From 2019 to 2022, HBO released a three-season fantasy adaptation of a bestselling book series, and it beats out the absolute flop that was the 2007 movie The Golden Compass by embracing a key part of the source material. Many children’s book series have been transformed into movies, only to get a TV adaptation years later.
While this often comes across as a cash grab, the TV shows are occasionally a welcome relief because the movies were garbage. A prime example of this is the absolutely awful 2007 fantasy movie The Golden Compass and HBO’s His Dark Materials, both of which work off Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.
The heavily challenged and occasionally banned books are known for their controversial subject matter. However, that doesn’t change the fact that they’re also extremely beloved. While it didn’t technically fail at the box office internationally, it completely bombed in the US.
Luckily, the His Dark Materials TV show is amazing. It might not get as much attention as Game of Thrones, but it’s truly HBO’s best underrated fantasy TV show.
A big part of that comes down to showrunner Jack Thorne’s commitment to bringing Pullman’s books to life in an authentic way, including the anti-religious messaging that the movie The Golden Compass completely gutted.
The Golden Compass Pandered To Religious Audiences After Boycotts
The production company New Line faced significant backlash after announcing a movie adaptation of The Golden Compass, and it continued until the December 2007 release. I remember the heated discussions about whether or not parents should take their kids to this movie.
Focus on the Family and US Catholic organizations called for boycotts of The Golden Compass because of the atheist and anti-organized religion messages of Philip Pullman’s books. The Catholic League released a booklet explaining why parents should not take their kids to see The Golden Compass (via the Catholic League).
Christians wrote letters to their churches urging boycotts. Op-eds in publications like The Reflector encouraged parents to avoid the movie. Meanwhile, religious leaders like Jerry Wilkins, the former director of missions for the Tuscaloosa County Baptist Association, may not have explicitly called for a boycott, but they encouraged parents to exercise caution (via the Tuscaloosa News).
Consequently, the movie pandered to religious audiences. According to a 2007 article from The Guardian, “The anti-religious content has reportedly been toned down in the film version on the orders of studio New Line cinema, which feared a backlash in the States.”
Director Chris Weitz stated, “To me, that was about not being aggressive and offending the individual audience goer who might be religious” (via Reuters). In the end, The Golden Compass removes all references to God, the Church, and most anti-religious sentiments. Unfortunately, this was a detriment to the film.
The Golden Compass’ Story Becomes Shallow Without The Religious Critique
Whether you personally agree with the messages or not, it’s inarguable that anti-authoritarianism and the anti-religiously dogmatic themes are integral to Lewis Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. They might not be as heavy in the first book, but the messages are definitely still there. The Golden Compass movie lost all of its bite when it took out the books’ core message.
The visuals in The Golden Compass are extremely impressive. It’s a beautiful movie, and the score is moving. However, the actual story feels empty. Lyra had a strong enemy to work against in the book, but the Magisterium just doesn’t feel as threatening because they’re just a generically evil authority. Her goal doesn’t feel as dire.
Without the religious references, The Golden Compass becomes the most generic fantasy movie of all the time. If it weren’t for the controversy that the movie created, I’m convinced that this movie adaptation of The Golden Compass would have been completely forgotten by now.
Philip Pullman’s Book Themes Are In Every Part Of HBO’s His Dark Materials
Unlike The Golden Compass, His Dark Materials fully embraces Philip Pullman’s critique of organized religion, with overt references and parallels to high-demand forms of Christianity and Catholicism.
The Magisterium has many clearer parallels to the Catholic Church. They dress like clergy members, and the group emphasizes hierarchy. The organization punishes blasphemy and heresy, two explicitly Christian concepts. The Magisterium is known for abducting and abusing children. They worship “the Authority,” a stand-in for God, based solely on blind faith.
The theme pits science and critical thinking against dogma and control. The story features ideas such as the Original Sin, daemons, and the Fall of mankind. They lean fully into Lord Asriel’s journey in His Dark Materials season 3 to destroy the Authority, who dominates the Kingdom of Heaven and oppresses others. The book themes are inarguably present in the HBO show.
They might have ruffled some feathers by leaning into the anti-religious messaging, but it also made the fantasy show high-stakes and compelling. The writing was top-notch. The actors fully leaned into the characters. Plus, there weren’t any major controversies because of the themes.
Some religious viewers even praised it for criticizing authoritarian control and power structures, rather than faith itself. Ultimately, by embracing the books, His Dark Materials makes up for the 2007 movie The Golden Compass’s failure.
