The problem with this film has been seen once before this year, in the Simpsons Movie, and that is that the trailer is an amazing example of what is to come in the film. Unfortunately it doesn't stop at being an amazing example. Between press releases, "epic" trailers claiming this is the new Lord of the Rings...which, let's clear this up, it is categorically not...and actors interviews we already know the following...

1. The film is about Lyra who seems to be part of a prophecy.
2. The film takes place in another "dimension" that has some authoritarian Catholic-esque power in control, and where peoples souls are actually animals that go with them.
3. Lyra has been given a compass that tells her what she needs to know
4. Nicole Kidman is bad.
5. Lyra has to get to the North.
6. Lyra will meet an armoured polar bear, a bunch of "pirate" types, some flying witches that are shown to be on her side and a guy that looks like a cowboy.

So there you go, that's pretty much the film. I am reliably and annoyingly informed that the ending of the film is cut in such a way that it is not the same impact as the book, and as such there is pretty much only one thing that you don't know before going in to the movie and this is cleared up quick smart

But let's look at the points above and peer a little closer. First of all Lyra. We know that she's meant to be from London, and somehow Londoners from another dimension appear to have all of the same social linguistic evolution, but she unfortunately came off sounding false and forced. I had hoped, watching the first 20 minutes, that this would be the one problem with the film. In Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone the film was well rounded enough that the only complaint I could have was, rather cruelly, that the new and inexperienced actors were a little wooden. I could only wish after seeing this whole film that such a complaint would be my only one for this review.

The side characters that do appear are nice enough. Sir Ian Mckellen seems to be contractually obliged to appear in some form or another in every "epic" film that exists so it is no surprise to hear him voicing Lyra's ice bear companion. The other characters also feel like they could be really good but rarely get the time to really show much of themselves. I don't know if it was the intention but almost everyone bar Iorek came off as being mysterious and not entirely upfront with their motives. My personal belief is this is more poor storytelling than poor story.

About side characters, Daniel Craig is utterly wasted, as is Nicole Kidman to a degree. God knows how much money was spent on them for this film but they were barely used in any meaningful way. Of course it is an investment for the future too, but really it was disappointing to see them played up so much for so little face time.

In fact this dilemma extends to the whole film, characters seem to be in place only to mark milestones transposed from the book. The Magisterium are a supposedly Authoritarian type body that is immensely scared of "the truth" of the world and wants to control everyone, yet you see absolutely no evidence of this other than verbal aspersions. Explaining and visualising things is clearly not this directors strong point.

Other things that don't make sense

• How a big budget film can miss huge continuity problems such as a massive polar bear intermittently wearing heavy armour without anywhere to store it when it is removed
• Polar bears being able to suddenly appear infront of a battle line of enemy guards without being noticed
• A large mass of enemies simply appearing behind said enemy battle line later
• How a woman supposedly strongly knocked out can just shake it off in the matter of minutes and gain all of her senses despite being out cold

Some of these things just really pull you out of the film, how are you as a viewer meant to engage your imagination when it is clear the makers of the film haven't even slightly engaged theirs? The film itself meanders quickly after the rather intense beginning explanations for why this film exists, with people seemingly meeting Lyra, taking a shine to her, and telling her what to do next which she does with almost no refrain. We are meant to believe this story in which people are supposed to have been following this girl but the only proof of this is their word. All in all it is a very very weak way of trying to tell a story.

Rating: 2/5