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Post by Illiad on Apr 10, 2008 17:02:38 GMT -5
So, discussion topic! I really was shocked at the end; it was just so... unfinished. I wish they hadn't ended it off before they met up with Asriel. It felt so unpolished and rather jarring. For me, it was just like: "Okay, I sat here for two hours (a very, very rough estimation. I can't remember how long it actually was), watched Lyra get the alethiometer and set out, and stuff happened. BUT nothing is resolved at all. Asriel's still out in the grim and forbidding North, Lyra's still obediently trying to find him to give him the alethimoeter, and all I got was the satisfaction of seeing two awesome armored bears fight, and a nice battle involving the witches. Is that it?"
Obviously, I was kind of annoyed. I know movies generally can't meet up to an epic book's greatness, but still...
Anyway, thoughts?
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Post by EamonHuman on Apr 12, 2008 9:05:01 GMT -5
Well I didn't like the movie that much in general because it was so mixed up, with events scattered all over the place, but I'll try to focus on the end.
This may be weird but for the last half an hour or so of the movie, I was sitting there waiting for Roger to die. I don't know why it was such an important event to me, or maybe I"m just too bloodthirsty for my own good, but it seemed to me that when Roger's death didn't occur, the story was as unfinished as possible. Even from the practical producers point of view; how are you gonna start a movie with a scene that was supposed to end the last one? Roger's death and Lyra's crossing were events that closed the book, that gave a satisfying end and at the same time left you hanging. And the movie totally squashed that work of art! They threw in some cheesy movie-end lines and left us bewildered and bemused. Sitting in that theatre, my friends and I were wondering whether it was really over or if there was some last few scenes after the credits. I doubt someone who didn't read the book and saw the movie would be very pleased with this - they have no idea what's going on! All in all it was a bad ending - one that could have been done much better with a few extra minutes. And if those minutes would be going over some time-limit, there were tons of scenes were a few minutes should be cut out!
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Post by SoulLily on Apr 16, 2008 19:42:04 GMT -5
I never feel fair critiquing movies based on books I've loved since I know I'm going to prefer the book no matter what. But I'll humour you: the ending sucked.
I mean, Lyra's sitting in a balloon on her way to see her father and right before the climax it ends. This shifts the ultimate focus of the story from Asriel's plan to freeing the kids at Bolvangar. We know something vague about another world and something even more vague about a prophecy, which we don't even learn until TSK anyway. The end was rushed and unnaturally cut; despite the reasoning behind their decision I really think it would've been better to include the last three chapters.
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