Letters to the Editor
-
A mediocre adaptation of mediocre source material?
The criticisms of the movie in this review remind me of my criticisms of the book:
The whole thing (the book) is an episodic chase that never gives any single locale enough sense of place. The most interesting characters don't get enough screentime. Lyra is largely a bratty, Mary Sue-ish construction of the other characters' regard for her virtues, while rarely exhibiting said virtues in a convincing way. The villains are heavy handed and cartoonish (literal child snatching boogeymen).
As far as the controversy over the anti-religious content...enh. Let's say I'd rather see a movie version of Only Begotten Daughter or Towing Jehovah.
I'm planning to see the movie this weekend, because friends want to see it and I hope to get some flashes of pleasure from the visuals and a few of the supporting characters. But having read the book, I was never expecting much more.