Review of The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (2007) by Gavin C — 06 Jun 2011

Okay, good vs. evil or light vs. dark is a common staple in storytelling - but not when the actual story is literally the light vs. the dark. And that's all The Dark Is Rising is: A textbook Fantasy 101 story with no depth, detail or any real interesting plot points. Sure it has potential, but all that potential is cast aside in favour of some cheap plot points that never go anyway, poor acting, and one too many CGI rooks.

Apparently based on a series of successful fantasy novels which focused on Celtic mythology, this film focuses on an annoying American kid going through puberty and angst. The kid named Will seems to live in the Weasley household, and discovers he is the last in a line of magicians(?) called the Old Ones, being the Seeker.

It becomes clear he is part of a 1000-year old battle between the Light and the Dark. And they are quite literally light and dark. The light was split into six Signs which were hidden throughout time, but conviniently, Will can time travel to collect these signs and defeat the engimatic Rider who represents the Dark.

But throughout the film, we have to watch Will angst and moan and groan and keep his hormones in check when he stares at his brother's girlfriend. There is a lack of fantasy elements in the film and the only things of interest we get is a pile of snakes and the time travelling scenes. There are some truly questionable moments, such as a scene where Will's sister is dragged into a timewarp but doesn't ever question what the heck is going on.

Ian MacShane and Christopher Eccelston struggle to maintain their usual good acting skills in this mess, and the Rider's mole in the cast is so blatantly obvious, who'd have to lack a brain to not know who it is even when the "big" reveal occurs. I may read the books at some point to see what the film could've been like, but if you want to watch this film, just don't!