The book, The Golden Compass, is one of my favorite book, as well as it's wonderful sequels. It makes up one of the best series in fantasy, other than Harry Potter. There is so much packed into each of the books, despite them being under 500 pages. The books flow from one book to another seamlessly, like an almost non-existent transition between books. The characters are all really strong with interesting personalities, the enviornments in which the books take place in are rich with details, and information.
So, with all of my lovings for the great series, I was extremely excited about seeing the movie. I had pretty high expectations, but at the same time, had no idea what to expect.
What was done right:
The opening scene came, and with a short intro that fit well, it kicked off. The world is amazing, they did it extremely well.
-The Daemons were excellent, they changed like they did in the book. They actually represented what a real soul outside of body would look like and behave. They spoke with good animations, lip-scynced well.
-Lyra: Lyra is extremely dynamic character. She is tough, she has those balls to be rough, she is very strong; she has a big loving heart. She's a daredevil, she does what she wants. Along with her, there's Pantalamon, her daemon. He is done well. The movie does an excellent job protraying what kind of girl Lyra really is.
-Mrs. Coulter: Mrs. Coulter is extremely annoying in the books, as is rude, firm, and highly respected in the book. This transfers out to the movie.
-The gytians: The gyptians were captured well in the movie; being big and tough, good fighters, and have a lot of power. Lord Faa/Farder Coram, are done excellently.
-The alethimoeter: The instrument is stunning in the books, and the same transfers to the movie -- though, the effect is a bit too far.
I'm sure there's a bit more, well, a lot more, that they have done right. It would make this blog post EXTREMELY long.
What was done wrong:
-The Svalbard/Bolvangar scenes: They were flipped in the movie, so Svalbard was visited first and the bear fight, and then Bolvangar when they rescue Roger.
-The cliff-hanger ending: The ending in the book was a cliff-hanger, but not as it is in the movie. In the book, you see Roger get killed, and Lyra meet Asriel once again. In the movie, they just end with them running up a cliff toward Lord Asriel's house.
