First of all, let's be clear about two facts - 1. this film will do for Oxford what Lord of The Rings did for New Zealand, and 2. that's the best I can say...

Which frankly haunts me because I so wanted to enjoy this film, and went along with genuinely high expectations.

Mainly I'll admit because I was biased - I wanted it to work for both Oxford and local author Philip Pullman, who wrote the fantasy novels (His Dark Materials) on which this film is based.

And while there is much to recommend in this movie, little if any of it has to do with its ability to convey the magic and message of its source story.

The production design by Dennis Gassner is stunning (the airship is exquisitely elegant), as is the cinematography by Henry Braham (Oxford has never looked lovelier), but apart from that, there's an emptiness about the production that left me both cold and bored. And perhaps more importantly, confused...

I simply could not understand who all the characters were, what their purpose was to the overall story, and consequently, why they mattered.

Let me stick up my hand straight away and admit I haven't read the books. And from what I can tell, this is a distinct disadvantage, because Pullman's fantasy world is so complex and full of sub-text, it needs time and space to have its themes properly presented (ideally, a BBC Sunday serial of, say, 10 half-hour episodes would be the perfect platform).

Instead, what we get is a first half-hour that breathlessly gallops along, barely taking time to catch its breath while introducing a seemingly endless train of characters, concepts and plots.

And as a result I lost the thread and became frustrated (who or what is that, what are they doing, how did she or he get there, and why is everyone in Oxford completely on conversational terms with their daemons - animal spirits who are as close to them as their own hearts?).

I wanted to believe, but became confounded by the mess and rush of it all. And as if that wasn't enough, I found the effects frighteningly standard.

Still, one or two scenes work superbly well - the polar bear fight is terrific - but in all, I just felt disappointed. Which is a shame.

On the other hand, I'm now determined to read the books, so I can properly understand this story which has captured the imagination of millions.

And maybe that alone, is reason enough for this film...