The latest British fantasy novel to become a box office money magnet is The Golden Compass, the first book of Philip Pullman’s expansive, controversial His Dark Materials trilogy. Whereas other fantasy epics such as The Chronicles of Narnia or Harry Potter received well over two hours to unravel their plot, The Golden Compass wraps up its story in under two hours and feels incredibly rushed and hollow.

Fans of Pullman’s writing will find plenty of bits and pieces to enjoy in this film, though the overall experience will probably be unsatisfying. Director and screenwriter Chris Weitz (who happens to be the executive producer of the American Pie trilogy) presents a rather generic-looking film at times with a screenplay that is messy and strays from its source considerably.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are some triumphs in The Golden Compass. Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig are perfect as Marisa Coulter and Lord Asriel while Dakota Blue Richards embodies the role of Lyra. Then there’s the special effects. In a world filled with daemons, the animal embodiment of a person’s soul, we are treated to talking creatures of all kinds. From sparrows, ferrets, and golden monkeys to snow leopards and ice bears, the special effects in this film are consistently convincing and set The Golden Compass apart from other talking-animal kid flicks.

Overall, the script was over-simplified for newcomers to the story and didn’t satisfy fans of Pullman’s series. It seems New Line Cinema tried frantically to push The Golden Compass as the first film in a trilogy that would be the next Lord of the Rings. Only time and box office returns will tell if The Golden Compass was a hit or a miss for New Line —and the future of The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass’ film adaptations lie in the balance.

Adam Frazier is a freelance writer and movie critic living in Radford.