FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: The Golden Compass [DVD] [2007]

The Golden Compass [DVD] [2007]
enlarge	Director: Chris Weitz Actors: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker, Freddie Highmore Studio: Entertainment in Video Category: DVD List Price: ~~£19.99~~ Buy Used: £1.34 as of 22/11/2009 22:18 GMT details You Save: £18.65 (93%) New (41) Used (61) from £1.34 Seller: phillrobbo Rating: 111 reviews Sales Rank: 1967 Format: PAL Languages: English (Unknown), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language) Rating: Parental Guidance Region: 2 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 109 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5017239195600 ASIN: B0010X8FLM Theatrical Release Date: 2007 Release Date: April 28, 2008 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


Similar Items: The Spiderwick Chronicles [DVD] [2008] I Am Legend [DVD] [2007] Stardust [DVD] [2007] Enchanted [DVD] [2007] The Water Horse - Legend Of The Deep [DVD] [2007]


Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review Perhaps it didn't ignite the box office in quite the way it'd been hoped, but that's little reason to pass over the qualities of IThe Golden Compass/I now it arrives on DVD. Based on the Phillip Pullman novel IHis Dark Materials/I--itself the start of the INorthern Lights/I trilogy, the film isn't without a few problems, but emerges as a quality adaptation. P And you certainly can't fault IThe Golden Compass/I for sheer ambition. The story, for those new to the series, is primarily that of 12-year old Lyra, who is in search of her friend who has been kidnapped. Naturally, this proves to be quite a challenging adventure, not least because it's through Pullman's vividly imagined world, crossing dimensions as Lyra travels. The film, while toning down and fiddling with some elements of the source material, stays quite close to the book, and it proves to be a good, if not ILord Of The Rings/I-standard, adaptation. P What helps IThe Golden Compass/I, on top of the strong effects work and scope of the production, is a solid cast, featuring the likes of Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman and Dakota Blue Richards. And it certainly whets the appetite for the next instalment in the series. Whether the muted box office returns put pay to that remains to be seen: for now, at least, IThe Golden Compass/I is a good, solid family movie that's easy to enjoy. --IJon Foster/I

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 111 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...23 Next » Taking it for what it is, actually pretty good April 30, 2008 L. Green (London, UK) 12 out of 17 found this review helpful Barcode: 5017239195600 br / br /I grew up with the His Dark Materials trilogy and it has since become a classic of modern literature, equally loved and praised by children and adults alike. I was won over by the characters and Pullman's visionary world and rightfully i was overjoyed when i heard a film was being made of the first book. br / br /Having watched the film, i think i'm among the majority when i say there are quite a few flaws in the translation from text to screen. However, that said, it is far from a bad film and there are many far worse film adaptations of novels. Where The Golden Compass wins is on two strengths that it plays to perfectly - the casting and the overall looks and feel of the film. br / br /Dakota is without a doubt the star of the film, capturing the roguish likeability of Lyra, her performance carrying you right through the film and ensures you care for the character, something which could have so easily gone wrong. Daniel Craig fresh out of Casino Royale is great as the majestic Lord Asriel (and we have his Bond co-star Eva Green as one of the witches too) and the beautiful Nicole Kidman serves up a perfect Miss Coulter, the perfect blend of coldness and elegance that is just as i imagined her character. br / br /The visuals are fantastic too, CGI painting the world that is at once like ours but at the same time so different in striking reality. It is this combined with the characters that won me over to this film. I was embraced my nostalgia for Pullman's fantastic story and immersed myself in the film which looked and felt like the lush production that the books so rightfully deserved. br / br /But what about those flaws? Well, the complete removal of the religious context pretty much tears a lot of the darker and more mysterious heart to the story from the film. Thus, the whole thing feels less gritty than the books and i don't see how they effectively continue this into the sequels which rely on religion even more. That's a real shame. br / br /A lot of the plot is also cut out or re-arranged which is always understandable when converting a book as long as Northern Lights was into a family film but still, it just feels like so much is missing from the film that even while you're enjoying the visuals and character performances, you're left feeling just that little bit dissatisfied when the film's over. br / br /Also, as other's have picked out, i think the armoured bears were done a great injustice, their culture has so much depth to it in the books but here, it feels as if they ran out of time at the end of the film so just glossed over them. br / br /On the whole though, i would recommend this film, especially to someone who has never read the books, as at its heart, what made the books so magic is still here - i enjoyed the film and ultimately that's what matters the most. It's a tale of one girl and her demon taking on all the harshness and evil of the world in a coming of age story that has so much charm and imagination to it that you just fall in love with Pullman's world. Bring on the sequel and lets see where things go from there i say! br / Amazing !!!! December 30, 2007 Charlie Edwards (England) 26 out of 39 found this review helpful As a fan of the books who has read them all about ten times I was really excited when I heard the film was coming out. However, I was worried that it would ruin the book for me. br /I found it an amazing film though. True, it wasn't as good as the book, but what film is? The film kept all the main aspects of the book in it, and the characters seemed to me just like they were represented in the book. The actors were brilliant and the special effects were outstanding!!! br /My only complaint is that it had the title of the American book!!! br /I recommend this to everyone whether they have read the books or not as it is truly magical and I can't wait for the Subtle Knife !!! So much better than I was expecting April 27, 2008 kampori (UAE) 10 out of 15 found this review helpful Please, do not immediately stop reading- I am not the person who watches the films instead of reading the books, and then judges the author for a crap storyline. I usually hate book-movie films, such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings (which were all drivel compared to the books). br / br /However The Golden Compass (Northern Lights as the book is called) steps forward as an amazing step to adapting books into films. I personally though the casting was superb- I could easily see and feel which character was which instantaneously. The acting was really good, the special effects were great, and the Daemons were done incredibly well! It was gripping and every aspect, from the sad to the action scenes were amazing. br / br /As far as the proper story goes (as in the book), the film follows is almost PERFECTLY. Everything bar TWO scenes in the film were 100% exactly how they were in the book. Even 90% of the key conversations were WORD BY WORD adapted from the book to the film (trust me, straight after I saw the film, I reread the books, and they were bloody identical! br / br /I was SO pleased with this film from every minute of it! Looking forward to the next 3 (probably.- this is because I think they are cutting the ending of the book out of the film, and saving it for the next film- so as to make 1 extra film for a bigger franchise? Who knows..?) br / br /Anyway, if anyone has kept reading through all of my rambling, hope you found it useful! Cheers all. Make your own mind up. March 8, 2008 Mrs. Claire Ridgway 11 out of 17 found this review helpful If you've read the book you'll be confused. Yes, the film brings the places - Bolvanger, the North, Oxford and Jordan College - to life brilliantly, and the polar bears and daemons are fantastic. BUT you'll be disappointed by the screenplay adaptation. Everything is out of order, events happen to different characters and the ending is not the same, it finishes before the book does. br /I've given it 5 stars because, if you forget the book, it's an excellent film. It's entertaining, action packed and enjoyable for the whole family, although my youngest hid his eyes during the polar bear fight which is quite graphic.The special effects are incredible and Lyra's world is believable and real - dust, witches, polar bears,daemons, gyptians and a very different London. br /Dakota Blue Richards is great as Lyra, the central character, and Nicole Kidman is perfect as the many faceted character of Mrs Coulter. br /Seeing the film made me want to read the books again and I look forward to seeing the Subtle Knife on the big screen. A very good attempt December 16, 2007 T. Turner (Birmingham, UK) 5 out of 9 found this review helpful I've been really surprised at the negative reaction to The Golden Compass movie. I for one, really enjoyed this film. The performances are highly impressive, Dakota and Sam Elliot are perfect, the production design is second to none and the atmosphere of the piece is beautiful. The story does move on a little too quickly, but that's a minor quibble when appreciating that at the end of the day, this is a popcorn movie, not an arthouse movie. I'm amazed that the book was ever adapted in the first place, considering the controversial themes it deals with. I'm normally quite cynical when it comes to Hollywood adaptions. I thought that the first few Harry Potter films were terribly overhyped compared to this and when compared to other family fantasy movies of the past few years, it comes out closer to the top of the list, rather than the bottom. The only film of its type that I'd put above it, is the LOTR trilogy. This is a great story with themes of friendship, love, truth, sacrifice and the never ending quest to question all those in authority. It would be a shame not to see that continued on the big screen. Showing reviews 1-5 of 111 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...23 Next »

CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON EU S.à.r.l. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.