The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (2007)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

David L. Cunningham

Writers (WGA):

John Hodge (screenplay)
Susan Cooper (novel)

Release Date:

5 October 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

Tagline:

Even the smallest of light... shines in the darkness

Plot:

A boy's life is turned upside down when he learns that he is the last of a group of immortal warriors who have dedicated their lives to fighting the forces of the dark.

Plot Keywords:

Warrior | Power | Dog | Cat | Time Travel

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 11

2:15 PM

MAX

Cast

Alexander Ludwig	...	Will Stanton
Christopher Eccleston	...	The Rider
Ian McShane	...	Merriman Lyon
Frances Conroy	...	Miss Greythorne
James Cosmo	...	Dawson
Jim Piddock	...	Old George
Amelia Warner	...	Maggie Barnes
John Benjamin Hickey	...	John Stanton
Wendy Crewson	...	Mary Stanton
Emma Lockhart	...	Gwen Stanton
Drew Tyler Bell	...	James Stanton
Edmund Entin	...	Robin Stanton
Gary Entin	...	Paul Stanton
Gregory Smith	...	Max Stanton
Jordan J. Dale	...	Stephen Stanton

Also Known As:

The Dark Is Rising (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for fantasy action and some scary images.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS | Dolby

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #43658) | UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Singapore:PG | Malaysia:U | Taiwan:PG-12 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Germany:12 | Argentina:13 | Peru:PT | Finland:K-11 | Brazil:Livre | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:PG | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | France:U

Filming Locations:

MediaPro Studios, Bucharest, Romania

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Alexander Ludwig also plays the role of twin brother Tom, but isn't credited for this role.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the Stanton family moves to the manor and the Rider is letting the ice/water run, when he gets off his horse and it is prancing behind him you can see the whip behind it making it move.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Paul Stanton: Hey man, let's get out of here.
Robin Stanton: School is out.
John Stanton: What's up, little brother? I gotta catch up with the twins.
Gwen Stanton: Hi Will.
Will Stanton: Come on, Gwen. Let's go.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-10-06)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Jingle Bells

Waste of time

Awful, awful, awful - from screenplay to casting to effects. Should one be surprised considering the director announced in the past that he thought the books did not give good movie material and that he dislikes fantasy/children's movies to begin with? Did he pick them up in the end after all to ride the Harry Potter wave? Announcing at the same time that he changed the script from younger British boy to older American boy to avoid having yet another Harry... Well, Susan Cooper's book series the Rising of the Dark sequence was written long before Harry Potter and it has all the material for a good movie. If you like Britain. Its landscape and people. And history, as the background of the book is the King Arthur legend. Unfortunately, the original book has been butchered to the point that the story is unrecognizable. That does not necessarily make a movie bad, just different. However, in this case, as a result of the butchering, the story does not make sense, lacks any depth, and is a disappointment from A to Z which the director tries to hide by using cheap effects and repetitive and lame shooting angles. Save yourself the theater ticket fees and buy those wonderful books from Susan Cooper instead.