The Golden Compass

In a parallel universe, after overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua trades her carefree existence roaming the halls of Jordan College for an otherworldly adventure in the far North, unaware that it's part of her destiny.

Critics were genuinely split on The Golden Compass, with the debate centering less on the visuals — almost universally admired — than on whether the storytelling holds together. The majority found the adaptation too rushed and too reverent to its source to work as a film in its own right, while a vocal minority, including Roger Ebert, ranked it above more celebrated fantasy franchises. The lead performance by Dakota Blue Richards emerged as one of the few points of near-consensus praise.