The Golden Compass Review - It's Siver

Set in an alternate universe where souls live outside the body as demons, The Golden Compass is no children's movie. Graphic violence, beautiful special effects and dark, rich plot lines are far too dark for a child.

Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) is sent off by her uncle to a boarding school. While she is there she runs amuck, lying and creating general mischief with her friend Roger (Ben Walker), until he is kidnapped. Her uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) raises eyebrows when he bucks the Magisterium, the religious authority in their world, and sets off to study a forbidden substance, Dust. So enraged by the fact that he would commit serious acts of heresy, the Magisterium sends Marisa Coulter (Nicole Kidman) to collect Lyra and keep an eye on her while they hunt her uncle. What the Magisterium doesn't know is Lyra has the last Alethiometer, a truth telling device. Lyra meets an ice bear named Iorek Byrnison (Ian McKellen) and an aeronaut Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliott).

A myriad of "A" list celebrities speckle the cast. Rich and powerful voices like Ian McKellen give characters like a giant ice bear breath and humanity. Nicole Kidman gives her character brooding intensity. Sam Elliot brings his typical rough and tumble attitude to his character. Daniel Craig, whose role is fairly minimal, is tough but intelligent. Even new comer Ben Walker is downright adorable.

The only actor whose performance doesn't add to the believability and sparkle is Dakota Blue Richards. I realize her character is supposed to be extremely, well, extreme but the acting doesn't have to so obvious. She is a child, a cute one granted, but when you cast the main character, they have to be strong, even if it is a child's role. Richards does not make me want to slice my eyes open with a butter knife but her acting couldn't be considered a hot knife through butter either.