tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20447441.post3541854774153345021..comments2023-10-07T13:09:00.391+01:00Comments on Around The World In Beautiful Shoes: The Golden CompassUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20447441.post-13969944621667867812008-10-10T17:02:00.000+01:002008-10-10T17:02:00.000+01:00I liked the movie too. I wrote about it here.The m...I liked the movie too. I wrote about it <A HREF="http://forbidden-planet.blogspot.com/2008/01/golden-compass.html" REL="nofollow">here</A>.<BR/><BR/>The movie and books are not without controversy, though. Numerous Roman Catholic organizations in the US (where else?) have condemned it as a vitriolic attack against the Catholic Church. <BR/><BR/>So, naturally, I read the whole trilogy (one day, I will write about it). As for it being a vitriolic attack against the Church ... erm ... no. Yes, it does have a sinister Church like organization, but the book is not abou that. They simply serve as the bogeyman. Which is a bit unfortunate, because there is no motivation, no reasoning, no rationale really given for their actions. As for the good guys (Lord Asriel), well, in the books, he is no better than the Church he struggles against. There is no explanation why his fight, his actions are different and noble compared to the Church's.<BR/><BR/>I found the whole trilogy overly long. It could easily be cut by a third making it tighter and flow better.<BR/><BR/>From an imaginative point of view, it borrows heavily from Judaic, Christian and Gnostic mythology, making it more interesting than the typical fair of dragons, orcs, goblins, elves and princesses in need of rescue.<BR/><BR/>The only anti-religious message comes late in the third book where an ex-nun (Mary Malone) states: <I>"Christianity is a very powerful and convincing mistake."</I> This hardly counts as a strong polemic against Christianity, since the rest of the series doesn't even offer the slightest discussion about it.<BR/><BR/>However, I don't think the book is suitable for the targeted age range (9-12), not because of the "anti-Church" stuff, that is just part of the backdrop, but rather because of other things I consider unsuitable for children.<BR/><BR/>My kids enjoyed the movie. I am not going to rush out and buy it (I don't think there is enough in it to see it a second time), but it made for a very entertaining afternoon out at the movies.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08466885792177930052noreply@blogger.com