One of 2007’s most anticipated — or at least most hyped — releases turns out to be one of its most disappointing. “Golden Compass” is a tarnished adaptation of “Northern Lights,” the first novel in Philip Pullman’s cult favorite “His Dark Materials” trilogy. A boondoggle supposedly costing New Line Cinema upward of an astronomical $200 million, the downbeat good-versus-evil epic fantasy sinks under the esoterica of its convoluted imaginary conventions and fails to engage despite some intricate computer-generated imagery.
The ongoing “Harry Potter” movie series also continues to face a complicated make-believe protocol and sometimes overwhelming special effects. But it still maintains charm and whimsy thanks to its lovable characters — especially Daniel Radcliffe’s title protagonist — and the underlying warmth between them.
