The Golden Compass (DVD)

Set in a parallel world, this film revolves around a magical device (alethiometer) which can tell the holder the truth of the moment - powered by a magical substance called 'dust'.

This film has great special effects, particularly the animation of the Ice-Bears, but I found the film as a whole terribly disappointing.

Not having read the Pullman books, I had nothing to go on. The script failed to draw me into the film and left me wondering if much of the book had not been transcribed to the movie format.

Nicole Kidman (Mrs Coulter) acts well as the wicked woman, who's performing experiments on children and their daemons (extensions of the soul). Daniel Craig (Lord Azriel) barely shows in this first instalment, but perhaps he has a greater role to play later on.

The character played by Sam Neill (Mr Scorsby) shows some intrigue and promise.

The main character (Lyra) is well acted but fails to have the same impact as major child characters is similar genre films.

Hopefully viewer familiarity will give increased understanding to the rest of this series.