It has been several years since I read TGC. I really could not remember much about the books except that I loved the first two.
"The Golden Compass [Blu-ray]"
The movie was surprisingly good. A nice review of the story for me and the movie worked well by itself.
The CGI and other visuals were terrific. I was really pleased with the imagination of the alternate world and the variety of characters and places. It always amazes me to think about how good computers have gotten at creating visuals.
The voice overs and casting were equally terrific with a ton of stars a few good new faces. It was a bit odd to see "James Bond" in the movie but it was even more odd to see a main character with yellow, bad teeth. Seeing anyone who isnt perfect (unless they are a villain) just feels out of place in movies. Not a bad thing just notable because it is so out of the norm.
I dont remember hearing much about the movie which probably means it did not do very well. I wonder if that has anything to do with the overtones of religion and fascism. I dont remember the strong religious message in the first book but I do remember it being a major part of the final book. The message is hard to miss in the movie.
My only complaint about the movie is the violence. Good grief. Even though the main character is a child, I cannot imagine my child watching a movie with so much violence.
