The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (2007)
Average Rating: 3.9/10
Reviews Counted: 92
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 79
The magic of the book is lost in translation with The Seeker, due to its clumsy plot and lack of heart.
Average Rating: 4/10
Critic Reviews: 22
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 19
The magic of the book is lost in translation with The Seeker, due to its clumsy plot and lack of heart.
liked it
Average Rating: 2.9/5
User Ratings: 170,813
My Rating
Movie Info
Producer Marc E. Platt brings author Susan Cooper's popular series of children's fantasy books to the big screen with this tale of a young boy (Alexander Ludwig) who discovers that he is the latest in a long line of immortal warriors. When the forces of darkness, led by the villainous Rider (Christopher Eccleston), threaten to overpower the forces of light, the young chosen one must venture out into the world to realize his destiny and ensure that evil is defeated. Ian McShane and Frances Conroy
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Cast
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Alexander Ludwig
Will Stanton -
Christopher Eccleston
The Rider -
Frances Conroy
Miss Greythorne -
Ian McShane
Merriman Lyon -
Wendy Crewson
Mary Stanton -
John Benjamin Hickey
John Stanton -
Gregory Smith
Max Stanton -
James Cosmo
Dawson -
Jim Piddock
Old George -
Drew Tyler Bell
James Stanton -
Amelia Warner
Maggie Barnes -
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Jonathan Jackson
The Walker
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All Critics (95) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (81) | DVD (6)
A total dud.
Top CriticDirector David L. Cunningham's proffered chills are strictly of the lightweight variety: a menacing flock of ravens, a slimy skein of snakes and a couple of mall security yobs too fat or stupid to overpower even a spindly teenager.
A mealy adaptation of one installment in Susan Cooper's acclaimed book series.
A movie that should've been made shortly after its source material -- Susan Cooper's Newbery winner -- debuted in 1973. As is, it feels entirely too generic to work today.
The acting is mediocre, the story rambles, the special effects -- average at best.
Poor writing and production values like these bring no light to Cooper's novel -- or the audience.
The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising isn't an out and out bad film, there have certainly been worse films and recently, but it's not particularly good either, suffering from ill-conceived and executed story decisions that rob it of tension or interest.
a lot of shouting offered up as an ineffectual camouflage to the picture's complete lack of ambition.
Just pop this movie on right before nap time and you got yourself a successful sleep aide.
Sloppy, lifeless storytelling so limp it guarantees no sequels will be made.
Harry Potter-lite which ought to appeal to 12 year olds . . .
The Seeker is great-looking and well-acted, but unlike the Potter books and films, there's no sense that it's about anything more than the throwing-balls-of-smoke and mind-melding that we see onscreen.
It's important, when criticising some of the more clichéd elements here - the dark versus the light, the Tolkein parallels, the quests - to bear in mind that this film is aimed at older children, not your average jaded film critic.
Disappointing adaptation of a great kids' book.
Not-too-impressive CG effects and frenetic camera work but cannot mask what is--or, rather, what isn't there.
The excessive strobe effects may trigger epileptic fits, but the movie itself will induce narcolepsy.
An orgy of portents that runs out of oomph.
By Americanising the hero and grotesquely distorting the plot, they can only alienate the fan-base and confuse the newcomer.
A moderate Potter-teen fantasy about an American kid who comes to little old England with his family (dad's on some kind of academic posting) to find that he is the boy-king leader of a group of supernatural warriors.
An uncanny and unholy blend of The Fifth Element, The Sixth Sense and The Seventh Seal.
The Dark is Rising is one of those awful sorcery tales where a spotty young boy (Alexander Ludwig) suddenly gets to save the Earth from supernatural creeps such as Christopher Eccleston.
Not very likely to seize that Potter market, this is a disappointing film that starts out okay but goes rapidly downhill, thanks to rudimentary characterisation and storytelling that's designed more to accommodate gratuitous action.
Audience Reviews for The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising
Super Reviewer
Director: David L. Cunningham
Summary: Just as he turns 14, young Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig) learns that he's the last of a race of paladins known as "the Light" who are dedicated to beating back the forces of darkness and their malevolent leader, the Rider (Christopher Eccleston). As Will travels through time gathering the powerful artifacts that will give rise to the ultimate showdown, he must keep the Rider at bay.
My Thoughts: "Movies based on books should make you want to read the book/books if you haven't. Not the case with this movie. It just was not made very well and the directing was as poor as some of the acting. The acting felt very cheesy at moments. I think with better directing and some better acting the film could be much better."
Super Reviewer
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Foreign Titles
- The Dark Is Rising (UK)
