Walp, I saw it. Didn't intend to, but it so happened that the company Christmas party was at the "presidential suite" of a multiplex, which meant we got (1) food, (2) booze, and (3) watch all the movies that were playing from some sound-proofed cabinets at the very top.
I skipped the first one, but watched Golden Compass and I Am Legend.
I didn't like Golden Compass at all. The direction lacked tension, the pacing was plodding, the attempt at a cliff-hanger ending was clumsy, and the actors hammed it up like there's no tomorrow; also the "this worked in LotR so it oughta work here" thing was extremely obvious. I hated Gandalf the Bear, and the whole thing to itself way too seriously. And... the "message" was too bloody obvious; it only annoyed me more that I agree with it.
IOW it's a definite thumbs-down from me. Boring, derivative, badly acted, badly directed, badly paced, badly written. The only redeeming feature was Lyra herself; the young actress playing her was a breath of fresh air in a very stale room.
On the other hand, and much to my surprise, I quite liked I Am Legend: it managed to take every zombie-action-movie cliché and turn it upside down and inside out; it was also damn spooky (not to mention depressing). Will Smith can actually *act,* dammit -- he did some very emotional and tough scenes really well.