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The Golden Compass Movie Discussion

siliconenhancedsiliconenhanced __BANNED USERS regular
edited March 2008 in Debate and/or Discourse
The_Golden_Compass_teaser_poster.jpg


Based on the book by Phillip Pullman, its expected to come out this December.


From Wikipedia:
The story begins when Lyra Belacqua—an orphaned, eleven year old girl residing at Jordan College—secretly enters the Retiring Room, despite resistance from her dæmon—an animal-formed, shape-shifting manifestation of her soul. Inside the room her uncle, Lord Asriel, tells the resident scholars of the mysterious golden particles called Dust. Shortly afterwards Lord Asriel leaves to head north, and Lyra continues with her normal life.

And then after that everything just goes crazy. Seriously. Basically you have to imagine Lyra's world as a bizarro version of our own. Its cleaner steampunk in some ways, and other things just defy explanation, such as the witches and the panzerbjorn (giant armoured polar bears who have their own country), and the entire concept of daemons, for example. However, big themes such as the idea of a second war in Heaven, the issue of original sin, and the power of the Church in the original series make it much deeper than simply a children's book.

The cast includes luminaries like Nicole Kidman as Mrs. Coulter, Daniel "James Bond" Craig as Lord Asriel, Sam Elliot as Lee Scorsby. Pretty inspired casting if you ask me, and the trailer is fucking glorious to behold.

I don't know about anyone else, but between this and the Transformers movie, I'm a pretty happy camper.

I'll try to post more updates as they come out, but sorry about the brevity of the OP for now.

Teaser Trailer
Wikipedia Movie Page

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    SceptreSceptre Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I totally bought this book the other day for 50 cents. Someone told me that it was an adventure novel in the same vein as Lord of the Rings.

    Any truth to this?

    Sceptre on
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    QuazarQuazar Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I haven't read the book, but judging from the trailer, the world itself looks very Final Fantasy-esque. This is a good thing. Color me interested.

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    thorpethorpe Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I really, really loved the books. But... eh, the trailer didn't do it for me. It almost looked too fantastic for me. Plus, I just really don't see that kid as Lyra, which doesn't help.

    thorpe on
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    ronzoronzo Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I have to see this now, and find the book.

    You had me with Talking armored polar bears

    ronzo on
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    The SaviorThe Savior Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I'll throw my vote in for "loved the books, trailer doesn't do it for me." In fact, I'd say that the three books are probably my favorite series of all time, but the trailer makes everything look too squeaky clean, rather than a gritty, harsh world that the books depicted. Plus, there was only like 2 seconds of the daemons in the trailer, and they were a significant part of the books.

    The Savior on
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    MikeManMikeMan Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I absolutely fucking loved the books.

    All three are good, but the first is just fucking sublime. Touching, incredible, breathtaking.

    Please, please, please, everyone read The Golden Compass if you haven't already. Please.

    MikeMan on
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    HewnHewn Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    That poster has a giant polar bear in armor.

    That's awesome.

    Hewn on
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    AdrienAdrien Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I wonder which half they're gonna cut out.

    Adrien on
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    MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I was really surprised by how good these books were, as I expected them to be a bit more kiddy. Not Tolkien by any means but still some really interesting sci-fi.

    Hmm... I was expecting Ioreks armor to be a bit more red than that, but the way it looks sort of mashed together works quite well.
    Adrien wrote: »
    I wonder which half they're gonna cut out.

    They'll probably speed up the beginning stuff a bit, before she sets out on the journey.

    -edit-

    Hey there is an explanation of Daemons on the movie site!

    http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/

    And a quiz to find out what yours is.

    -double edit-

    Mine's a bigass tiger named Onthia!

    MuddBudd on
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    RandomEngyRandomEngy Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    There exists an HD teaser for this movie. It's pretty cool.

    I liked the books and armored bears are always awesome so I'm going to see this movie.

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    MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I wonder if they are gonna change to two angels being lovers... or the whole war against heaven thing.

    MuddBudd on
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    Rhesus PositiveRhesus Positive GNU Terry Pratchett Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    My Dæmon's a chimp. I'm mildly disappointed with that.

    I read these books a few years ago on holiday, and while I liked the plot I missed most of the religious subtext (my brain had shut down for the summer). Hopefully the films will be the same - subtext for those that want it, and bears in armour for the rest of us.

    Rhesus Positive on
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    MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Hmm, according to the wiki they are taking most of the religious stuff out.

    that kinda sucks.

    MuddBudd on
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    MrMisterMrMister Jesus dying on the cross in pain? Morally better than us. One has to go "all in".Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    MuddBudd wrote: »
    Hmm, according to the wiki they are taking most of the religious stuff out.

    that kinda sucks.

    Yeah, boo.

    Though I'm not suprised. It was pretty out there.

    MrMister on
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    CimmeriiCimmerii SpaceOperaGhost Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    O snap. The trailer makes it look glorious.

    I do hope they don't 'edit' it to shreds.

    Cimmerii on
    *Internally Screaming*
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    FandyienFandyien But Otto, what about us? Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    You know, I loved The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife, but the Amber Spyglass never did it for me. I couldn't even finish it.

    I'm sorta dissapointed by the trailer. The books had some fantastics themes and, morover, some truly fucked up things that the books honestly wouldn't have been the same without.
    Like, the parts where the cut people's Dæmons from them? In the book the process is conveyed in a frightening, almost gory way, since you've become so attached to the Dæmons and their relationships with the characters. If they can somehow convey the same ambiance the writer did, especially in regard to the city of the PanzerBjorn and that whole battle, that would be so awesome. But I don't expect it.

    Fandyien on
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    CimmeriiCimmerii SpaceOperaGhost Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Yeah, some of it might be a bit gory for a 'kids' movie.
    Like when the polar bear she is 'friends' with rips off the other polar bear's jaw.

    Haven't read the books in years. Must dig them up.

    Cimmerii on
    *Internally Screaming*
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    LondonBridgeLondonBridge __BANNED USERS regular
    edited June 2007
    I have no interest in this film, looks more like Harry Potter than LOTR.

    LondonBridge on
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    MrMisterMrMister Jesus dying on the cross in pain? Morally better than us. One has to go "all in".Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    The books were much better than Harry Potter, but doubtless they'll be highly sterilized for the purposes of mass consumption. Gay angels just wouldn't fly (tee hee) with theater audiences.

    MrMister on
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    sdrawkcaB emaNsdrawkcaB emaN regular
    edited June 2007
    There's no way this movie will be anything but unfettered suck. Seriously.

    The books? Aweosme. Ridiculously awesome. Better than phat epix. But there's no way in hell they'll ever be faithfully translated. Issues: sexuality, gore, and the omnipresent anti-religiosity. I mean, for fuck's sake, Pullman said "[organized religion], That is the religion I hate, and I'm happy to be known as its enemy."

    I mean, in the Amber Spyglass,
    God turns out to be a senile, drooling figurehead maintained by Heaven for purposes of simply maintaining their sway.

    There's no way any of the good bits will remain intact. No way at all. The trailer really just cemented it.

    sdrawkcaB emaN on
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    wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    God, I love this series, but if the main themes of the book are removed just because religious 'tards will have aneurysms, I'm going to have to write this off as a failure. I'm all for pretty pictures, but I want at least some of the substance, especially from this series.

    wwtMask on
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    FencingsaxFencingsax It is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understanding GNU Terry PratchettRegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Modern Version of Paradise Lost kicks ass. Also, this Dakota is much more awesome than Fanning.

    Fencingsax on
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    JacobkoshJacobkosh Gamble a stamp. I can show you how to be a real man!Moderator mod
    edited June 2007
    Regarding the trailer: as a friend of mine said after seeing this, you can really spot the growing gap between movies with a few cgi shots done really well (cf. Pan's Labyrinth) and ones that are just CGI CGI SPAFF SPAFF SPAFF. The sad/annoying thing is that a zillion-dollar budget isn't necessary for these books; most of what happens could be done with practical effects like miniatures and costumes. Like, they didn't need a ridiculous cgi Final Fantasy Oxford when there's a perfectly good real Oxford that you could matte a couple zepplins into.

    Jacobkosh on
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    Lave IILave II Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    If they remove the anti-organised-Religion/pro-Humanism content of the book I don't understand how they can have a film left.

    It's all the book is about. It's like re-making "Ever which way but lose" without the orangutan. Or remaking star wars and setting it on present day earth.

    But seriously read the books. They are one of the best trilogies ever written.

    Lave II on
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    enc0reenc0re Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Everyone who has not yet read The Golden Compass must do so right now.

    enc0re on
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    MrMisterMrMister Jesus dying on the cross in pain? Morally better than us. One has to go "all in".Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Lave II wrote: »
    If they remove the anti-organised-Religion/pro-Humanism content of the book I don't understand how they can have a film left.

    IIRC, it's less inextricably tied to the plot of the first book than it is to the sequels.

    MrMister on
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    MahnmutMahnmut Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    thorpe wrote: »
    I really, really loved the books. But... eh, the trailer didn't do it for me. It almost looked too fantastic for me. Plus, I just really don't see that kid as Lyra, which doesn't help.

    This is about where I am, though Lyra did grow on me over the course of the two minutes. I always saw the Golden Compass homeworld as being a little less flashy. Still, the only thing that really says 'ouch' to me is that blimp. Like, what were they thinking when they designed it?

    edit: Aspadora, female Hare daemon. And -5000 awesome points for removing the religious subtext, though you're right that it was a lot less ...moralizing? in the first book than in the others.

    Mahnmut on
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    JinniganJinnigan Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I'm a fox!

    Jinnigan on
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    MikeManMikeMan Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Yeah I don't really know why you guys are getting all "omg they're cutting the anti-religion out of the movie lolol."

    What was in the first book? A little hinting that
    Calvin being pope was bad for the world, a little omnipresent Church,
    and that's it.

    It didn't get super religiously-themed until the second and third. The first book is an adventure story, one of the best ever written.

    MikeMan on
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    AdrienAdrien Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    MikeMan445 wrote: »
    Yeah I don't really know why you guys are getting all "omg they're cutting the anti-religion out of the movie lolol."

    What was in the first book? A little hinting that
    Calvin being pope was bad for the world, a little omnipresent Church,
    and that's it.

    It didn't get super religiously-themed until the second and third. The first book is an adventure story, one of the best ever written.

    Regardless, Church-as-nemesis probably isn't going to fly too well around here. Never mind that it's more or less a pagan religion.

    Adrien on
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    darunia106darunia106 J-bob in games Death MountainRegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I really don't care much for the Golden Compass books due to the above anti-religion stuff from the author. But I'm not going to throw a fit if there is atheistic stuff in the movie, I just won't go see it.

    darunia106 on
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    MikeManMikeMan Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Adrien wrote: »
    MikeMan445 wrote: »
    Yeah I don't really know why you guys are getting all "omg they're cutting the anti-religion out of the movie lolol."

    What was in the first book? A little hinting that
    Calvin being pope was bad for the world, a little omnipresent Church,
    and that's it.

    It didn't get super religiously-themed until the second and third. The first book is an adventure story, one of the best ever written.

    Regardless, Church-as-nemesis probably isn't going to fly too well around here. Never mind that it's more or less a pagan religion.

    Yeah. But I just don't see how they could cut out the Church being a symbol of oppression if they're going to do the movie at all.
    I mean how the hell are you gonna have the "cutting" procedure? Mrs. Coulter? Anything like that? It was all financed by the Church.

    MikeMan on
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    AdrienAdrien Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    darunia106 wrote: »
    I really don't care much for the Golden Compass books due to the above anti-religion stuff from the author. But I'm not going to throw a fit if there is atheistic stuff in the movie, I just won't go see it.

    I don't mean to start an argument here, but do you watch any movies at all?
    MikeMan445 wrote: »
    Yeah. But I just don't see how they could cut out the Church being a symbol of oppression if they're going to do the movie at all.
    I mean how the hell are you gonna have the "cutting" procedure? Mrs. Coulter? Anything like that? It was all financed by the Church.

    In that regard, I'm more worried about the way daemons were basically ignored in the trailer. Magical shapeshifting animal companion, anyone?

    Adrien on
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    MikeManMikeMan Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Adrien wrote: »
    darunia106 wrote: »
    I really don't care much for the Golden Compass books due to the above anti-religion stuff from the author. But I'm not going to throw a fit if there is atheistic stuff in the movie, I just won't go see it.

    I don't mean to start an argument here, but do you watch any movies at all?
    MikeMan445 wrote: »
    Yeah. But I just don't see how they could cut out the Church being a symbol of oppression if they're going to do the movie at all.
    I mean how the hell are you gonna have the "cutting" procedure? Mrs. Coulter? Anything like that? It was all financed by the Church.

    In that regard, I'm more worried about the way daemons were basically ignored in the trailer. Magical shapeshifting animal companion, anyone?

    What are they going to do? Daemons are a fairly complex idea, and one that it takes a couple of chapters to understand, and a whole book to appreciate. If the first chapter had opened with
    the Cutting

    no one would have cared, because we would have not been introduced to Pan or daemons sufficiently.

    I think putting it into the trailer would have just confused people. They would have been like "Oh, it's a talking cute companion animal movie. I'll leave it for the kids to see then."

    Course, the part where Iorek talks is still a little painful to watch.

    MikeMan on
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    AdrienAdrien Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    MikeMan445 wrote: »
    What are they going to do? Daemons are a fairly complex idea, and one that it takes a couple of chapters to understand, and a whole book to appreciate. If the first chapter had opened with
    the Cutting
    no one would have cared, because we would have not been introduced to Pan or daemons sufficiently.

    I think putting it into the trailer would have just confused people. They would have been like "Oh, it's a talking cute companion animal movie. I'll leave it for the kids to see then."

    Course, the part where Iorek talks is still a little painful to watch.

    Yeah, I'm hoping they're playing normal little girl magical adventure games to get people into the theater, then they're gonna blow our minds with all kinds of subtlety. Just... don't wanna get my hopes up for nothing.

    Adrien on
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    MikeManMikeMan Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Adrien wrote: »
    MikeMan445 wrote: »
    What are they going to do? Daemons are a fairly complex idea, and one that it takes a couple of chapters to understand, and a whole book to appreciate. If the first chapter had opened with
    the Cutting
    no one would have cared, because we would have not been introduced to Pan or daemons sufficiently.

    I think putting it into the trailer would have just confused people. They would have been like "Oh, it's a talking cute companion animal movie. I'll leave it for the kids to see then."

    Course, the part where Iorek talks is still a little painful to watch.

    Yeah, I'm hoping they're playing normal little girl magical adventure games to get people into the theater, then they're gonna blow our minds with all kinds of subtlety. Just... don't wanna get my hopes up for nothing.

    Me too. The movie might not be that great. It's hard to pull it off.

    MikeMan on
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    TastyfishTastyfish Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Does Pullman have any involvement with it, or is he just sitting at home rolling in the money from the original option deal?

    Tastyfish on
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    MahnmutMahnmut Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    MikeMan445 wrote: »
    I think putting it into the trailer would have just confused people. They would have been like "Oh, it's a talking cute companion animal movie. I'll leave it for the kids to see then."

    The trailer did have two daemons snarling at each-other for a moment towards the end.

    Mahnmut on
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    MikeManMikeMan Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Tastyfish wrote: »
    Does Pullman have any involvement with it, or is he just sitting at home rolling in the money from the original option deal?

    He's completely unconnected. He licensed it, but said that although he hopes the movie is good, and he loves the girl who is playing Lyra, he has washed his hands of the movie. He says he envisions the story in book form, and nothing more.

    If the movie happens to be good, he'll approve, obviously. But he's not connected with the movie-making process in any way.

    MikeMan on
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    ÆthelredÆthelred Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Mahnmut wrote: »
    MikeMan445 wrote: »
    I think putting it into the trailer would have just confused people. They would have been like "Oh, it's a talking cute companion animal movie. I'll leave it for the kids to see then."

    The trailer did have two daemons snarling at each-other for a moment towards the end.

    There's been more daemon parts in the footage shown to the press. The CGI isn't fully finished on them, hence their relative absence from the trailer.

    Æthelred on
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