An evil empire called the Magestirium attempts total control of the population by hiding the secrets or parallel universes and a unifying particle called Dust in Chris Weitz's clunky but entertaining adaptation of Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass".

"Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings" have never apologized about their overt paganism. Likewise, "The Chronicles of Narnia" have never been accused of being subtle as a Christian allegory. These series, in both literary and film forms, have been monster hits due to their unapologetic natures that speak truths to their ardent fan bases. British writer Philip Pullman's darkly subversive anti-religious fantasy books have also been hugely successful, more so overseas than here in the States. Stripped of the books' overt atheistic messages, "The Golden Compass" takes a reverse psychology approach in its film treatment and oddly positions itself as an apology for Pullman's work. The result is a tepid affair that joins a long line of fantasy films about children discovering they are the chosen ones destined to save the world. At least this film is refreshing in its stance on girl-power as represented in the main character Lyra, played wonderfully by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards, who apparently is a graduate of the Dakota Fanning school of acting. Whether or not this tactic to strip the film of its soul (much like the Magesiterium strips children of their daemons) will make the film broadly appealing enough to warrant a franchise has yet to be determined.

The film comes across as more anti-authoritarianism in general than specifically anti-religion. In the 21st century the line between authoritarian politics and organized religion has become increasingly blurred. Since we currently live in a world where a born-again Christian sits in the White House and wages wars in Muslim nations, it's easy to see why folks from both sides of the aisle, ardent fans of the books and conservative Christians alike, have been worked up into a mindless and silly frenzy over even just a watered-down film version of the first of Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy, with one side saying it's not wickedly subversive enough, and the other side saying it's still subversively wicked.

However, viewing the film out of the context of the books upon which it is based and the ridiculous faux-controversy surrounding them, it makes the grade as a big-budget fantasy flick. Yes, there are too many characters to keep track of, and the film has rushed feel to it as if it was edited at the last minute, but it still makes for an interesting trip. Kids will be wowed by the elaborate set designs and CGI effects, which are far superior to the ones in the similarly clunky but still entertaining "Chronicles of Narnia" and culminate in an awesome battle sequence involving armored polar bears--take that Global Warming! Adults will get a kick out the nimble ensemble cast, who all seem to be having a great deal of fun with the self-seriousness of the whole production and are headlined by Nicole Kidman--botoxed, full-lipped and deliciously frosty in a creepy villain role that suits her perfectly.

Possibly the strangest aspect of the film comes as an accidental subtext resulting from its apologetic nature. With its depiction of mystical-minded do-gooders rallying against the totalitarian Magestirium, "The Golden Compass" almost comes across as a period piece anti-Communist allegory rallying for the fall of the Soviet Union. It makes the film feel charmingly dated. There's also the disturbing subtext of child abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church as seen in the Magestirium's cruel experiments with kidnapped children, which makes the film feel charmingly grotesque.

Bottom Line: Any movie that depicts Nicole Kidman walking around with a monkey and preaches the importance of free will, making bonds, sticking together, and fighting for your friends and loved ones can't be all that bad. Despite some of the themes of the books being exorcised and arbitrarily presented by a poorly chosen Chris Weitz (a director known for his comedies "American Pie" and "About a Boy"), "The Golden Compass" still has enough interesting elements and old-fashioned razzle dazzle presented with new age CGI to make it entertaining. At its worst, it presents two hours of dark fantasy-land eye candy. At its best, it encourages adults and children alike to use their free will to do something far better with their two hours, like read.

The Golden Compass is lovely to look at, I mean I really liked the costumes and the scenery. The problem is that the plot of the film is a bit muddled. I haven't read the book by Phillip Pullman but I've heard from my brother it's very good. Back to the film, there were some scenes where the action felt rushed, and others got a bit confusing plot wise. I think that director Chris Weitz was trying to cram too much into a 108 minute film, and because of that, the script became increasingly uneven and contrived. Though on a positive note, I really liked the acting. Dakota Blue Richards gave a spirited performance as Lyra, and Nicole Kidman looks beautiful and manipulative as Mrs Coulter. And Ian McKellan did a superb job with the voicing of the polar bear, and the polar bear fight was definitely one of the better scenes of the movie. The only casting problem was that of Daniel Craig, he just seemed out of character. All in all, an enjoyable film, with a 7/10. Bethany Cox.

I wish I could have given The Golden Compass a better review. I loved the special effects and the players are some of the best around today. But I was left hanging more than once during the film.

I hate making the comparison, but The Golden Compass was a lot like the two Brady Bunch movies which were developed solely for their fans. If you had not watched the television series and knew some of the classic episodes you would have been completely lost watching either of those films.

The Golden Compass is certainly a better property than the Brady Bunch, but I fear unless you read the books which I didn't, you could not have known what was coming.

The film is located in an alternate reality where people's souls as it were are located out of their body in the form of animals. The fabric that holds this universe together is dust, something that is found throughout our universe.

With animals so closely bound to human kind the question of man being carnivorous is not an issue. I did kind of wonder what they did to feed themselves, maybe we'll get that answer in a sequel.

There's a ruling orthodoxy on this planet that brooks no dissent in matters of creation. There's punishment a plenty for even the mildly inquisitive. No one is going to miss the point made here about the dangers of a theocratic state.

A young girl, Dakota Blue Richards, appears to be a child foretold in heretic prophecy who's going to bring a new order of things. She has to be stopped, whatever the cost. Put in charge of the stopping is the very elegant Nicole Kidman.

In this world it isn't lions who are the King of Beasts as say in Narnia. Here it's the majestic polar bear of the north and serving as the voice of the noble and newly crowned King of the Bears is Sir Ian McKellan, best performance in the film, followed closely by Sam Elliott as the aviator for higher, an older wild west version of Han Solo.

I do hope future films do tie up some of the loose ends left in this one.