In rapid-fire events that can only happen when a movie is based on a detailed novel, her adventurer-scientist uncle Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) turns up and almost immediately vanishes for the Arctic Circle to investigate a mysterious substance known as Dust. Because Lyra is young, Pan can shape-shift into several animals as befit her unsettled moods. (The film has more than 1,100 effects shots.) Lyra’s daemon is named Pantalaimon (voiced by Freddie Highmore). This is a major element in the storytelling, yet it makes for a cluttered mise-en-scene and must have been a bitch for the CG artists to produce, as virtually every character in the film is shadowed by a CG critter. A brave little orphan girl, Lyra (a bit of young acting magic that goes by the charming name of Dakota Blue Richards), grows up in an inexplicably pampered and carefree existence in Oxford.Įveryone in this world is conjoined by an animal spirit, a soul mate or alter ego called a “daemon,” that entwines itself into that person’s life. In a 19th century that features dirigibles, other exotic means of transport and mystical creatures, everyone is governed by an Orwellian overlord known as the Magisterium. “Golden Compass” takes place in an alternate reality Britain and Europe, where the time period appears to be late Charles Dickens and early Jules Verne. It’s an imagination overload, yet the film maintains a steady course through the FX mire with a strong story line and viable characters at every turn. Adapted and directed by Chris Weitz, “Golden Compass” possesses its own movie wizardry, ranging from terrific stunts and CG critters to otherworldly sets and all sorts of 2-D and 3-D visual effects.
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