The Golden Compass and Stardust

There's plenty of articles out there discussing the story the Golden Compass and its author, Philip Pullman. Look here, here and here. If you haven't read enough about the books and movie go to these sites. I won't go into my opinion other than Pullman's agenda definitely turned me away from adding to his coffers.

We watched a movie the other night that I wished I screened prior to the whole family viewing it. Stardust was advertised as:

A young man journeys to a magical world to win the heart of his true love in this charming fantasy based on Neil Gaiman's novel. Tristan has promised Victoria that he'll retrieve a fallen star to secure her love. Along the way, he battles a pirate named Captain Shakespeare , an evil witch and other assorted goblins and ghosts.

The trailer seen on commercials looked exciting so I reserved it on netflix. I've learned my lesson: trailers aren't always a good clue about the entire movie. The first disturbing scene happens fairly early on. The main character's father crosses over to a magical world. He meets a young woman at a market who lures him into her trailer. Nine months later a baby is dropped of at his doorstep. Hmmm? What does that teach my 11 year old boy - marital relationships with people you've just met is so romantic and so okay. Later on the main character (who is the baby dropped off at the doorstep) meets the pirate Shakespeare who also happens to be a cross-dresser. I wonder why his true character wasn't revealed in the commercial, trailer or written descriptions. Then Tristam (the main character) discovers he is in love with the girl he has been traveling with and the "get a room" for the night.

It really disturbed me that these incidences that would have caused me NOT to rent this movie were not in any previews. I probably could have read the novel prior to renting the dvd, NOT!

Anyway, I wanted to pass on to you my dislike and reasons for disliking this movie so very much.