"The Golden Compass ultimately fails as a film in its broad strokes and inadequate scene development."

This plot may sound somewhat ludicrous on paper, but Pullman has created a logical, well-thought-out world that Weitz has brilliantly translated to the big screen.

Lyra surpasses the timid drone of Pan's Labyrinth or the Pevensies' do-gooder sap, she's brave, smart, and the best liar in the universe.

Solid entertainment, but of the repetitious kind - as if it was the sequel to something else, even though it is obviously the first of a potential series.