A strangely underwhelming and disappointing feature detailing the struggles of a young girl to bring the last “golden compass” to her scientist Uncle in the frozen north of a parallel universe. She has to fight against the “Magisterium,” an authoritarian religious system a la Catholicism-cum-Stalinism, especially in the person of Nicole Kidman’s Mrs Coulter She has the support of the very cool armored ice bear who seeks to reclaim his honor and his kingdom as well as the Gyptians, the Gypsie-like people of this world who seek to free their children who have been stolen for experimentation for the separation of their “daemons” (their external, animal souls). Well acted, it is nonetheless not emotionally engaging. This one has created a real stir on the religious right as it’s not supportive of their authoritarian views. Skip it