Another positive movie review from “First Things”

This is not meant to be critical of First Things, but simply to renew my concern over whether or not that crew gets a pass from those bent on criticizing the USCCB for its review. Nathaniel Peters, junior fellow (junior fellow???) at First Things, presents a positive review of the film The Golden Compass. I, for one, am getting the impression that the film is fairly innocuous. Peters’ concluding remarks:

So if you or your kids want to go see The Golden Compass, go right ahead. You’ll enjoy the marches through the frigid aquamarine landscape. The actors give good performances, and Iorek Byrnison is worth the price of admission. In the end, however, the film’s handling of the narrative undermines the its power. I was not enchanted by Pullman’s books in the way I was with Tolkien’s, Lewis’, or Rowling’s. I left the movie in a similar state: It was good, but not entrancing.