Common Sense Media Review
Ambitious book-based fantasy has intense moments.
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The Golden Compass
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 21 parent reviews
Based on 28 kid reviews
Kids say that the movie, although visually impressive and containing some humorous moments, disappoints many fans of the original book due to its lack of faithfulness to the source material and unresolved plot. While some find it entertaining and suitable for family movie nights, others criticize it for its violent content and abrupt ending, suggesting viewers better appreciate it if they do not hold high expectations based on the book.
- family-friendly
- visual effects
- plot issues
- mixed reviews
- violence concerns
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
THE GOLDEN COMPASS opens in an alternate-world version of Oxford, where Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) lives with her uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig). In Lyra's world, everyone has a "daemon," an animal embodiment of his or her personality and soul. While adult daemons are "settled," children's are in flux. Lyra is troubled as her friends disappear before they can mature, apparently kidnapped by "Gobblers." She is further threatened by the Magisterium, a forbidding institution that believes Lyra is the girl foretold in a prophecy about the Golden Compass, a complex device that can answer any question truthfully -- but can only be read instinctively by one person. And, indeed, when Lyra gets the Compass, she can read it, putting her at risk from the Council's primary agent, Marisa Coulter (Nicole Kidman). Lyra flees the grasp of the Magisterium and embarks on a journey to find her friends with the help of a vast array of charaters, including armored polar bear Iorek Byrnison (voiced by Ian McKellen).
Is It Any Good?
This book-based fantasy is heavy on plot, and the editing between scenes can be choppy, the digital effects uneven. The most wonderful and cunning "effect" in the film is Lyra. A 12-year-old girl surrounded by digitized creatures, spires, and sailing ships, Richards' Lyra is a singular delight, at once curious and stubborn, thoughtful and impetuous. Though she faces a series of daunting challenges that take her far from home, she remains brave, moral-minded, and smart -- a little girl much like the little girls who might be watching her on screen.
Fans of the books will notice many changes, and the characterizations of the repressive Magisterial villains may trouble those who worry about the movie's ostensible atheistic messages (Pullman has said repeatedly that he's not preaching one way or another). But all technical and philosophical complications aside, the film is buoyed by Lyra, who is more enchanting than any magic. When one adult tells her that "Sometimes you must do what others think best," she has the ready and reasonable answer, repeating what she's been taught: "I thought we were best if we were free to do as we please."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether The Golden Compass is really a movie for kids. What elements of the film might make it too intense for younger audiences? What values does it emphasize?
Talk about the story's concept of the daemons. What does a daemon represent? Why is the idea of being severed from their daemon so upsetting to the movie's characters?
If you've read the book the movie is based on, how do you think the two compare? Which do you like better, and why?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 6, 2007
- On DVD or streaming : April 28, 2008
- Cast : Dakota Blue Richards , Daniel Craig , Nicole Kidman
- Director : Chris Weitz
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : New Line
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic )
- Run time : 113 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sequences of fantasy violence.
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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