The Seven Deadly Sins of The Golden Compass
Without a doubt, "The Golden Compass" is one of the worst adaptations of a novel into a movie I've ever seen. There are some plot spoilers below, but even if you know these it won't make the movie any better:
1. Lyra working out who the 'Gobblers' were by seeing a letterhead that says "General Oblation Board". No eleven-year-old would work that out.
2. Making Ma Costa a secondary figure. (In the book she was Lyra's nurse while her parents had to sort out the legal machinations surrounding her birth, and becomes her adoptive mother when she flees Mrs Coulter.)
3. Not explaining why the Gyptians have a fondness for Lord Asriel. (In the book, he advocates for legal recognition of their customary land rights.)
4. Making most of the interesting characters of the book two-dimensional.
5. Having Mrs Coulter confess that she is Lyra's monther, and Lord Asriel is her father, without explaining why they couldn't raise her themselves and had to abandoned her at Oxford College.
6. Claiming that the Magisterium wants to control the lives of those in other worlds, but having them stopping any research by Lord Asriel that allows them to move between them.
7. Cutting out the last chapters of the book from the movie, so the shocking ending of the book is not included in an attempt to give the story an uplifting ending instead, and not leave the story hanging if the sequels are not made.
I don't think any church has anything to fear from this movie - supposedly, an adventure movie the best thing to sum this movie up would be the guy in the seat behind me who started snoring after 30 minutes. Word will get around and no-one will go.
1. Lyra working out who the 'Gobblers' were by seeing a letterhead that says "General Oblation Board". No eleven-year-old would work that out.
2. Making Ma Costa a secondary figure. (In the book she was Lyra's nurse while her parents had to sort out the legal machinations surrounding her birth, and becomes her adoptive mother when she flees Mrs Coulter.)
3. Not explaining why the Gyptians have a fondness for Lord Asriel. (In the book, he advocates for legal recognition of their customary land rights.)
4. Making most of the interesting characters of the book two-dimensional.
5. Having Mrs Coulter confess that she is Lyra's monther, and Lord Asriel is her father, without explaining why they couldn't raise her themselves and had to abandoned her at Oxford College.
6. Claiming that the Magisterium wants to control the lives of those in other worlds, but having them stopping any research by Lord Asriel that allows them to move between them.
7. Cutting out the last chapters of the book from the movie, so the shocking ending of the book is not included in an attempt to give the story an uplifting ending instead, and not leave the story hanging if the sequels are not made.
I don't think any church has anything to fear from this movie - supposedly, an adventure movie the best thing to sum this movie up would be the guy in the seat behind me who started snoring after 30 minutes. Word will get around and no-one will go.
posted by Michael at
9:30 PM
2 Comments:
I thought the movie was entertaining, however I have never read the book. After reading this blog I will have to. It is intaresting that Pullman gets so much bad press about his books. Do you know where I might be able to find more information about how his books parallel organized religion? And his motivations for doing this.
Tim
By
Timothy, at 12:35 PM
Timothy - I really enjoyed all three books, the ending of Northern Lights makes you want to read the next two books.
If I told you why they are so anti-religion I'd spoil the story, so I won't.
But while not so evident in the movie, the parallel universe that exists in the book is ruled by the Magisterium, which is an organisation that evolves after a Pope dies and a no-one can agree on a replacement head of the church.
Because of this, there is no reformation, and no separation of church and state. In the book this is Asriel's motivation, and why they want to kill him when he returns to Oxford.
Most of what I know about Pullman comes from just reading the controversy in the media.
By
Michael, at 3:34 PM
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