The Golden Compass: Something to Disappoint Everyone

[This entry contains lots of spoiler info, so read no further if you want to be surprised at The Golden Compass.]

Anticipating the release of The Golden Compass, I read the entire three volume series titled "His Dark Materials" and asked myself again and again, "How the heck are they going to get away with making this into a movie?" The problem I anticipated was finding financial backing and an audience for such a bluntly anti-Christian storyline. For example, consider these story elements:

• The action takes place mainly in a parallel world is dominated by the Magisterium, an autocratic and pervasive religious council that is explicitly identified with the Christian Church (sans pope)
• Members of the Magisterium and of another Church organization are on a mission to turn the next generation into a compliant race of zombies
• There is no Creator; all conciousness evolved from matter (in the form of the so-called "Dust")
• God was the first of the angels, who tried to convince all subsequent angels that he had created them and the universe
• The angels who rebelled against God (namely Satan, et. al.) actually rebelled because they knew he was a false soveriegn
• "The Ancients of Days" (i.e., God) is now a senile old entity who has given sovereignty over the universe to an evil angel who was once the human Enoch.
• One of the main characters in the story (Lord Asrial) mounts a war to destroy God and His viceroy, and to restore free will to humanity

Clearly, these elements of the story do not set well with Christians. How did the moviemakers manage to address these? They didn't. In The Golden Compass they muddy the waters so completely only the most perceptive of viewers would identify the Magisterium with the Christian Church. (One of the few clues: In a settlement in the far north, the exterior of the regional headquarters of the Magisterium is clearly decorated with Russian icons. Big deal.) Still, even with this eviseration, the movie is still unacceptable to Catholics and other Christian groups who have apparently boycotted the movie, which turned in disappointing first-weekend revenues.

The movie also disappoints those of us who loved the books - and loved the audaciously anti-religion themes. There's little drama left. After all, in the books the stakes are very high: Restore humanity to its dignity and freedom in the absence of a pretender God. The stakes in the movie have been lowered: Rescue the little girl's friends from the bad guys.

The movie is visually very beautiful and witty, with the late-1800s architecture and clothing (although actually 'modern day' -- a servant comments that he is serving 'the 1990 Tokey' wine). But that's not enough to make it worth the price of admission. You can get a mass-market edition of the entire book series for about $14 on Amazon. Save yourself the trip to the theater and read the books!