History YMMV / TheGoldenCompass

* MomentOfAwesome: When Iorek [[spoiler: punches the Panserbjorne king's jaw right off his face]] and you could hear the whole audience go Oh Snap!
** Very [[IncrediblyLamePun Oh Snap]] since you [[spoiler: get that sound when half his face flies off]].

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: The film adaptation of the first book of HisDarkMaterials trilogy was marketed to children, and is considered a family film. But despite the Disneyfication process that suffered the adaptation (like removing most of the [[AuthorFilibuster hardcore atheist rants]]), it still had lot of dark elements, like a very violent polar bear fight, people being shot, lots of killings and many other things... Such as the [[SarcasmMode extremely heartwarming and uplifting]] ending scene which was left off the theatrical release.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: There are gunfights and KO's in this movie. Characters die. And again, [[spoiler:Iorek punching the Panserbjorne king's jaw off his face.]] However, despite that, the film was marketed to the same audience of TheChroniclesOfNarnia.
** Which ''also'' contains sword-fights and characters deaths.

* MisaimedMarketing - Aww, who wouldn't want a cute widdle armored bear plushie?

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids - There are gunfights and KO's in this movie. Characters die. However, despite that, the film was marketed to the same audience of TheChroniclesOfNarnia.

* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: Averted. As with The DaVinci Code released the year previous, the movie attracted a large amount of controversy in the US before it's release due its perceived anti-christian themes. Yet unlike The DaVinci Code, the film ended up doing poorly (at least in the US).

* AwardSnub: Most people, including those ''within'' Hollywood, feel that this took the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects from [[{{Film/Transformers}} more]] [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean deserving films]].

** Which contains sword-fights and characters deaths.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: When your movie, which has godawful CGI, wins the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, Prepare for hate not only from the [[{{Main/Transformers}} Transfans]] and the [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean Pirates fans]], but also from the general public and [[ItGotWorse many people from WITHIN Hollywood]].

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: Not only did the game have common problems with licensed games, it wound up serving as the final nail in the coffin for developer ShinyEntertainment before they merged with The Collective and became Double Helix Games.

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: Not only did the game have common problems with licensed games, it wound up serving as the final nail in the coffin for the once-beloved developer ShinyEntertainment before they merged with The Collective and became Double Helix Games.

AwardSnub: Most people, including those ''within'' Hollywood, feel that this took the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects from [[{{Film/Transformers}} more]] [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean deserving films]].

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: One of the largest cases of this. Its overseas take was more than four times what it made in the US. Unfortunately, New Line sold the overseas rights cheap.
* MisaimedMarketing - Aww, who wouldn't want a cute widdle armored bear plushie?

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: Not only did the game have common problems with licensed games, it wound up serving as the final nail in the coffin for ShinyEntertainment before they merged with The Collective and became Double Helix Games.

* TheProblemWithLicencedGames: Not only did the game have common problems with licenced games, it wound up serving as the final nail in the coffin for ShinyEntertainment before they merged with The Collective and became Double Helix Games.

* MomentOfAwesome when Iorek [[spoiler: punches the Panserbjorne king's jaw right off his face]] and you could hear the whole audience go Oh Snap!

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff - One of the largest cases of this. Its overseas take was more than four times what it made in the US. Unfortunately, New Line sold the overseas rights cheap.

* SpecialEffectsFailure - When your movie, which has godawful CGI, wins the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, Prepare for hate not only from the [[{{Main/Transformers}} Transfans]] and the [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean Pirates fans]], but also from the general public and [[ItGotWorse many people from WITHIN Hollywood]].

* FridgeLogic: When Lyra and Pan are being separated, why does Pan not just turn into an ant (or something of similar size) and crawl across to her?
** The FridgeLogic here stems from the fact that in the books, having your daemon touched by another person is portrayed as a startling, significant experience (it's usually only considered acceptable between people who have a ''very'' close relationship), while in the movie this issue wasn't really explained. Basically, in the book Pan was in shock and too out-of-it from being grabbed by the Bolvangar staff to think of changing shape. Movie!Pan didn't display any signs of this.
*** Both he and Lyra were clearly very panicked in the movie though. It was earlier established that he and Lyra feel the same things, so if she's so freaked out that she's flailing and screaming and unable to formulate a plan, he probably is just as hysterical.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome when Iorek [[spoiler: punches the Panserbjorne king's jaw right off his face]] and you could hear the whole audience go Oh Snap!

* UncannyValley - Debatably, some of Lyra's acting. Especially in the scene with the polar bear king...
** How can UncannyValley apply to a real person's acting?

* SpecialEffectsFailure - When your movie, which has godawful CGI, wins the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, Prepare for hate not only from the [[{{Main/Transformers}} Transfans]] and the [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean Pirates fans]], [[{{Understatement}} but also from the general public]] and [[ItGotWorse many people from WITHIN Hollywood]].

* AdaptationDecay or AdaptationDistillation - Initial buildup downplayed changes, but the final product was unmistakeably an example of this.
** Two of the biggest changes were understandable. They switched the places of the dramatic duel and the big battle so the big battle would be at the end, and they cut off the shoot the shaggy dog finish, which wasn't one of the more enjoyable aspects of the book.
*** It pretty clearly led up to said ending. "We're bringing him what he needs." To anyone who hasn't read the book, that's a high note to end it on. To anyone who ''has'' read the book, it's a particularly chilling SequelHook.
** The real ending actually was filmed, because it can be seen in trailers and tie in materials. Presumably it was removed at the last second.
* AwardSnub: Inverted. This movie beat out Transformers and Pirates Of The Caribbean: At Worlds End. The former of course was generally considered the favorite.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff - One of the largest cases of this. Its overseas take was more than four times what it made in the US. Unfortunately, New Line sold the overseas rights cheap.