''The Golden Compass'' - Nicole Kidman's presence in this elaborate fantasy flick is emblematic of the movie itself: aesthetically lush but ultimately cold to the touch. This adaptation of the first novel in British writer Philip Pullman's ''His Dark Materials'' trilogy has some fanciful moments but never achieves the sense of awe-inspiring wonder of the ''Lord of the Rings'' films, to which comparisons will be inevitable. It's also probably too scary for a lot of kids, with its themes of totalitarianism and mind control; adults, meanwhile, may find it hard to take seriously, despite how seriously it takes itself. Writer-director Chris Weitz (''About a Boy'') takes on the biggest project of his life with this CGI-filled spectacle, which he also had to cram with tons of exposition to set up a potential series. The visual highlight is supposed to be the battle between two powerful, armored polar bears, voiced by Ian McKellen and Ian McShane. But it's all a bit of a drag, even given the sprightly energy of our heroine, 12-year-old orphan Lyra Belacqua, played by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards. Lyra receives the last remaining golden compass, a device that provides the true answer to any question, and must use it to find other children who've been abducted by a government body that wants to rid them of free will. (It's supposed to make them happier and promote peace.) Kidman oozes old-school Hollywood glamour as the worldly woman with nefarious plans who befriends Lyra, while Daniel Craig is woefully underused as the girl's uncle. PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence. 114 min. One and a half stars out of four.

- Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

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''Juno'' - Juno MacGuff is the kind of teenager we all wish we could have been: quick-witted, frighteningly smart and comfortable enough in her own skin to resist those high-school pressures to conform, even as her body expands with an unplanned pregnancy. And ''Juno'' is the kind of movie all indie comedies wish they could be: light and lovable, perhaps a bit too pleased with the cleverness of its dialogue, but a charmer nonetheless. It's also sure to make a star of the appealing Ellen Page, who had already proven she could be a tiny force of nature in the tense but little-seen ''Hard Candy.'' Page absolutely shines in this second feature from director Jason Reitman, once again showing a deft touch with tone following his 2006 debut, ''Thank You for Smoking.'' It certainly doesn't hurt that stripper-turned-screenwriter Diablo Cody has given her such delightful and disarming turns of phrase at every turn. Juno is almost superhuman in her ability to say just the right funny or poignant thing in any given situation, from telling her dad and stepmom (J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney) she's pregnant to bickering with her best friend and baby-daddy (the adorably awkward Michael Cera) about the prom. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner co-star as the wealthy suburban couple planning to adopt Juno's baby, and Olivia Thirlby gets some of the best lines of all as her loyal sidekick. PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual content and language. 91 min. Three stars out of four.

- Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

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''Revolver'' - Guy Ritchie's latest is a hard-boiled crime flick with its mayhem aimed at the inner workings of the mind. It's filled with constant interior monologues, Machiavelli quotes and enough chess theory to make Bobby Fischer blush. The war between the id and the ego of the mind is the subtext to ''Revolver,'' which is otherwise the usual style-over-substance theatrics of Ritchie, whose films include the overrated ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' (1998). Jake Green (Jason Statham) is a con man hellbent on revenge against Dorothy Macha (Ray Liotta), a big-shot drug dealer who spends as much time as possible standing naked in a fluorescent blue tanning room. All kinds of mystery, confusion and killing follows, with Vincent Pastore (''The Sopranos'') and Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000) playing philosophical loan sharks. Ritchie suggests that the real enemy, though, is ourselves - not those tan, maniac murderers. It's an unwatchable mess, and after his equally terrible ''Swept Away'' (2002), Ritchie has managed to make, back to back, two of the worst films any one director can lay claim to. R for violence, language and some nudity. 106 min. One star out of four.

- Jake Coyle, AP Entertainment Writer

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