The $180 million dollar fantasy, The Golden Compass, which created all sorts of controversy and a banning from the Catholic Church, comes to dvd in this special two disc set, loaded with extras. The film is pure eye candy, with generous special effects and if you don't try to over analyze it, can be taken for what the story is, a children's fantasy tale.
Lead by a cast of familiar favorites and an unknown but talented child star, the film was very ambious but failed to spark audiences. One reason being the story is overly complicated and too much detail is left out to make the story flow. It also suffers from sequel-i-tis-this is meant to be the first of a trilogy and there is a lot left up in the air at the end of this film with no satisfying conclusion.

The film takes place in an alternate world; one in which people's souls are outside their bodies in the form of animals known as daemons. These animals reflect the character of the individual person and interact with them whereever they go. The story involves a young orphaned girl named Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards), who lives a care free tom boyish life at Oxford until she discovers a plot by the evil institution called the Magisterium to squash free thought and separate children from their daemons. She yearns to travel with her uncle (Daniel Craig) who is traveling North to search for mysterious Dust, which supposedly connects worlds together. She is taken away from her home by Mrs Coulter (Nicole Kidman) and taught refinement but before she leaves, she is given a device that allows her to see things-the truth. As she gazes into the compass, she learns more about Mrs. Coulter and runs as soon she can. Her adventures take her northward to look for her uncle in an icy land where she befriends a friendly witch, played by Eva Green (Casino Royale) , an aeronaut (Sam Elliot) and a magnificent fighting bear (voice of Ian McKellen). Her quest turns to restoring the bear to his rightful place as King of the Bears of the North, to find her uncle, and discover what happened to her friends from Oxford, who have disappeared.
Performances to be noted in this fantasy include an excellent debut for Dakota Blue Richards, who really shines in her part. The established stars Kidman and Craig, reunited from "The Invasion", are stiff; especially Craig, who has a minimum of screen time. Kidman is better as Mrs. Coulter, as she is icy evil but also has feeling towards the child. Sam Elliot is Sam Elliot, a cowboy in this world with a jack rabbit daemon with the voice of Kathy Bates. He plays the same character he was in "The Big Lebowski", an all wise and all knowing plain talking cowboy totally out of his element.

As far as the evil empire element o f this land, I can see why Catholics were in an uproar over the film.The costuming of the leaders looks much ike the robes and uniforms of the Church. However, I think that is where the comparison ends. The goals of this institution and the Cathlolic Church are not the same and children, who this story and film are aimed at, will not see the comparison at all.

The picture is one of the best since Lord Of The Rings-The creatures look real, the backgrounds and landscapes are magnificent and the vehicles and devices are imaginative and stunning to look at. In this world, magical Jules Verne type vehicles are the norm and its a delight to watch them. Sound options are also plentiful; DTS-EX 6.1, Dolby 5.1 and Dolby 2.0.

This Platinum two disc set contains a disc full of extras with about 2 and a half hours of documentaries and features. While most are typical making of footage, they do go into depth with sections about the author of the books, Plillip Pullman, thhe young star of the film and how she got the part, the film's less then confident director Chris Weitz (before this he did American Pie), and featurettes on costuming, adaptation of the story, the music, and special effects. The extras are worthy of a second disc as it contains a lot of information in all aspects of the film.

The Golden Compass is an ambitious undertaking and a big gamble for a studio to take. Comparisons to Narnia are obvious; another land, children leading the charge, large battles for dominance, good vs. evil. The makers of the film series have a lot to prove as this opening act is incomplete but the stunning visuals and star power of Kidman and Craig will sell a lot of discs.