The Golden Compass

This is probably the biggest movie around right now. With a huge budget ($180 million) it's in a position to blow all of its mediocre box office competition out of the water. Now, that isn't to say that this is a great movie, but compared to everything else coming out this holiday season, it's at the top (at least until Juno gets a wide release).
Since everyone who's likely to read this post is Christian, I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the controversy surrounding this film and the book that inspired it. Philip Pullman, the author of The Golden Compass (Originally published in Britain as Northern Lights) wrote the book, and its two sequels, with the intention of it being a sort of secular Chronicles of Narnia. There is a character called the Authority (who doesn't appear in the first book/movie) who is essentially Pullman's idea of God: a selfish, petty creature who wants to control all life in the universe(s). The Magisterium, which in the universe of The Golden Compass is a sinister mirror image of the Catholic Church, serves the Authority's interests by attempting to eliminate free thought and the questioning of authority in their world (and, as the plot unfolds, other worlds as well). While this is a pretty offensive notion if taken a certain way, it's important to remember the real moral of this story, and it's got nothing to do with whether you believe in God or not. People should always think long and hard about their beliefs, and accepting the word of authority figures unquestioningly is not always a wise choice.
That being said, I thought this was a decently made movie. The special effects were amazing, and blended seamlessly with the real life characters. Beyond that, the acting was good for the most part, with Dakota Blue Richards ably playing her role as the tough, clever young protagonist Lyra Belacqua. Nicole Kidman is chilling as Mrs. Coulter, the Magisterium stooge who first takes Lyra out of her small world at Jordan College and into the larger conflict in which she is destined to play a central part. There isn't enough of Daniel Craig to be worth mentioning, unfortunately, but he does a passable job when he is around.

Check out some reviews at Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.