FOX NEWS - Roger Friedman

Now comes Kidman in “The Golden Compass,” the first part of a trilogy based on very popular novels by Phil Pullman called “His Dark Materials.” New Line Cinema, the folks who brought you “The Lord of the Rings” is behind this one, too, with Mark Ordesky again taking up the reins. I’ve now seen about a half hour of it, and without a doubt, “The Golden Compass” will be the big holiday smash hit for which Hollywood is so desperate.

Kidman is not the heroine. Rather, she gets to be deliciously sinister as an evil pot-stirrer who has a big plot point secret. She is also sensationally beautiful, wearing clingy full length gold lame dresses to slink around in, sort of Cruella de Vil at a swanky cocktail party.

And her co-star again is Daniel Craig, only this time their chemistry clicks. Since no one saw “The Invasion,” it should be easy to forget. Once this trilogy is a smash, that earlier film will make a good trivia question.

But above and beyond Kidman, Craig and winning preteen star Dakota Blue Richards as main character Lyra, “The Golden Compass” will be wildly popular for its special effects. It’s full of fantastic animals, all busy shape shifting, talking and clawing their way to the front of the screen. Yes, the gray tabby cat who follows Dakota around talks, and that’s not all!

From what I’ve seen, not only kids but adults too will want to go back and see “The Golden Compass” a second time for the menagerie alone.

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