Quick Facts
- The Golden Compass was released on December 5, 2007
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The film was by New Line Cinema
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The poor performance of the film led to the restructuring of the company
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Magisterium is the theocracy in the parallel universe
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There were controversies about its anti-Christian and atheistic themes
Expert summary
The Golden Compass is a fantasy film based on the novel Northern Lights by Philip Pullman. It was published as Golden Compass in the US and it was the first novel in his trilogy called His Dark Materials. The film starred Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman, Eva Green and Dakota Blue Richards. Though the film was announced in 2002, it took a very long time for completion because of troubles over the script and the selection of a director. It was one of New Line’s most expensive projects costing $180 million. The story is about Lyra, an orphan living in a fantastical parallel universe. In that universe a dogmatic theocracy threatens to dominate the universe.