I haven’t seen the movie, but the book and its companions are, in my opinion, better than Harry Potter, Narnia, or the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. I haven’t read The Golden Compass and have no desire to, although I loved Pullman’s earlier Sally Lockhart books (they made no mention of religion or God at all).
It’s a classic good vs evil story, with a heavy influence from Arthurian legends. It follows Wil Stanton, a young English boy (and one of I think 11 happy kids with two happy parents, very refreshing) as he learns he’s the last of the “Old Ones”. He’s got special powers to fight the “Lords of the Dark”.
It’s been awhile since I read the series, and I hope to see the film soon. If it’s well acted and true to the book, I hope it gets rave reviews and a strong following.