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The Golden Compass (2007)
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Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy of fantasy novels already has a place beside the work of JK Rowling (Harry Potter) and CS Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia); it's only fitting, then, that it has also made the leap from page to screen. The first instalment introduces us to 12-year-old heroine Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) who lives in a magical, neo-Victorian Oxford somewhere in a parallel universe. It's a realm dominated by the all-powerful Magisterium (led by Derek Jacobi) and populated by daemon familiars, flying witches and evil child kidnappers. Darker and more complex than the Harry Potter series, this ambitious family movie occasionally feels rather muddled as it struggles with the novels' intricate, philosophical bent. Director Chris Weitz (About a Boy) rallies with a sprawling battle in the Arctic, an imposing CGI polar bear (voiced by Ian McKellen) and an icy turn from Nicole Kidman as evil Magisterium agent Mrs Coulter. As the beginning of a planned trilogy, it certainly whets the appetite for more. JR
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Running time
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108min
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Country of origin
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US / UK
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Genre
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Fantasy Adventure
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Alternate title
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His Dark Materials: Northern Lights,
His Dark Materials: the Golden Compass
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Original language
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English
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Screenplay
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Chris Weitz, from the novel His Dark Materials: Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
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Theatrical distributor
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Entertainment
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UK cinema certificate
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PG
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UK cinema release date
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December 2007
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Film certification logos reproduced by kind permission of BBFC |
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