Has anyone here seen the Golden Compass yet. I have seen trailers and just finished reading the book. I am definately going to see the movie some how.

However the Vatican is condemning it. But that is no surprise, given that the book is quite anti religion.



Vatican blasts 'Golden Compass' as Godless
8:40AM Thursday December 20, 2007

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican has condemned the film The Golden Compass, which some have called anti-Christian, saying it promotes a cold and hopeless world without God.

In a long editorial, the Vatican newspaper l'Osservatore Romano, also slammed Philip Pullman, the bestselling author of the book on which the family fantasy movie is based.

It was the Vatican's most stinging broadside against an author and a film since it roundly condemned The Da Vinci Code in 2005 and 2006.

"In Pullman's world, hope simply does not exist, because there is no salvation but only personal, individualistic capacity to control the situation and dominate events," the editorial said.

The film, which premiered earlier this month in the United States and stars Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, is an adaptation of Pullman's acclaimed novel Northern Lights.

The Vatican newspaper said "honest" viewers would find it "devoid of any particular emotion apart from a great chill."

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In the fantasy world created by Pullman's trilogy, 'His Dark Materials', the Church and its governing body the Magisterium, are linked to cruel experiments on children aimed at discovering the nature of sin and attempts to suppress facts that would undermine the Church's legitimacy and power.

In the film version all references to the Church have been stripped out, with director Chris Weitz keen to avoid offending religious cinema goers.

Still, some Catholic groups in the United States have called for a boycott, fearing even a diluted version of the book might draw people to read the bestselling trilogy.

The Vatican newspaper said the film and Pullman's writings showed that "when man tries to eliminate God from his horizon, everything is reduced, made sad, cold and inhumane".

The US-based Catholic League, a conservative group, has urged Christians not to see the movie, saying that its objective was "to bash Christianity and promote atheism" to children.

The Vatican newspaper called the movie "the most anti-Christmas film possible" and said that it was "consoling" that its first weekend ticket sales were a disappointing US$26 million.

New Line Cinema, a unit of Time Warner Inc, had hoped the film would pull in between US$30 million and US$40 million. It is doing better overseas but New Line sold the foreign distribution rights to help cover the movie's cost.

- REUTERS

Think of all the crappy, exploitative movies that come out every year that the Vatican doesn't condemn. All this hullabaloo over what promises to be a thoughtful and good movie (if it's close to the quality of the book). Haven't seen it yet - but we will.

If the Vatican condemns it, it must be good.

I saw it in the States before moving to Shanghai. The special effect was very well done. The polar bear fight scene was really intense. However, the whole movie was rushed and not enough character developement. The book was definitely more enticing. If you are a fan of the book, you might be a little disappointed with the movie.

Oh, well that makes me feel better.