Manohla Dargis of "The New York Times" said that the film "crams so many events, characters, ... twists and turns, sumptuously appointed rooms and ethereally strange vistas ... that risks losing you in the whirl" and that while "The Golden Compass" is "an honorable work," it is "hampered by its fealty to the book and its madly rushed pace." James Berardinelli of "ReelReviews" gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4, calling it "adequate, but not inspired" and criticising the first hour for its rushed pace and sketchily-developed characters. James Christopher of "The Times" of London was disappointed, praising the "marvellous" special effects and casting, but saying that the "books weave a magic the film simply cannot match" and citing a "lack of genuine drama."