The other world of The Golden Compass is similar to our earth, except that it is ruled by the Magisterium and people have daemons, animal companions who are an external manifestation of the individual’s soul.

Lyra is the main protagonist, a witty and naughty young child who lives among the scholars of Oxford, until the glamorous Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman) whisks her off to London. Before Lyra leaves, she is given a golden compass, a rare device that tells the truth only to those who can read it. Soon, Lyra’s best friends Billy and Roger are taken by the Gobblers, a mysterious organisation that seems to be somehow associated with Dust, a strange phenomenon that the Magisterium is trying to withhold information about. Lyra escapes from Mrs. Coulter and sets out on a journey to rescue her friends alongside the roaming Gyptians. Her expedition takes her to an icy and treacherous land where she meets armoured bears, flying witches and cowboy aeronauts.

Nicole Kidman is superb as Mrs Coulter, playing the ice queen torn between ambition and teacher perfectly. Lyra is played by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards who manages to deliver the same wicked smile and boisterous one-liners that made me love her so much in the books. The armoured bear Iorek Byrnison (voice by Ian McKellen) is by far the most exciting and delightful character of the film, offering plenty of heart-stopping and warm-fuzzy moments. Oh, and of course, Daniel Craig smoulders as the dashing adventurer Lord Asriel, who is Lyra’s Uncle.

Those who have read Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials will appreciate that the trilogy is both a thought-provoking and entertaining read. Thus, for 'book snobs' who always assume the book is better than the movie, this movie has big shoes to fill. I don’t agree with the notion that for a film adaptation to be good it needs to be delivered exactly how the author wrote it. Peter Jackson’s contributions to the Lord of the Rings immediately prove this incorrect. The Golden Compass has taken the highlights of Phillip Pullman’s imagination and used them to advantage on the big screen. The movie is beautiful and exciting to watch, full of wide ocean and high mountain screen shots. There’s the perfect combination of talking animals and sparkling light shows to satisfy the child in all of us.

However, it is a bit disappointing that this is the most the film ever offers. The trilogy His Dark Materials draws on verses from the bible and Milton’s Paradise Lost. The Magisterium is in fact the Catholic Church, and the books offer a fascinating criticism and depiction of organised religion, delving into themes such as the loss of innocence, the meaning of death and questions of morality. Pullman is considered the controversial black-sheep of the fantasy scene. He has openly criticised the popular Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and has been more than blunt about his opinions on religion.

Therefore Is it at all ironic to anyone that Hollywood doesn’t want to make a movie about anything too critical of religion for fear of upsetting their biggest money-makers: America? Is it worth the compromise on thought-provoking matter to ensure that the prettiest of Lyra’s world makes its way to a wider audience?

To be fair, the film is based on the first, most simple book in the trilogy. Perhaps director Chris Weitz couldn’t hope to realistically express anything deeper in such a short time. But to remove references to the Church from the plot altogether could make for some interesting complications if further films are to be made. Given that the books culminate in Lyra being a parallel being to Eve, and her later friend Will being Adam, I wonder how New Line Cinema hopes to side-step their way around these overtly religious references?

Criticisms of intention and censorship aside, if you want to go see a nice story with all that Hollywood can offer when depicting another world, The Golden Compass should serve to fit. If you wanted to go to see something compelling, challenging and complex, stay at home and watch Friends re-runs. You will probably discover deeper social reflection through the escapades of Monica, Rachel, Ross and co.