The Seeker - The Dark is Rising

The Seeker - The Dark is Rising
by David L. Cunningham

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DVD details

Actor: Alexander Ludwig, Christopher Eccleston, Frances Conroy, Ian McShane, James Cosmo
Director: David L. Cunningham
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 99 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-03-18
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox

DVD Reviews of The Seeker - The Dark is Rising

DVD Review: You Just Can't Beat The Lord Of The Rings, Guys...
Summary: 2 Stars

The Sucker ...I mean THE SEEKER: THE DARK IS RISING is one of those putrid fantasy flicks that tries oh-so-hard to piggyback itself off of other successful fantasy films, but fails terribly in almost all departments.

The premise...

Dark and light battle. Dark wins. Light survives. Dark falters. Light wins. Darkness may still be out there waiting to win again. Cool CGI. Actors saying stilted and ridiculous lines. Corny ending. Close curtain.

That's it. Really.

Alexander Ludwig stars as Will Stanton, the final "seeker" in a line of immortals who's job it is is to seek out and find the signs that will unlock a puzzle responsible for defeating "The Darkness." The darkness is given form by The Rider (Christopher Eccleston, Heroes TV Series) who's goal is to trick The Seeker and get the clues himself so that he can snuff out the light. The battles to and fro are not surprising and have little if any impact on the viewer. Some casually decent CGI makes for some interesting shots but it's all show with no substance.

References to other great fantasy films are easily paralleled. Most notably is The Lord of the Rings with its own "dark riders" and their need to find "the one ring". Friends surround Frodo to protect him from this dangerous item (similar to how friends protect Will Stanton so that he can complete his own journey). But The Lord of the Rings had some of the best CGI, best acting, and best directing out there. The Seeker failed on almost all of those.

I'm sure every actor in this lame film are praying it'll vanish, like a fantasy that never was. Let's help them out by not watching it.

DVD Review: Great movie
Summary: 5 Stars

I have not read these books so I can't compare the story lines; however, I thought this movie was great! The characters are very interesting and the general story was captivating. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone looking for a magical and exciting movie!

DVD Review: Worst Fantasy Movie Made
Summary: 1 Stars

I had been interested in seeing "The Seeker" since I'm usually a fan of fantasy and the film looked like it had promise. Unfortunately, this most certainly was one of the dullest films I've ever seen. The main character (Will I think? I can't even recall) was a Harry Potter-Book 5 knock off full of angst. The climax was so anti-climatic that it was laughable. No character had more than a single-dimension. The plot was confusing and ultimately uninteresting.

Do yourself a favor: check out a fantasy movie with better production values, like the "Narnia" series, or go read "Leven Thumps" by Obert Skye. But don't waste your time with this garbage.

DVD Review: PLEASE FLUSH
Summary: 1 Stars

This movie's script was banged out by howler monkeys and thrown in your face on the screen. The film is okay, but when you realize they clipped and cut the heart and soul out of six novels to produce this vaguely forgettable film, moving the wonder the humor and the heart out of it and left very little behind to wonder what motivates and propels the story along.

The books are better. Read them. Ignore this cinematic travesty. If the film were any good, it wouldn't be found dumped heavily in the discount bins after its DVD release...

DVD Review: As a stand-alone, mediocre. As an adaptation, horrid
Summary: 1 Stars

First, I will reiterate that if you are a fan of Susan Cooper's novel, avoid this film unless you want a huge disappointment. First, the filmmakers chose to leave out all references to British mythology which were so central to the novel. Second, they made multiple unnecessary changes to the characters and plot, such as making the main character American rather than English, as American kids *obviously* can't relate to a British character. (Yes, I'm being sarcastic.)

Without reference to the book, this was sadly still mediocre kids' fare. There are several reasons that I thought this film failed as a stand-alone:

* Will, the main character, is a little brat.
OK, that wasn't very sympathetic, but he irritated me. He spends a large quantity of time whining that he doesn't want to be the Seeker, and throws a spectacularly destructive magical tantrum to which his mentor calmly responds "He's expressing himself." (Great lesson for the kiddies! If you want to express yourself, blow something up!) By the climax, he gets cocky and brags about his special status, which is just as annoying.

* The plot was ill-conceived.
By stripping out the mythology that was so important to the novel, the film also strips out anything that gave depth to the plot. The result is a simple treasure hunt, but one that doesn't have many clues ala National Treasure to keep you guessing. While going about his everyday business, Will just randomly sees a vision of a spiral pattern, then hunts around until he finds the Sign hidden in the vicinity. There are also some gaping holes in the plot. In one scene Will's little sister gets inadvertently introduced to his magical world, but never seems to question the experience or bring it up to other family members. Did Will use magic to make her forget? If he did, it wasn't shown in the movie.

* The climax was boring and ridiculous.
The final "battle" was a downright boring affair with lots of heavily stylized camera work and little action. The Big Bad Rider seemed strangely easily intimidated by a 14-year old boy and his bragging. I won't detail the final plot-twists for people who want to see the movie, but suffice to say that they left more unanswered questions that stretch suspended disbelief to the breaking point.

In sum, this movie played as a cheap, hole-ridden Harry Potter knock-off. This might be good movie to rent for kids roughly in the "tween" age range or a little younger, provided they like fantasy and haven't read the books. Some of the scenes may be a little scary for very young children. The over-simplified and unconvincing plot will likely put off older teens and adults. The Harry Potter franchise and some other recent films have upped the ante in making family fantasy films that are truly for the whole family - complex and interesting enough to entertain adults as well as children. I would argue that it has also raised expectations that book adaptations be reasonably faithful to the source material. The Seeker fails on both accounts.

Description of The Seeker - The Dark is Rising

Filled with magical characters thrilling action and spectacular visual effects The Seeker is an epic fantasy adventure the whole family will love! During Christmas break from school a seemingly typical teenager discovers he's anything but ordinary. As the seventh son of a seventh son Will Stanton is The Seeker - a chosen warrior destined to restore the delicate earthly balance between Light and Dark. Guided by ancient protectors of the Light young Will must travel through time to gather the hidden signs that hold the ultimate power to protect the world.System Requirements:Running Time: 95 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre:?CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating:?PG UPC:?024543492177 Manufacturer No:?2249217

Developing one's self confidence is difficult for most 14-year-olds, and doubly so for Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig, The Sandlot 3: Heading Home) who's recently moved to England and has just begun his first year of study as an American overseas. Feeling shy and inadequate in school as well as amongst his five brothers and one sister, Will becomes increasingly confounded when he starts to see strange visions including a sinister horseman (Christopher Eccleston) who demands Will give him some sort of sign which he knows absolutely nothing about. Befriended by four elders of the local community (Ian McShane, Frances Conroy, Jim Piddock, and James Cosmo) who turn out to be "Old Ones" from ages past, Will learns that his destiny is as a seeker who must travel through time to collect six ancient signs that will somehow enable light to triumph over darkness and save the world as he knows it. As Will discovers that he possesses hidden powers and struggles to learn to control them in order to accomplish his quest, he is racked with insecurity and self-doubt. In the end, Will's inner strength will be tested to the extreme as will his relationship with both family and friends.
While based on Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising, this movie is significantly different from the book: Will's age and family circumstances have been changed, the role of the Old Ones in Will's education about his powers is much diminished, the six signs are less religiously symbolic, and the treatment of the final battle between light and dark is markedly different. Nonetheless, The Seeker is a suspense-filled, action-packed 94-minutes brimming with great special effects comparable to The Bridge to Terabithia and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy that's immensely appealing to viewers ages 10 and older. --Tami Horiuchi

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