The Golden Compass  

Except that it may be the "Anti-Narnia." Explaining why would be wrong for AVS, but you can find out more via IMDB or other discussion forums. I had not heard of "His Dark Materials" before, but this first part of that story is apparently causing a stir.

Meanwhile, many fans of the books are lamenting what they've seen of the movie. It went in for late re-edits, as I understand it.

From what I hear they removed the anti-God, anti-religion themes that the book was based around, so I don't understand why everyone is so up in arms with the movie. If it's that far removed from the source material then the movie should stand on it's own merits as either a bad or good movie.

I kinda hope the critics come back and say "better than Narnia, better than Rings" so that all these people who rip on movies they haven't seen are enticed into going.

rsante, if they removed the themes from the books to make the movie, that may explain why fans of the books are "up in arms."

This project seems like a tough sell, either way.

If our culture wasn't so immature and insecure that adults have to resort to "no politics, no religion, therefore no remotely philosophical discussion" rules on all our online forums to stay remotely "on topic" then maybe book adaptations wouldn't require all their complex themes be removed in order to make profitable films.

I believe the argument is that if the movie is a hit, it will inspire children to read the books and subsequently be turned into evil godless hethens.

Exactly, and heaven-forbid they start to think for themselves or, maybe, question authority.

I get the feeling from the trailer that it might be a bit over-reaching. Seems like an awful lot goes on and I don't know if it has the runtime for all of it to be satisfying.

This movie has the unique advantage that BOTH sides of the issue are up in arms. It is a marketing team's dream come true.

I know the reputation of the books (anti-religion), so I expected there'd be an uproar from religious groups, but I hadn't read or heard anything of the fans' reaction to the trailers. I'll reserve judgement of the trailers until I finish reading the book. I just starting reading the second half of The Golden Compass (the part titled Bolvangar) tonight. Until now, I haven't averted my eyes from any trailers, but now that I'm really starting to get to know the characters, I think I'll avoid any more trailers if I can help it.

I like what I've read so far. And any time a book I like gets made into a movie, my greatest fear is that it gets turned into another Cider House Rules; meaning just about the only similarity between the book and the movie was the title.

I think John Irving would disagree with you, being that he wrote both the book and the screenplay for the movie.

Just want to point out heathens are not godless. In fact they have many Gods

Fellas, I read the book.
There is no "anti-god" or "anti-religion" in the book.

What is going on here is the religous wackos are raising hell cane about yet another movie (they haven't seen) that is about a magical universe, as opposed to a biblical universe.
They were blind sighted by Harry Potter, Narnia, etc. and are now in a paranoid state regarding this genre.

NOTHING to see here...move along....

Oink, you may have placed "Narnia" in the list inadvertently, or may not realize that it is an explicitly Christian story. LotR was less explicit, but it didn't make your list anyway.

I cannot confirm nor deny your contention that "His Dark Materials" books feature "no anti-religion"; however, the author disagrees with you. It's probably the author's statements on that very matter that raised one side of the controversy in the first place. Then, when the movie got (reportedly) watered-down, fans of the books took umbrage. The studio seems to be in a bind on this one, getting negative feedback from all sides.

All three books are very anti-religion and anti-God. From what I've seen of the trailers, it looks as though this could be a decent adaptation. I love the books and want to see all of them made.

Actually, Narnia caught the ANTI-religious folks off guard in a bigger way than the few zealots who initially railed against HP. I’m surprised to see it included in the last rant.

I think you meant to say..."Raising Cain" (as in Cain / Abel), right ?

I haven't read the books, but after viewing the trailer numerous times (including the extended trailer before Shrek3 DVD, i think it was) I can give you my reaction....


HUH?!

I didn't understand a damn thing that trailer showed me, but it sure looks purdy!

That "HUH?!" reaction also won't serve the film-makers well, in terms of bringing in an audience that is unfamiliar with the story.

My reaction was more like "Huh? That looks cooler than the Narnia flick was."

It is not an "explicitly Christian story."
The recent Disney movie adaptation is hardly a good example of a Christian fable.


LOTR is included in my list (under the heading of "etc.")


The author is an acknowledged atheist.
However, that does not mean the His Dark Materials series is anti-Christian.
It isn't cause and effect (as some simpletons like to mouth).


Because the claims of the other side were so ridiculous.

I have read the entire trilogy and the books do come off as rather anti-religious with some rather negative statements being made about the nature of religion. Also the fact that

I don't see how Christians could view an "old senile man" as their God.
That isn't my understanding of Scripture.

"My books are about killing God." -- Phillip Pullman, 2003

[In my books, I am] "trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief." -- Phillip Pullman, 2001

Sorry, oink, I should have been more specific when I said before that "the author disagrees with you." There you go.

>>> "My books are about killing God." -- Phillip Pullman, 2003

[In my books, I am] "trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief." -- Phillip Pullman, 2001

As an Agnostic borderline Atheist myself, I wouldn't call someone with faith a wacko for not wanting read these books. It would constitute an affront on another's belief.

If the movie has been reformulated to include people with faith and still remain a good movie-going experience for them, then good for them! Why insult people who have paid to see your movie? If they know the books are dark and anti-religious, they should know that so they wont go out and get the books. No brainer.

Neither would I...a "wacko" is someone who tells others not to read a book without actually having read said book.

The point is that movies based on "His Dark Materials" books are going to be a tough sell. If they remained faithful to the books (enjoy the pun if you like), then they alienate many whom the author specifically "targeted" for such alienation. If they water-down the movies, they alienate fans of the books. It's a tough sell, almost by definition.

We can probably add the Golden Compass to the list of non-existant statistics:

How Many People having viewed:

1. The Chronicles of Narnia became born again Christians
2. Harry Potter became witches or warlocks
3. The Golden Compass became athiests

Or, how many people having viewed "The Silence of the Lambs" became cannibals? If your point, Peter, is that this movie should be harmless to those of sound mind, I concur. But that doesn't lessen the challenge the studio faces in marketing a movie that is based on books whose author expressed a specific hostility toward a large segment of the potential audience.

Yup, that's what I was going for. For someone who is able to separate fantasy from reality/fact from fiction, and who has a firm grounding in his/her beliefs (or non-beliefs [which, of course winds up becoming a contradiction since a belief in the non-existence of something is still a belief--my head hurts]).



I agree that is the bigger challenge. Then again, I remember some of the discussion around the Chronicles of Narnia. The film version backed off a bit from the underlying spiritual elements, and I suppose you could accuse C.S. Lewis, one of the greatest apologists for Christianity, as being an author who was "hostle" to athiests. Yet some people who profess no belief in a higher power were able to view film on its own merits.

I suspect that in the end, that is what will happen with TGC.

Considering all the bluster from people of a particular religious view, I have to agree with you that this movie will be a "tough sell" to those folks.
Little doubt there IMO.

However, movies based upon (or inspired by) well-known books are aimed primarily at fans of those books.
If people that have not read the book are intrigued enough to buy a ticket, then all the better (as far as the filmmaker/studio is concerned).
After to all, it is a business.

Filmmakers are not forced, nor should they be, to oblige the desires of every potential viewer on the planet.
That is lunacy.

I find much of network TV to be more objectable than anything the main-stream Hollywood film industry doles out.
But I don't stand on a soapbox and howl like a banshee either; I change the channel.