The Golden Compass has been named the most disappointing movie adaptation by Entertainment Weekly.
The film, based on
Philip Pullman‘s fantasy novel
Northern Lights, topped a list of 23 movies that didn’t match up to their parent books.
Ron Howard‘s version of
Dan Brown‘s The
Da Vinci Code was placed second, the US remake of
Nick Hornby‘s Fever Pitch came third,
Memoirs of a Geisha, based on
Arthur Golden‘s bestseller was fourth, and the 2005
Ray Bradbury adaptation A
Sound of Thunder rounded out the top five.
Sequel
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, the 2001 remake of
Planet of the Apes and
Brian De Palma‘s 1990 take on
Tom Wolfe‘s acclaimed novel
Bonfire of the Vanities also featured on the list.
The Golden Compass was a relative hit on its initial release, grossing $370 million at the worldwide box office with a production budget of $180 million. However, the film received a low 42% critical approval on the reviews rating website Rotten Tomatoes and was met with a mixed reaction from Pullman fans.
