The Golden Compass

Much like the part of Hogfather that I saw a couple of nights ago, The Golden Compass sticks fairly close to the letter of its source text, and in doing so comes up with something which quite satisfyingly imparts something of the pleasure and feel of that source without coming near to its magic. Everyone's well cast, everything looks right (down to the slightly hazy edges surrounding everything), and it sticks reasonably close to Pullman's novel, but it comes off as a bit choppy and ungrounded, leaping from one apparently deus ex machina moment to another (apparently d.e.m. because the background is insufficiently fleshed out to convince). But impression definitely overall positive, and fingers crossed that the next two get made.