Golden Compass

I'm reading the book, and I haven't decided if Iorek (the polar bear) is a total badass or a Chewbacca wannabe.
 
I read halfway through the book and stopped. I had no interest.
 
I read halfway through the book and stopped. I had no interest.

Same here.

BTW, the Polar Bears on LOST look more convincing. And they cost so much less to make than that guy.

Daniel Craig, Eva Green, and Nicole Kidman all in one movie and it still might disappoint? *Sigh* At least it's a Casino Royale reunion of sorts.
 
By the way, the main villain is some guy named Megatron. Transformers jokes may fire when ready.
 
All you Golden Compass haters are all daft.

I actually got so excited by the trailers --- and I'm the guy who catches like 15 trailers a week --- that I started reading the books. And they're great.

It's very easy to see the films as some kind of LOTR cash-in, and it's not like New Line was very shy last year about comparing it to that for obvious marketing reasons, but it's not.

First of all, it's basically a piece of quasi-steampunk literature that wrestles with the characters' metaphysical understanding of their universe, as opposed to LOTR which is basically a swords and sorcery interpretation of the effects of war on the socio-politics.

Second, it's got a very interesting protagonist who is less an audience's 'wild-eyed window' and more a cunning silver-tongued urchin whose understanding of the world is limited to patchwork knowledge.

Third, it's got a Texan aeronaut, gypsy warriors that ride on sailships rather than caravan wagons, sky-flying witches who fight with bows and arrows and a society of armored polar bears.

And the bad guys? They're cynical ole metaphysicists and a bunch of theological fascists.
 
All you Golden Compass haters are all daft.

I actually got so excited by the trailers --- and I'm the guy who catches like 15 trailers a week --- that I started reading the books. And they're great.

It's very easy to see the films as some kind of LOTR cash-in, and it's not like New Line was very shy last year about comparing it to that for obvious marketing reasons, but it's not.

First of all, it's basically a piece of quasi-steampunk literature that wrestles with the characters' metaphysical understanding of their universe, as opposed to LOTR which is basically a swords and sorcery interpretation of the effects of war on the socio-politics.

Second, it's got a very interesting protagonist who is less an audience's 'wild-eyed window' and more a cunning silver-tongued urchin whose understanding of the world is limited to patchwork knowledge.

Third, it's got a Texan aeronaut, gypsy warriors that ride on sailships rather than caravan wagons, sky-flying witches who fight with bows and arrows and a society of armored polar bears.

And the bad guys? They're cynical ole metaphysicists and a bunch of theological fascists.

Well put. I absolutely fell in love with the books when they came out, regardless of whether or not they were 'aimed at children'.

Sam Elliot as Lee Scoresby. That is some damn fine casting right there. And Iorek looks better than I thought he would.
 
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Sam Elliot as Lee Scoresby. That is some damn fine casting right there. And Iorek looks better than I thought he would.
My only big disappointment is that they replaced the voice of Iorek Byrnison. He was originally voiced in earlier trailers by a steel-throated African fellow, but the latest trailer reveals that he will be voiced by Ian McKellen in the final product.

Nothing against McKellen, but I always thought that Pullman went out of his way to establish that the panserbjorne were not "anthropomorphic bears" but a very distinct race & culture all their own with a very non-human disposition, and Ian McKellen's voice is just way too human. He sounds like a bear-sage.

If they really wanted a name like McKellen, I would've accepted him as Iofur Raknison (Ragnar Sturlusson in the film) since he's the bear who wants to be a human.
 
My only big disappointment is that they replaced the voice of Iorek Byrnison. He was originally voiced in earlier trailers by a steel-throated African fellow, but the latest trailer reveals that he will be voiced by Ian McKellen in the final product.

Nothing against McKellen, but I always thought that Pullman went out of his way to establish that the panserbjorne were not "anthropomorphic bears" but a very distinct race & culture all their own with a very non-human disposition, and Ian McKellen's voice is just way too human. He sounds like a bear-sage.

If they really wanted a name like McKellen, I would've accepted him as Iofur Raknison (Ragnar Sturlusson in the film) since he's the bear who wants to be a human.

I was unaware of this. Was that really McKellen I heard in the trailers? Wow. That's a bit of a shame, but at least we have a decent voice actor for him.
 
I was unaware of this. Was that really McKellen I heard in the trailers? Wow. That's a bit of a shame, but at least we have a decent voice actor for him.
Ian McKellen does the voice for the 3-minute trailer that was released recently.

Nonso Anozie originally did the voice for the five-minute Comic-Con trailer and the regular length trailer. Which I liked a lot more.

If that still sounds unclear, you can differentiate them by which line they chose to use in the trailer. McKellen's trailer line is, "I shall join you in your campaign until you have a victory." Anozie's was, "I have a contract with the child."
 
Ian McKellen does the voice for the 3-minute trailer that was released recently.

Nonso Anozie originally did the voice for the five-minute Comic-Con trailer and the regular length trailer. Which I liked a lot more.

If that still sounds unclear, you can differentiate them by which line they chose to use in the trailer. McKellen's trailer line is, "I shall join you in your campaign until you have a victory." Anozie's was, "I have a contract with the child."

Oh. In that case, I've heard Anozie's voice. Which surprised me, as I didn't quite think it was up to snuff. Not deep enough, to be basic.
 
Oh. In that case, I've heard Anozie's voice. Which surprised me, as I didn't quite think it was up to snuff. Not deep enough, to be basic.
I thought it sounded pretty cool and metallic.

McKellen is just... Gandalfishy.

Also, this is what I think of your opinion:

07-papaspank-1.gif
 
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From HisDarkMaterials.Org:
Catholic group says film sells atheism to kids, launches boycott

While many fans are furious about the religious themes being removed from The Golden Compass, a religious group called The Catholic League has launched a boycott of the movie on the day the trailer for that movie is released.

The group acknowledges that the religious themes have been watered down, but it is still launching a boycott because the movie lures kids and their "unsuspecting parents" into reading the books.
More from the link above.
 
The group acknowledges that the religious themes have been watered down, but it is still launching a boycott because the movie lures kids and their "unsuspecting parents" into reading the books.

'Cos yeah, heaven forbid people actually having free choice. Religion is just so laughable, sometimes.
 
I like how you have to pay $3 for every copy of the brochure you order online.

Hey, money is God, after all. Or so you'd think anyway.

Regardless of the (anti-)religious themes being removed from the book, I think I'll still enjoy it in an aesthetic sense. It is a shame though, as the underlying concepts behind the series were very thought provoking.
 

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