And then there’s the ending. New Line and Weitz didn’t want to deal with Pullman’s downbeat conclusion, in which Asriel tries to build a bridge to another universe at a terrible cost, so they postponed it to The Subtle Knife, putting the bear showdown (no bear-heart eating here, of course) before the Bolvangar blowout so that this Golden Compass could end with Lyra triumphant and flying off in search of Asriel (now identified as her father). That decision may save this film’s box office, but if the series means to achieve true Pullman, it’ll need a course correction.
