Pullman has said himself that he wrote His Dark Materials in response to Narnia. So comparisons are not only expected, they are necessary when analyzing the work. Pullman has stated the His Dark Materials was an exploration of fantasy and religion from a non-religious standpoint (he felt Narnia was too heavy handed).
I just finished the trilogy. Interesting, my only complaints about the books are they seem a little heavy handed in their "anti-Christian" themes ("My book is about killing God," - Philip Pullman). I say this not because I'm religious (I'm not) nor because I like the Narnia books (I don't), but because I think Pullman tries forcing his world view too much into the stories just as Lewis did.
But the books are fascinating nonetheless. Very imaginative, frightening at times, great characters, with a lot of good unexpected twists. Pullman is obviously a good writer. I agree with others that the movie moved too fast, but the cinematography was some of the best I've seen in any fantasy movie.
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An author should put his beliefs into his work. It lends credence to his prose. I don't agree with Pullman's views, but I'm enjoying the way the novels are playing out.
What surprises me the most is that Hollywood green-lit the movie to begin with. Very controversial subject matter, to say the least.
My demon is Antigone, a tiger. Woo Hoo!!
I got Azaria the Ocelot.
"Spontaneous, modest, solitary, shy and proud."
Aerodon the Gibbon Daemon. "Assertive, modest, responsible, flexible and inquisitive."
I've a spider. Very unhappy. Was hoping to get a bear or a cat or dog. But spider? :(
Artemis, female tiger.
Assertive, responsible, modest, competitive and sociable.
I got Raina, an osprey.
I didn't mind the book and I'm sort of looking forward to seeing the movie. I was talking with some friends in church who were a little concerned about whether it was promoting atheism to see it, and I just said "It's a film, a fantasy film. It won't affect your beliefs if you don't want it to, but you might enjoy it for it's own sake."
I got a spider daemon. So did one of ny friends who has slight aracnaphobia :)
Every time I took it, I was a snow leapord.
I really enjoyed the movie. I thought the little girl did a great job, and the scenery was really cool on the big screen. And who doesn't love Sam Elliot, playing the same character in every single movie he's in? I haven't read the books; I've heard 2 and 3 are quite a bit different from 1, but I still lament the fact that there won't be any sequels.
I didn't like the movie. I found the children somewhat homely and not charismatic. I couldn't bring myself to care what happened to them. I did like Nicole Kidman as Mrs. Coulter. She can really pull off that 1940's style glam look.