A welcome departure from movies geared to the lowest common denominator.

Remember when Gladiator came out? It was a huge success, raking in both box office cash and Oscars. But it also set off the dollar radar in Hollywood, who reasoned that the best way to bring in more of the same was to give the public exactly that. And so, we were subjected to some progressively inferior Big Battle Epics whose only positive contribution to the film-going community was a collective enlightenment as to Orlando Bloom's mediocrity. The process has begun once more, with the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter franchises spawning a slew of fantasy adventures based on popular literary series. So far the results have been a mixed bag of enjoyable creations such as Stardust and The Chronicles of Narnia and disastrous attempts like Bridge to Terabithia and The Seeker. The latest addition to the pack is The Golden Compass, which thankfully belongs in the former group.

Based on the first book of British author Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy, The Golden Compass plunges us into an unfamiliar parallel universe where people's souls exist outside their bodies in the form of talking animal companions called daemons. The plot follows the adventures of Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards), a young orphan pathological liar who is somehow a key player in the fate of the universe. Lyra's uncle, Lord Asriel (an unshaven Daniel Craig with a slightly muddled accent) goes north on a mission to study Dust, particles of a mysterious power. Dust piques Lyra's curiosity, but her inquiries are answered by nothing but agitated warnings against further questions. Around the same time, Lyra's best friend Roger (Ben Walker) is kidnapped by the Gobblers, a parent's worst nightmare in any universe. Lyra resolves to both to find Roger and figure out what Dust is, but before she departs, the Master of Jordan College, where Lyra was raised, quietly gives her the titular golden compass, explaining that it will reveal the truth but warning that she must keep its existence a secret.

The remainder of the film is dedicated to entertaining us with the slightly episodic events of Lyra's adventure and follows her as she meets and immediately charms every character in her path, human and computer-animated alike. Golden Compass provides the plot engrossment and magnificent production design (thanks to Dennis Gassner, who also lent his award-winning talent to Road to Perdition and Big Fish) that fantasy audiences crave, proportioned and organized around electrifying characters, suspense, and action for the rest of us. Director Chris Weitz delves into his film's potential, but ego is pleasantly absent. We're also treated to a bevy of talent, most importantly Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra. As with many with child actors, the initial reaction is to take Richards' performance with a very large grain of salt. Richards has other plans, however, as this newcomer bullies her way past such expectations into the spotlight where she and Lyra seem to feel most comfortable. The rest of the ensemble have decidedly minor roles in this chapter. This is especially true of Daniel Craig's Lord Asriel, whose devotees will get a taste of the disappointment felt by many a Steve Buscemi's fan. Nevertheless, in such a visually and fictionally complex film, the supporting performances appropriately draw our attention without trapping it. Particularly deserving of mention is Sam Elliot, who slips on his cowboy boots once more, this time as high-flying (literally) Lee Scoresby, and they fit like he never took them off. And although giving Nicole Kidman praise is like carrying coals to Newcastle, her solid portrayal of the enigmatic Marisa Coulter at least deserves mention, if not another banal accolade.

Clues to the plot also are dispensed in dollops that may be cryptic to Lyra but are definitely confusing for the rest of us. Nevertheless, the overall story is impressively captivating (3.5 million U.S. copies can't be wrong), and we're given enough information to avoid complete befuddlement. Besides, stunning visual effects are a universal language. But by far the greatest quality of The Golden Compass is its accessibility, even to the uninitiated, without having to bang people over the head with introductory facts. The film works like an immersion program, surrounding the audience with unfamiliar words and phrases instead of hand-feeding definitions, a welcome departure from movies geared to the lowest common denominator.

Since The Golden Compass is part of a popular series of fantasy fiction, viewers can automatically expect two things. First of all, audiences should be prepared for an unavoidable sense of incompleteness. Although production of the next part, The Subtle Knife, will only begin if Golden Compass is a success, the movie has an ending so wide open it might as well have had a “to be continued...” graphic just before the credits. Second, there will be thousands of die-hard fans inspecting every detail, from dust to Dust, for fidelity. Unless you've read the books and your day's most important question has to do with your socks, you needn't bother yourself with such a search. No matter your level of initiation, just sit back and enjoy.