The Seeker - The Dark is Rising
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Movie Reviews of The Seeker - The Dark is Rising
Movie Review: Film as propaganda & not all that convincing at that
Summary: 1 Stars
If anyone is familiar with the history of The Seeker's production, you already know that it was very loosely adapted from the books by a fundamentalist director. Besides the issue that Will suddenly was made older & "modernised", the adaptation completely missed the point of the book series. The books were definately written for children rather for an all ages audience (the story is not necessarily about the "hero's journey" or "coming of age" issues, but rather about young children trying to understand unexplained forces & issues of the world through mysterious events, magic & adventure), but they did have some interesting comments on children grappling with different forces of the world. This film simplifies and changes the main concepts and has among the most uninteresting dialogues I've heard, very poor character development & predictable plot. (if I wanted to see a Christian-themed fantasy, I'd rather see the Narnia films, even with all their faults or watch LOTR or The Exorcist again).
It's one of the worst movie adaptations I have seen since the Earthsea Chronicles. I rented it even though I read bad reviews, but wanted to give this film a chance since I love this subgenre so much. I gave it one star for the presence of Christopher Eccleston.
A film does not have to be an exact adaptation, but should still carry forth the basic essence of the novel that is being adapted.
If you are in the mood to see some fun fantasy film based on good books, there is so much to choose from, such as the Harry Potter series, the European version/television series of Wrinkle in Time, Stardust, Spiderwick Chronicles (could have been better dialogue, but some of the characters are very charming), The Water Horse (surprisingly one of the best children's book adaptations of 2007) and Golden Compass (very Hollywood, but can be good depending on the next film).
Movie Review: TOTAL disappointment :(
Summary: 1 Stars
Having read the whole series, I found this book a TOTAL disappointment. It was like taking a line from every book and making a movie of it. It was truly terrible. Read the books! They are TOTALLY amazing!... and I am in my late 30's.. never too old for these books!Movie Review: The seeker should have found something else.
Summary: 3 Stars
Another poorly made movie adapted from a great book series. Instead of rewriting everything, just deal with what happens in the actual books. The actors are subpar especially Christopher Eccleston whom I really liked as the Doctor in the Doctor Who series. There never really seems to be any real danger for the lead character as he searches for the objects he needs to keep the Dark at bay. Better to keep with the Harry Potter movies than this.Movie Review: A GREAT book ... a POOR movie
Summary: 1 Stars
Years ago, I wrote in my review of the DARK IS RISING series that these would make wonderful movies, so I was very excited to see the first of these stories hit the big screen.
Sadly, I was very disappointed.
Rather than following the life and excitement of these wonderful books, the director/producer/whoever took the cheap and easy road, creating a middle of the road, predictable story ... or worse. The "Old Ones" are one dimensional caricatures of Harry Potter characters, the seductive witch virtually ignores the entire feminist movement, and the storyline has needless updates with webcams and ipods.
Too bad, really. The young man who played Will had a fair level of screen presence ... he is a young man with potential.
What captured me initially about Ms. Cooper's wonderful stories was, similar to J.K. Rowling, her impression command of British mythology ... parts of the story that were sterilized out of the movie in order to create a story-line with a modern-day narcissistic plot (gee ... guess who is the final sign?!?)
Having said that, my 12-year-old really enjoyed the movie ... hopefully enough to get him to read the books.
Movie Review: DAVID L. CUNNINGHAM, OPUS 4
Summary: 4 Stars
***1/2 2007. This motion picture was based on Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising (The Dark Is Rising Sequence), was written by John Hodge, Danny Boyle's usual screenwriter, and finally directed by David L. Cunningham. Will Stanton is a 14 years old boy who learns that he's in fact The Seeker who must fight the forces of the Dark on behalf of the forces of the Light. As I haven't read Susan Cooper's novel, I'm able to express an objective opinion about this film; at least, I think so. In comparison with, let's say, Matthew Vaughn's Stardust (Widescreen Edition), a film belonging to the same genre I saw a few days ago, THE SEEKER is a good movie with nice special effects, an interesting production design and, most of all, directed by a talented director. My 10 years old son was very much absorbed by the film and I enjoyed the discreet winks of the director destined to the adult audience like the dance of the knives over the kitchen's table for instance. In short, I must admit I pass a very good moment with this film. Recommended if you're not a Susan Cooper aficionado.