On Friday I went with Kristina and her 5th Grade class to see The Golden Compass. I was excited because I love fantasy, and curious because of the controversy I had heard about in the news - that the movie was anti-religion and encouraged atheism.
What a wonderful film. It's got everything that you want as a far as entertainment: a compelling storyline, a plucky heroine, some sneaky baddies, talking animals, and excellent special effects. And can I just say, armored bears??? As if bears weren't already the coolest animal ever.
A well-written children's story will never underestimate the sophistication of a child's mind. Without having to result to gags and gore, what will have a child on the edge of their seat is a hero faced with difficulty, a real and threatening world, and a bit of magic. A tale of good struggling against evil is nothing new, but it always works. Just look at the success of the Harry Potter books and movies - bad stuff happens, and sometimes it happens to good people for no reason. But like any real hero, the secret lies in the ability to know himself and to persevere, and Lyra is a heroine in a similar vein.
One of my favorite concepts in the Golden Compass is that of each character having a personal daemon.
In Lyra's world, a person's soul lives on the outside of their body, in the form of a daemon - an animal spirit that accompanies them through life.
A child's deamon can change shape, assuming all the forms that a child's potential inspires, but as a person ages, their daemon gradually settles into one form, according to their character and nature.
How great would it be to have your own soul as your constant and steady companion? One that is visible to you and to others, something tangible that represents who you are inside. I think if you would ask people today, they would have no idea what their soul would look like or where it resides, and may never meet it at all. How sad and lonely for all of us!
The question of the controversy remains - and will not be fully realized until the 2nd or 3rd books, in which the heroes fight against the Magisterium (aka the Catholic church?), are made into movies. But I don't think that just because a movie questions our concept of organized religion today that anyone's spirituality should be threatened. If that is the case, should non-Christians have objected to Narnia's Aslan rising from the dead on the stone slab as a direct representation of Jesus, and boycotted it? To prevent children, or adults for that matter, from enjoying such a wonderful story is ridiculous. If God had wanted censorship, He wouldn't have given us the ability to question and think.
