Fantasy may have the most rabid and obsessive fans, but it also has the staunchest detractors of any mainstream genre. We all know people who simply refuse to watch fantasy films or read fantasy books of their own volition. They may have sat through The Fellowship of the Ring grudgingly, but didn't bother with the rest of the series. They probably associate the genre with asocial nerds, fan conventions, and Dungeons & Dragons. They can only shrug at the exuberance of the devotees. Fantasy is "not their thing."

Why are fantasy movies (and the genre in general) so polarizing? I've long thought it has something to do with viewers' relative affinity for cinematic worlds. Some people go to the movies to see something that directly relates to their own lives, something that takes place in the universe they live in and know. Others – myself among them, if you haven't figured it out – flip for new, self-contained worlds that could exist independently of the movie; wonderful and strange places we feel like it's possible to actually inhabit. This might explain why those who like good fantasy also tend to enjoy good science-fiction.

Imagine a villain who's like a female Darth Vader, only more evil, and she'll invoke the worst nightmares for children since the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. This is how Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw has described Nicole Kidman as Mrs. Coulter in his review of The Golden Compass (aka His Dark Materials: Northern Lights, as it's titled in the UK), which he's given a rating of four stars. As if that's not appealing enough, he also claims the character is Kidman's "juiciest" role since To Die For. According to Bradshaw, it seems Kidman is the main reason to see the movie. His only other highlight is the look of the movie's universe, which he calls "wonderful" and "Gilliamesque." He also points out how it's obvious the movie is aiming for association with Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia. Well, that isn't very surprising.

For a "four star" movie, The Golden Compass, according to Bradshaw, sounds like a mess plot-wise. Aside from looking nice, the movie's universe is apparently "crowded" and "alienating" and the audience is expected to get used to it as best it can, despite a lot of missing background material included in the book. Also, it's apparently more "absurd" than the source novel. Of course, confusing plots and universes aren't always a bad thing to audiences -- just look at the Pirates of the Caribbean series. What could be bad for the movie's box office is its violence; Bradshaw claims a significant polar bear battle could be too much for younger viewers. I have a good feeling that other critics will be less favorable considering the faults that this review seems to address, but of course even with terrible reviews, The Golden Compass could be a hit -- again, just look at the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

When I first heard that a film was being made of The Golden Compass, the first novel in Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy -- and that it was being adapted as a family film -- I thought to myself, "Hmmm ... I wonder how they're going to pull THAT off." Then I heard the planned release date -- just in time for Christmas, 2007 -- and then I sat back and waited for the inevitable storm of controversy that would start swirling as soon as Christian groups got wind of the film and its storyline.

The other day, Fox had this story about Christian groups claiming The Golden Compass is a "stealth atheism campaign" aimed at children, which starts out, "A children's fantasy film that stars Nicole Kidman and features a little girl on a quest to kill God has some Christian groups upset over what they believe is a ploy to promote atheism to kids." The story goes on to note that New Line has taken most of the "godless" elements out of the film and that the studio has made a film that focuses on the "entertaining fantasy" elements of the story.

The opener of the Fox article is annoyingly misleading right off the bat; The Golden Compass is not a story about a little girl on a quest to kill God, it's about a little girl, Lyra (played by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards in the film), on a quest to find her friend, who's been kidnapped by Mrs. Coulter (played by Kidman in the film). Lyra is never on a quest to kill God, she's on a quest to find out why children are disappearing, and in the process she becomes involved with a plot concerning her uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) and Mrs. Coulter, and a mysterious substance called "dust" that may or may not have something to do with sin.

The plot involves (in the books at least) one side (the Church) trying to rid the world of sin by committing atrocious acts against children, while the other side, headed up by Lord Asriel, which is trying to stop them, are not clearly the "good guys" either. Unless someone has substantially changed the plot for the film to something that is certainly not in the book (and I doubt that, given that New Line would like this film to be marketable), saying this story is about a little girl trying to kill God is both misleading and irresponsible.

Back in January, we were invited to visit the set of The Golden Compass, which was wrapping up its final week of shooting at that time. Since then, a number of photos have hit the net, in addition to two trailers, a few posters and a whole lot of buzz. Based on Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass (originally titled Northern Lights when it was released in Britain) is the first of three books New Line hopes to adapt for the big screen. Unlike New Line's Lord of the Rings franchise, all three His Dark Materials films (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) are not being shot at the same time. While plans to make The Subtle Knife are currently in the works, it's believed the studio will wait to see how well The Golden Compass does in theaters before moving on to its sequel.

Earlier this month, director Chris Weitz dropped somewhat of a bomb on fans (in a letter to the His Dark Materials fansite), letting them know that he, along with Scholastic, New Line and Philip Pullman, have decided to cut out the last three chapters of Book I from the film, and will instead use the material for The Subtle Knife (even though footage from those last three chapters does appear in the trailer for Compass). For those of you that have read The Golden Compass, you'll know that the book ends on a pretty big cliffhanger (with both a major death and a betrayal). The consensus from fans is that this was a good choice, and will make for a better overall cinematic experience. Additionally, it also means there's a very good chance The Subtle Knife will be made into a film as well ... and what a beginning it will have! The Golden Compass opens nationwide on December 7th; below you'll find a gallery of pics from our set visit and make sure to read on after the jump to find out how this monstrous production was pieced together.

New Line was cool enough to send Cinematical the final two posters for The Golden Compass, a film that's sure to blow all our minds once it arrives in theaters on December 7. We've included the first poster above (click on it for a larger version), and you can view the second poster after the jump. Both are bursting with color, intrigue and cool-looking warrior bears. Based on Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass is the first big-screen adaptation to hit screens, with plans to adapt the other two novels in the series (The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) already in the works. The film was directed by Chris Weitz (who I know will knock this one out of the park), and it stars Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Sam Elliott and Dakota Blue Richards.

Here's a piece of the synopsis to whet your appetite: "The Golden Compass' is an exciting fantasy adventure, set in an alternative world where people's souls manifest themselves as animals, talking bears fight wars, and Gyptians and witches co-exist. At the center of the story is Lyra (played by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards), a 12-year-old girl who starts out trying to rescue a friend who's been kidnapped by a mysterious organization known as the Gobblers - and winds up on an epic quest to save not only her world, but ours as well." As I said, The Golden Compass hits theaters on December 7; you can check out the trailer over on Moviefone and the second poster after the jump. Enjoy.

Though The Golden Compass is still months away from its theatrical release, New Line is getting the ball rolling by attempting to introduce viewers to the film's beautiful, magical and complicated world right now, as we speak. For example, a new feature on the pic's official website allows you at home to create your own daemon. In case you don't know what that is -- and if you've never read Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, then chances are the word 'daemon' is pretty foreign to you -- a daemon represents a person's soul. And, in the world of The Golden Compass, these daemons take the form of an animal spirit that accompanies each person through life.

Early on, your daemon continuously changes (depending on your mood, etc), because as a youngster you have yet to truly experience life. However, as you get older, your daemon settles into one form and stays with you until the day you die. To help put it into perspective, in Pullman's world, if you don't have a daemon, that's like saying part of your body has been mutilated. As you can see above, my daemon is a ladybug named Olyandra. I assume that means I'm weaker than I originally thought. (I mean, point me toward a ladybug that really kicks some ass.) Thanks New Line for making me feel puny! In all fairness, this movie does look pretty awesome -- I should know, I was one of only a handful of people who actually got to visit the set while it was still in production. While some might feel Chris Weitz (American Pie) is not the right man for this type of job, I think he's perfect. I talk up a lot of films on this site with nothing more than a few stills and a trailer to back up my fanboy enthusiasm. However, as far as The Golden Compass goes, I can assure you that I've seen, with my own eyes, some pretty impressive stuff. The Golden Compass (which is the first book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy) arrives in theaters on December 7.

Ok, dammit. Who forgot to tell Daniel Craig that James Bond is a long-term commitment, and he's expected to devote his life to the role for the duration of his involvement with the franchise? The fool has gone and joined another multi-part film series -- this is going to seriously cut into his crucial, Bond-enhancing working-out and practicing-being-suave time.

The series in question is the His Dark Materials trilogy, which is kicking off its on-screen existence with The Golden Compass: Variety reports today that Craig has committed to playing Lord Asriel in the film, and that the character is "a fixture" in all three books in the series. Sure, Asriel -- described as "a ruthless and mysterious adventurer" -- sounds both intriguing and perfect for Craig, but still. The Golden Compass starts shooting next month, and is apparently scheduled to wrap just seconds before things commence on Bond 22 -- there's no way he's going to be at full Bond-power with that kind of schedule. I mean, the future of the British empire is at stake!

Odds and ends from Monday:

• It's official: Nicole Kidman has joined the cast of The Golden Compass, New Line's first film in an eventual trilogy based off Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials. As previously reported, the actress will be taking on the villainous Mrs. Coulter. Chris Weitz is directing, with the studio currently eying a November 16, 2007 release.
• Writer/director David Jacobson (Down in the Valley) has signed on to adapt and helm Roadside Picnic, based off the book by Russian writers Boris and Arkady Strugatsky. Story revolves around the aftermath of an alien visitation, in which "gangs of smugglers plunder the lucrative artifacts left behind." Hmm, I wonder if any of those "lucrative artifacts" include my seventh grade math homework? Upon misplacing it on several occasions, my teacher mentioned that, perhaps, aliens had stolen the missing equations.
• Rumor has it Melissa George (The Amityville Horror) will be joining Josh Hartnett in 30 Days of Night, to be directed by David Slade (Hard Candy). Based on the comic written by Steve Niles, Night tells of a group of vampires who attack an Alaskan town during a month-long period of darkness, leaving it up a husband-and-wife Sheriff team to help end the carnage. Josh Hartnett fighting vampires? Something tells me this town is screwed.

A random mix today:

• According to Moviehole, an unnamed studio is putting together a remake of 1955's glorious-if-way-too-long film version of Guys and Dolls as a vehicle for Catherine Zeta-Jones. Vin Diesel, who has been interested in the project since it was first mentioned almost three years ago, is angling to play Sky Masterson. Dear me. Vin, I knew Marlon Brando. Marlon Brando was a friend of mine and, while you've got the swagger and can probably even sing better than he did, you're no Marlon Brando.

• Calling all teenage, female, British His Dark Materials fans: New Line is holding a series of open casting calls to find just the right girl to play the starring role of Lyra Belacqua in their film version of The Golden Compass. While you'll undoubtedly freezing your ass sitting in line (if the studio tells you "be prepared to wait a while," you KNOW it's going to be a long time), this is your big chance to become the female Daniel Radcliffe - three movies, baby, not to mention a bigger pile of money than you can possibly imagine.

• In other New Line news, they have acquired the remake rights to Japanese horror flick Infection, and will produce a US version with Vertigo Entertainment. (Vertigo loves them some J-Horror, having produced both Grudges, both Rings, and Dark Water.) In order to make sure the remake is of the highest possible quality, New Line has hired Channing Gibson, the mind behind Cradle 2 the Grave, to write the screenplay. Gee, maybe they'll call this one Infection 4U, or something - he'll be right at home.