I rate The Golden Compass as highly as I do, because of its production values.
It won an Oscar for best Visual Effects, and a nomination for Art Direction. Otherwise I would give it a 0.0!
It is a confusing mixture of themes, scenarios locations and characters. Where did the cowboy come come from-!
People who don't understand fantasy, shouldn't try to make it. They always fail.
It has to have internal logic and consistency, or it falls apart.
Aristotle said,_ “The plot must be a whole, with a beginning, middle, and end.”
The Golden Compass has none. It starts without a beginning proceeds past the centre to a conclusion that neither concludes, or comes to an ending.
A pretty poor effort; except for the technicians.