Next, I watched THE GOLDEN COMPASS. It's another adventure in a fantasy world similar to ours but with some different a very unusual quirks.
It was entertaining, but I can see why it wasn't a hit in America. (It was a smash hit internationally.) Unlike LORD OF THE RINGS or the HARRY POTTER films, the main character just isn't very ingratiating. She actually reminded me of the feisty and a little irritating Mytil that Shirley Temple played in THE BLUE BIRD. Oh, you eventually begin rooting for her, but it took a LONG time into the film for me to care what was happening to her.
Big cast of famous names, some of whom play real people and some of whom only voice various animals and demons. I was very surprised how little Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman were in the film. They're really supporting characters in this movie.