An impressive achievement. I expected the worst after Peter Jackson's egotistical butchery of The Lord of the Rings, but Chris Weitz's adaptation of Northern Lights is exemplary in its deference to the text. Obviously no film can capture all the nuances of a rich literary narrative, and this one misses a lot in its brisk progress through Philip Pullman's ingenious plot. I felt that the Gyptians in particular were given short shrift. They constitute a masterly collective characterization which depends on dialogue, and the screenplay cut this too drastically to convey the full flavour. But the two other major characterizations in this volume of the trilogy -- Lyra and Mrs Coulter -- were well served by the screenplay and brilliantly realized by Dakota Blue Richards and Nicole Kidman. The musical score and the cinematography are both ravishing but always complement the narrative, which is unexpectedly gripping and moving.
The film as a whole is well cast with the exception, perhaps, of Ian McKellen as the armoured bear Iorek Byrnison. His diction is too mellifluous to capture the character's rough edges, and my wife, who has not read the book, was irresistibly reminded of Gandalf. The only major flaw, however, is the ghastly sappy song which crushes one's mood as the post-movie credits commence: they might as well have cut to one of the interminable Coke commercials that preceded the film. We fled.
Bottom line: a well-told, well-acted story, which achieves unexpected tension and pathos. With Daniel Craig, Eva Green and Sam Elliott waiting in the wings for their moments of glory, I want more. But a lot will depend on finding the right actor to play Will Parry.
The film as a whole is well cast with the exception, perhaps, of Ian McKellen as the armoured bear Iorek Byrnison. His diction is too mellifluous to capture the character's rough edges, and my wife, who has not read the book, was irresistibly reminded of Gandalf. The only major flaw, however, is the ghastly sappy song which crushes one's mood as the post-movie credits commence: they might as well have cut to one of the interminable Coke commercials that preceded the film. We fled.
Bottom line: a well-told, well-acted story, which achieves unexpected tension and pathos. With Daniel Craig, Eva Green and Sam Elliott waiting in the wings for their moments of glory, I want more. But a lot will depend on finding the right actor to play Will Parry.