for the power that the Catholic Church once held over the world. The story sounds familiar. A young child named Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards), is the only person in the world with the ability to use some magical trinket - no ring, this time it's a truth-telling compass. A journey ensues to some remote section of the world. Lyra assembles a cast of unusual but powerful friends: a witch (Eva Green), a cowboy (Sam Elliot), and a bear (Ian McKellen). Even Jordan College, the setting for the film's exposition, evokes an aura of Hogwarts. But the combination of Victorian style with medieval religion and magical demons gives the movie a unique seat among fantasy films.
The sound is superb, especially the polar bears' roars. The visual effects astound, rightfully winning the Oscar for achievement in visual effects. The acting is phenomenal. Richards is one of the most convincing child actresses to appear in years. Daniel Craig plays his A-game, although his role as Lord Asriel is disappointingly short. Nicole Kidman shines as the sinister seductress Marisa Coulter. The film falls short, however, because Weitz attempts to condense an enormous book into a less-than-two-hour film, confusing the viewer with hasty plot development.
So why should consumers beware? NewLine went ahead and released two versions of the DVD. One of them has no special features, except for half a page of credits to DVD designers. It's a complete ripoff, unless you are stingy and looking to get a birthday gift for your niece with no frills. The other version, the Platinum Series Special Edition (Big Name Marketing Gimmick), is worth the extra $5. It comes with over four hours of extra features, not including the engaging director's commentary. In the features, the viewer glimpses into the minds Pullman and Weitz, learns of the grueling casting process that yielded Richards as Lyra, and explores the designs of costumes and effects. The coolest feature is a 17-minute look at the evolution of the design of the armored bears, followed by a gallery of the original artist renditions of the beasts.
Newline did a great job with the Special Edition, but that they bothered releasing two versions is frustrating. An impressive but flawed film, intense special features, and a deceitful marketing ploy merit The Golden Compass DVD a B-.
2008 Woodie Awards
