Scan and Pan
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising
Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig) is a seemingly ordinary American boy living in England with his family until he learns on his fourteenth birthday that he's destined to become a warrior fighting on the side of the Light against the Dark, the latter personified by the menacing Rider (Christopher Eccleston). Will has mere days to locate six objects of power and use them to defeat the Rider before he can bring about the apocalypse.
Director David L. Cunningham (The Road to 9/11) has a background in television and at times this film feels like an oversized television production, but overall Cunningham does a good job of visualizing the story and conveying its themes, while relying more on character than visual effects to move things along. Screenwriter John Hodge (Trainspotting) said in an interview that he read Cooper's novel and just couldn't get into it, which likely explains why he felt comfortable making so many unnecessary changes to it. Faithfulness to the source material aside, Hodge's script has a compact narrative and a well-realized protagonist, although the climactic showdown between Will and the Rider is too brief to be fully satisfying.
Major changes from the novel include transforming Will from an 11-year-old English boy to a 14-year old American boy, the inclusion of several action sequences, the removal of all pagan and Arthurian elements, and the complete excision of an important character (The Walker). The list of changes is a long one.
Although filmed in Romania, cinematographer Joel Ransom (the 2003 Battlestar Galactica miniseries and The Road to 9/11) and production designer David Lee (art director for Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith) create a beautiful and mysterious England of fog and snow, of small villages and ancient churches. The lighting and set design are both excellent. Christophe Beck (License to Wed) contributes a competent fantasy score.
Ludwig gives a strong performance as Will, convincingly portraying his character's evolution from alienated schoolboy to magical hero, with all the angst that entails. Without his presence, the film wouldn't work even half as well. Former Doctor Who star Eccleston is splendid as the story's villain, although he doesn't get nearly enough screen time.
The rest of the cast is solid and well-chosen, including Ian McShane as Merriman, Frances Conroy as Miss Greythorne, James Cosmo as Dawson, Jim Piddock as Old George, Amelia Warner as an older girl who Will has a crush on, John Benjamin Hickey and Wendy Crewson as Will's parents, Emma Lockhart as Will's sister, and Gregory Smith as Will's brother Max.
If The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising never reaches the magical highs of the Harry Potter films, it also doesn't hit the lows of an Eragon. If you're a fan of the novel, you'll be extremely disappointed by the screen version. If you haven't read the novel or can put aside your thoughts about it, it offers a fair amount of entertainment value.
[3 out of 5 stars]
Walden Media wants to create the next big fantasy film franchise à la the Harry Potter films or its own Chronicles of Narnia. As an adaptation of Susan Cooper's popular fantasy novel, "The Dark Is Rising", it's a travesty. Judged on its own merits as a film, it's a solidly entertaining effort, although unlikely to start a franchise.
Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig) is a seemingly ordinary American boy living in England with his family until he learns on his fourteenth birthday that he's destined to become a warrior fighting on the side of the Light against the Dark, the latter personified by the menacing Rider (Christopher Eccleston). Will has mere days to locate six objects of power and use them to defeat the Rider before he can bring about the apocalypse.
Director David L. Cunningham (The Road to 9/11) has a background in television and at times this film feels like an oversized television production, but overall Cunningham does a good job of visualizing the story and conveying its themes, while relying more on character than visual effects to move things along. Screenwriter John Hodge (Trainspotting) said in an interview that he read Cooper's novel and just couldn't get into it, which likely explains why he felt comfortable making so many unnecessary changes to it. Faithfulness to the source material aside, Hodge's script has a compact narrative and a well-realized protagonist, although the climactic showdown between Will and the Rider is too brief to be fully satisfying.
Major changes from the novel include transforming Will from an 11-year-old English boy to a 14-year old American boy, the inclusion of several action sequences, the removal of all pagan and Arthurian elements, and the complete excision of an important character (The Walker). The list of changes is a long one.
Although filmed in Romania, cinematographer Joel Ransom (the 2003 Battlestar Galactica miniseries and The Road to 9/11) and production designer David Lee (art director for Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith) create a beautiful and mysterious England of fog and snow, of small villages and ancient churches. The lighting and set design are both excellent. Christophe Beck (License to Wed) contributes a competent fantasy score.
Ludwig gives a strong performance as Will, convincingly portraying his character's evolution from alienated schoolboy to magical hero, with all the angst that entails. Without his presence, the film wouldn't work even half as well. Former Doctor Who star Eccleston is splendid as the story's villain, although he doesn't get nearly enough screen time.
The rest of the cast is solid and well-chosen, including Ian McShane as Merriman, Frances Conroy as Miss Greythorne, James Cosmo as Dawson, Jim Piddock as Old George, Amelia Warner as an older girl who Will has a crush on, John Benjamin Hickey and Wendy Crewson as Will's parents, Emma Lockhart as Will's sister, and Gregory Smith as Will's brother Max.
If The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising never reaches the magical highs of the Harry Potter films, it also doesn't hit the lows of an Eragon. If you're a fan of the novel, you'll be extremely disappointed by the screen version. If you haven't read the novel or can put aside your thoughts about it, it offers a fair amount of entertainment value.
[3 out of 5 stars]
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