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The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass

Adventure · Fantasy · 2007

In a parallel universe, after overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua trades her carefree existence roaming the halls of Jordan College for an otherworldly adventure in the far North, unaware that it's part of her destiny.

Movie details

The Golden Compass

“There are worlds beyond our own. The compass will show the way.”

2007 Adventure · Fantasy 1h 53m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.1 / 10

199.7K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

42 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

51 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

In a parallel universe, after overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua trades her carefree existence roaming the halls of Jordan College for an otherworldly adventure in the far North, unaware that it's part of her destiny.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Golden Compass?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

The Dark Tower

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Mortal Engines

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Many thousands of years in the future, Earth’s cities roam the globe on huge wheels, devouring each other in a struggle for ever diminishing resources. On one of these massive traction cities, the old London, Tom Natsworthy has an unexpected encounter with a mysterious young woman from the wastelands who will change the course of his life forever.

The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave

Sci-fi · 2016

16-year-old Cassie Sullivan tries to survive in a world devastated by the waves of an alien invasion that has already decimated the population and knocked mankind back to the Stone Age.

John Carter

John Carter

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John Carter is a war-weary, former military captain who's inexplicably transported to the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars) and reluctantly becomes embroiled in an epic conflict. It's a world on the brink of collapse, and Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

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Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

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In their quest to confront the ultimate evil, Percy and his friends battle swarms of mythical creatures to find the mythical Golden Fleece and to stop an ancient evil from rising.

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings

Adventure · 1978

Young Hobbit Frodo Baggins is thrown into an amazing adventure when he's tasked with destroying the One Ring, created by the dark lord Sauron. Frodo must travel in a small fellowship of nine warriors and accomplices. But it won't be an easy journey for the Fellowship of the Ring, on the ultimate quest to rid Middle-earth of evil.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Chris Weitz

Written by

Chris Weitz

Dakota Blue Richards

Dakota Blue Richards

Lyra Belacqua

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman

Marisa Coulter

Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig

Lord Asriel

Ben Walker

Ben Walker

Roger Parslow

Freddie Highmore

Freddie Highmore

Pantalaimon (voice)

Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen

Iorek Byrnison (voice)

Eva Green

Eva Green

Serafina Pekkala

Court is in session

Put The Golden Compass on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“It owes the canon nothing.”

The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”

It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.