10 Movies That Were Condemned On Religious Grounds

3. The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass was another Hollywood attempt to cash in on the successes of the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings series, yet despite solid source material with Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, the film was critically panned and bombed at the box office. With an all-star cast including Daniel Craig, Eva Green and Nicole Kidman, The Golden Compass tells the story of a young girl drawn into a parallel universe in which the evil power known as the Magisterium seeks to bring an end to free enquiry and tolerance - themes which Pullman intended as a critique of the dogmatic nature of the church. Ironically, since the film diluted these themes considerably - presumably so as not to offend religious groups who otherwise might not have gone to see it - it came under fire not only from religious groups but also from secular organisations. It was a classic case of "damned if you do, damned if you don't", and the compromise left in its wake a movie weakened by a lack of commitment to stick to its proverbial guns. Religious condemnation was the strongest, with a number of groups calling for Christians to boycott the movie altogether. The Catholic League accused it of promoting atheism (which it did in significantly more subtle terms than the original book), while one review accused it of encouraging rebelliousness and the occult. Pullman's response to calls for boycotts was to point out that the point was to encourage children to question authority - not something dogmatic religious institutions were likely to agree with.