The Golden Compass, directed by Chris Weitz and released to the market in late 2007 and was the first screen adaptation of the book 'Northern Lights' written by Philip Pullman and the first of 'His Dark Materials' trilogy.

Those who are best placed to comment on the scandal surrounding the film and subsequent books are those who have seen or read either. An opinion needs to be driven from knowledge on the subject without this the controversy is a non-starter. The reason I say this, is because some people jump to conclusions about hearsay and through either ignorance or complete faith in their friends choose to believe what they hear without making an informed decision for themselves.

So what is it all about? Pullman refers to the Magisterium, a hierarchical group who stand in judgement over its people, they make the rules and things will run smoothly if people follow them. Not a democracy, somewhere between a dictatorship and a tyranny, not a particularly good place to be if you don't agree. There is a darker tone to how this group of people wield their power and their methods are dire and frightening, particularly to the younger members of society.

Now there is nowhere in Philip Pullman's book where a particular religion is mentioned or lambasted. What Philip Pullman has done is show us the dangers of organised leaderships, of losing your free will, of not being able to truly show who you are. The books are very interesting, but they are fiction also. Essentially it is a book which handles the challenges of puberty. It is a book about growing up, no less threatening than Heidi or The Famous Five, but I have to say an excellent read.

The biggest controversy over Chris Weitz adaptation is that it really doesn't come close to the original. But this is to be expected when a well loved book is turned into a movie. What Chris has done, hopefully, is interest some more people in one of the finest trilogies of the 21st Century. His Dark Materials is a unique piece of work. It is engaging, exciting, there are moments of joy, spirituality, love and growth. If you choose to take a more sinister stance, that is absolutely your choice and in a strong way that is also the point. Let us not live in a world be it fiction or otherwise where our choice is to be taken away.

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