The Seeker - The Dark is Rising
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Movie Reviews of The Seeker - The Dark is Rising
Movie Review: Magical
Summary: 4 Stars
I found this G rated movie to be fun, full of CGI and very entertaining. A very welcomed surprise for a movie that I'd heard nothing about, even when it was released.Movie Review: Enjoyable and Worth the Watch!
Summary: 4 Stars
On a whim, I bought this film from the "Previously Viewed" rack at Blockbuster--and I wasn't disappointed! I have not read the novel, so taking it on its merits as a film alone, it's an enjoyable and well-crafted piece of work. The score is beautiful, the characters are well acted without exception, the story is engaging, the action is gripping, and the production design is intriguing. This is well worth the watch, particularly if you're a fan of the fantasy-meets-real-world story. And stories about the battle of good and evil (in this case, light and dark) never get old!Movie Review: good for young audiences & not so good if thought about a lot
Summary: 2 Stars
There was definitely some talent involved in the making of this film. A lot of the camera work is very creative, unusual angles are effectively used in many scenes (including brief cuts with it being upside down that are subtle enough not to be easily noticed!).
However, the creativity seemed to run short in a lot of ways. A lot of the shots of the 'rider' were slightly reminiscent of the Nazgul in the Lord of the Rings, particularly the times when he is mounted. Additionally, while the style used to establish the mood around the 'rider' was effective in the beginning, it did not vary much over the course of the movie, and thus began to feel stale by the end. The director also could not seem to resist the urge to slow down action shots in 'Matrix' style.
As for the acting, Alexander Ludwig does a good job as Will Stanton. Christopher Eccleston is a very talented actor, and seems to be holding back in this movie, somehow, or not quite on his game, which is rather disappointing (maybe he dislikes Romania).
Now, the biggie: the story. All in all, I have to rate this by far as one of the weakest book adaptations that I have seen (ok, the Scifi Channel adaptation of 'A Wizard of Earthsea' was FAR worse). That does not mean it is a terrible movie though. The book is of a high enough quality that even this watered down, very loose adaptation of it still has some merit.
What is difficult for me to understand though is that the novel was saturated with the myths and traditions of the british isles, and that whole feeling is entirely removed from the movie. Some have suggested that this was because the director felt these were in opposition to his Christian beliefs (which seems odd as King Arthur is universally portrayed as a Christian). The signs were originally all in the shape of celtic crosses, for instance, and the last great battle which the movie places as '1000 years ago' was, in the book, the battle of baden hill with King Arthur (and Merriman Lyon actually being Merlin), etc. This is all removed, and the movie could just as easily have taken place in Romania, where they filmed it.
The biggest problem that I had though is that instead of him being part of something bigger than himself in the battle against the dark, this telling of it has the other 'Old Ones' have to resort to cross bows and swords, because they seem to have virtually no power of their own. Not only does this lack literary sense, it also has the effect of making much of the movie feel like a superhero-worship film, instead of an epic, large scale battle which is much more. Will becomes this embodiment of light, placed opposite the 'rider', who was the embodiment of the dark. This one-on-one situation might appeal to modern movie audiences, but just serves to be reductionist and effectively VASTLY limits both what the light and the dark are.
The sub-plot about his father being a physicist who had studied the actual nature of light and dark struck me as a total non-sequitur, which did little to nothing to enhance the story and just sucked up time which should have been used in more meaningful character development.
Another sore thumb is that members of his family get carried on his time journeys with him, and he doesn't just wipe their memory (a power old ones have in the book) afterwards. Aside from being weirded out at the moment, the subject never comes up again as it would in reality.
The ending was particuarly painful. What was, in the past, an epic battle between light and dark which the light barely won, was a quick and trite utter dominion of the dark by will (without the aid of any of the other old ones, annoyingly enough). I was just like, the whole movie has been leading to this moment, AND THAT IS IT?
Overall, not a total failure, but definitely not the inspiring triumph that the book is. It would be enjoyed a lot by people in the 8-14 range, in particular. It is not really an adult film, although adults with a particular love of fantasy, who have not read the book, would be likely to enjoy it as well.
Movie Review: Disappointed & FURIOUS!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
As a huge fan of Susan Cooper's "Dark is Rising" series & a satisfied viewer of the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Narnia movies I was very excited to hear that they were going to adapt the "dark is Rising" to film.
They shouldn't have bothered! This film is an offensive travesty with no resemblance to the book at all with the exception that the signs need to be collected. The casting of some little snotbag of an actor as Will is unforgivable along with all the other additions, subtractions & general 'creative liscence' that was taken.
I wish I could give this movie no stars or better yet make it go away all together. Anyone who is a fan of Cooper's books will be sparing themselves some serious anger issues if they avoid this miserable piece of crap altogether.
Movie Review: what were they thinking?
Summary: 1 Stars
Lets set the scene. The Dark is Rising, an amazing book that has even been nominated for a newbury award, so someone says, lets turn it into a movie. YEA!! uh no. The movie they named The Seeker: the dark is rising has so little in common with the book it should have had a different title. I hate how everyone says that Will is just this poor boy that suddenly realizes he has powers. Did anyone read the book? He is an old one, once he becomes an old one he is no longer a little boy in possession of these powers he doesn't know how to control, he is an immortal being, whose very existence was created to stop the dark and allow mankind to live their own life. He isn't a confused little boy trying to find signs he doesn't really understand the meaning of. He doesn't have fits of rage, and teenage hormonal angst where he sets fire to things. And merrimen was a joke! This man is supposed to be the oldest of the old ones, and his mentor. Not some dumb butler who happens to know nothing about boys and need to be led by the hand by old Mrs. Greythorne (don't even get me started on her).
Overall I thought the plot was dumb (Tom is Will's lost twin brother who was locked in this weird sphere for most of his life what???), the special effects were dull, and the whole movie laughable. And I did laugh, quite loudly during the whole thing. Who ever wrote this screenplay should be shot, quartered, tarred and feathered and ashamed of themselves. They ruined a masterpiece, for no good reason.