I just got back from watching The Golden Compass. It had a weak screenplay, but the acting was good. I'd say it can be skipped. I did however get to watch something really enjoyable after getting home which I'd encourage you to enjoy if you've got a couple hours on your hands while not watching Golden Compass, which is Ken Miller's talk at Case Western 12 months ago on January 3rd, on the topic of "The Collapse of Intelligent Design: Will the next Monkey Trial be in Ohio?".