northern lights
4 Jan 2008 11:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mayoraaseiIt still irks me to walk up to the counter and ask for a ticket to see "Golden Compass". It's Northern Lights damn it! Stupid Americans who can't deal with the original names of books!
I read Northern Lights in the wee days of year 7 when one has just departed from the bliss that was Narnia and was too politically unaware to pick up on "anti-religious" themes. I had probably connected the Magisterium with the Christian church, not because I actually noted the parallels, but because at the time it was the only expansive organised religion I'm familiar with. Nevertheless, I remember being fairly unfazed by the concept of Magisterium's ruthless control over its people, possibly because of Obernewtyn, possibly because through history classes, it's already a known concept that institutionalised religion frequently manipulated mass paranoia for its own ends.
I don't remember enough of Pullman's books to say this with certainty, but perhaps he was less anti-Christian than anti-religious-institutions. Christians are generally good people but politics is also generally an ugly thing.
By the time the Amber Spyglass (last book of the trilogy) came out, I had spent two years reading Angel Sanctuary, and was well and truly weary of abstract biblical allusions and epic angel wars and twisted humanisation/demonisation of Christian entities. And also because by the end of the trilogy, it has become less and less of a children's fantasy than an philosophical exercise.
Or at least...that's what I very vaguely recall.
A lot of movie reviews have centered on its philosophical musings, much of which was bowdlerised for the largely conservative American population (yes, stupid Americans again). Not many has focused on its merits as a movie alone.
Let's just say........Unless you're a fan of the book, it's difficult to like the ending. They might as well have ended anywhere and printed a large "To Be Continued..." before the credits.
I remember a bigger role for Lord Asriel. Oh, Daniel Craig was suitably charming in the movie (with a beautiful piercing blue gaze XD) but somehow I remember him as slightly obsessive and mentally imbalanced.
I expected Kidman to play Mrs Coulter with a more commanding presence. She certainly has the ability to...but in spite of that glittering golden dress, she didn't have the sort of terrible charisma that commanded everyone's awed attention, and the sort of knowing confidence that allows her to manipulate those around her.
And finally, Lyra dear. It has to be said that I don't have fond memories of her from the book, and it did dampen my liking for the book somewhat. Amazingly, the movie presented a Lyra 10 times more precocious and sour-faced. Not that there's anything wrong with that, per se, considering her circumstances and upbringing, but perhaps because we don't see enough of her being thoughtful and thinking about things from different perspectives, the rare moments of her kindness seem unexpected.
But somehow though I remembered very little and not very fondly of Billy in the book...I really liked his childish defiance.
Funnily enough, even before the first movie came out, I've looked forward to the second movie much more than the first. I like Will~ Good ol' practical reliable Will ♥ I hope they do a good casting for him~~~
People complain about the omission of certain aspects in the book, but this is no Lord of the Rings. The pace is already slow enough, and there's a lack of picturesque settings to distract oneself. I was already nearly half asleep...throw in politics and I would have been positively snoozing.
I read Northern Lights in the wee days of year 7 when one has just departed from the bliss that was Narnia and was too politically unaware to pick up on "anti-religious" themes. I had probably connected the Magisterium with the Christian church, not because I actually noted the parallels, but because at the time it was the only expansive organised religion I'm familiar with. Nevertheless, I remember being fairly unfazed by the concept of Magisterium's ruthless control over its people, possibly because of Obernewtyn, possibly because through history classes, it's already a known concept that institutionalised religion frequently manipulated mass paranoia for its own ends.
I don't remember enough of Pullman's books to say this with certainty, but perhaps he was less anti-Christian than anti-religious-institutions. Christians are generally good people but politics is also generally an ugly thing.
By the time the Amber Spyglass (last book of the trilogy) came out, I had spent two years reading Angel Sanctuary, and was well and truly weary of abstract biblical allusions and epic angel wars and twisted humanisation/demonisation of Christian entities. And also because by the end of the trilogy, it has become less and less of a children's fantasy than an philosophical exercise.
Or at least...that's what I very vaguely recall.
A lot of movie reviews have centered on its philosophical musings, much of which was bowdlerised for the largely conservative American population (yes, stupid Americans again). Not many has focused on its merits as a movie alone.
Let's just say........Unless you're a fan of the book, it's difficult to like the ending. They might as well have ended anywhere and printed a large "To Be Continued..." before the credits.
I remember a bigger role for Lord Asriel. Oh, Daniel Craig was suitably charming in the movie (with a beautiful piercing blue gaze XD) but somehow I remember him as slightly obsessive and mentally imbalanced.
I expected Kidman to play Mrs Coulter with a more commanding presence. She certainly has the ability to...but in spite of that glittering golden dress, she didn't have the sort of terrible charisma that commanded everyone's awed attention, and the sort of knowing confidence that allows her to manipulate those around her.
And finally, Lyra dear. It has to be said that I don't have fond memories of her from the book, and it did dampen my liking for the book somewhat. Amazingly, the movie presented a Lyra 10 times more precocious and sour-faced. Not that there's anything wrong with that, per se, considering her circumstances and upbringing, but perhaps because we don't see enough of her being thoughtful and thinking about things from different perspectives, the rare moments of her kindness seem unexpected.
But somehow though I remembered very little and not very fondly of Billy in the book...I really liked his childish defiance.
Funnily enough, even before the first movie came out, I've looked forward to the second movie much more than the first. I like Will~ Good ol' practical reliable Will ♥ I hope they do a good casting for him~~~
People complain about the omission of certain aspects in the book, but this is no Lord of the Rings. The pace is already slow enough, and there's a lack of picturesque settings to distract oneself. I was already nearly half asleep...throw in politics and I would have been positively snoozing.
