The Golden Compass

There is only one word to describe The Golden Compass; exquisite. The movie, based on the first of the books in the “His Dark Materials” series written by Philip Pullman. In the first book we meet Lyra Belacqua, an 11 year old orphan, growing up, thanks to her uncle’s influence, in Jordan College in Oxford. Her world is much like ours, however you soon realise that there are differences. Each person has their own daemon, which are like a visible, animal form of a person’s soul, better known as a familiar. Lyra’s journey takes her to lands of ice and snow where she must rescue her friends; children that have disappeared from their homes, with the help of a few extraordinary characters. It is a heart warming story of true friendship and one that I will definitely own on DVD.

The Controversy

It seems, yet again, the Catholic Church is up in arms. Friends of mine have received both emails and sms’s instructing them not to go see the movie because “two children kill God.” I will be honest and say that I have not read the books, however at no point during the movie did the two children kill God. I am a Christian, but I honestly believe that sometimes Christians get themselves all worked up over nothing. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t grow up in a Christian home, and joined the ranks of practicing Wicca’s for a while that I am able to recognise real evil when I see it. Perhaps it’s also because I grew up reading fantasy books, living in worlds far away from my own that I am able to tell the difference between fantasy and reality, and as such don’t get worked up over these things. I believe that if you watch the movie for the sake of watching a beautiful, visually stunning movie and just enjoying it for what it is… mindless entertainment for a couple of hours, then you will never feel the need to get all upset about it. If you are worried about your children seeing it be a responsible parent, either simply don’t watch it or be intelligent about it and sit down and explain to them that it is just a story and it’s not real. Do something which most parents have forgotten how to do… communicate with your child. That said; I wouldn’t take a small child to watch the movie. It does have a fair amount of violence in it, however no blood and gore. I would say that the movie is suitable for children who are 11 years old or older.

Please… to those people, who live with their heads in the sand, please open your eyes to the world around you. Yes, it is full of bad things, but it’s also full of wonderful things like fantasy books and strange worlds that need to be explored through the eyes of children. If we don’t allow our children the chance to fly on broomsticks, sail on a pirate ship, dig for treasure on the moon or fly through different gateways to other worlds we don’t allow them to dream or become creative and all of that is a part of growing up. We let their imaginations die. Please, let children be children.