Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) -- The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is spearheading a boycott of ``The Golden Compass,'' claiming the fantasy/adventure film is ``selling atheism to kids'' at Christmastime. Britain's National Secular Society also has criticized the $180 million adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel, saying it's been watered down to blunt the author's anti-religion message.

After seeing this hardly incendiary film, viewers unfamiliar with Pullman's ``His Dark Materials'' trilogy may scoff at all the fuss.

``Golden Compass,'' starring Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Daniel Craig, Sam Elliot and a bunch of armored polar bears, isn't an atheist polemic. Unlike Pullman's books, it contains almost no direct references to religion. Though the bad guys who run the world belong to the Magisterium, a Catholic term for the church's teaching doctrine, the group is clearly a symbol for authoritarianism of all stripes.

Director Chris Weitz has promised that the sequels will be more faithful to Pullman's books, but for now everyone should just relax and enjoy the talking bears, flying witches, shape- shifting critters -- known as daemons, they represent the souls of their human companions -- and spectacular battle scenes in ``The Golden Compass.'' They're standouts in an otherwise pedestrian special-effects epic that pales in comparison to ``The Lord of the Rings,'' New Line Cinema's previous blockbuster fantasy trilogy.

Polar Bears

As presented on screen, ``The Golden Compass'' is a standard good-versus-evil story featuring a 12-year-old orphan named Lyra (Richards) who travels to an icy netherworld to find her best friend. Aided by a band of seafaring Gyptians and a down-and-out polar bear, she confronts the dark forces of the Magisterium who want to steal her Golden Compass, a truth- telling guide in a society where independent thinking is forbidden.

The highlight is a deadly showdown between Lyra's polar- bear friend and the ferocious king bear who rules the frozen kingdom. I haven't seen so many dirty fighting moves since Hulk Hogan's heyday.

Kidman has fun playing Mrs. Coulter, a treacherous blonde who covets the Golden Compass, and Richards does well in her film debut with a role that combines cuteness and toughness. However, the other human roles are underwritten and the computer-generated effects are underwhelming.

``The Golden Compass,'' from New Line Cinema, opens today across the U.S.

`Atonement'

Joe Wright's lush, panoramic and very faithful adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel is like ``Masterpiece Theatre'' on steroids.

It's got class division, twisted love, betrayal, war and, of course, plenty of fine British accents. I kept expecting Alistair Cooke to show up in a tuxedo.

Wright's film should please readers of McEwan's bestseller about a 13-year-old girl who, fueled by jealousy and other emotions she doesn't yet understand, makes a false accusation against the son of her family's housekeeper. The charge ruins many lives -- the accused is sent to jail and the accuser is haunted by guilt -- and the repercussions are felt for decades.

The film begins in 1935, when Briony spots her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and the housekeeper's son Robbie (James McAvoy) in what appears to be a romantic moment by a fountain. Briony, who has a crush on Robbie, then concocts a story guaranteed to keep him apart from Cecilia.

Dunkirk

Years pass before we see the characters again. During World War II, Cecilia and Briony are working as nurses in London while Robbie is retreating from Dunkirk with the Allied troops, illustrated by a lengthy tracking shot of a beach crammed with corpses, dead horses and shell-shocked soldiers.

Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey deserves special praise for the film's handsome look, and Knightley, who also starred in Wright's ``Pride & Prejudice,'' solidifies her reputation as a classy, sensual actress.

Three actresses play Briony -- Saoirse Ronan as a 13-year- old, Ramola Garai as an 18-year-old and, near the end, Vanesssa Redgrave as an elderly writer being interviewed about her autobiographical book. Look closely into Redgrave's eyes and you can see the whole story unfold again.

``Atonement,'' from Focus Features, opens today in New York and Los Angeles.

`The Walker'

``The Walker'' is a middling murder mystery about a gay Washington socialite (Woody Harrelson) who's a trusted confidant and companion to the capital's grande dames (Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily Tomlin and Lauren Bacall).

Written and directed by Paul Schrader, whose screenwriting credits include ``Taxi Driver'' and ``Raging Bull,'' the film works better as a character study than a whodunit about the killing of a lobbyist who was having an affair with a senator's wife.

Harrelson channels Tennessee Williams with his toupeed Southern gentleman, and Bacall plays a tough-talking, seen-it- all widow -- in other words, herself.

``The Walker,'' from Think Film, opens today in New York and Los Angeles.

(Rick Warner is the movie critic for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this story: Rick Warner in New York at rwarner1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: December 7, 2007 00:03 EST