The Dark Is Rising [DVD] [2007]

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• This item: The Dark Is Rising [DVD] [2007] DVD ~ Christopher Eccleston

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• Stardust [DVD] [2007] DVD ~ Michelle Pfeiffer

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• The Spiderwick Chronicles [DVD] [2008] DVD ~ Seth Rogen

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Amazon.co.uk Review
Developing one's self confidence is difficult for most 14-year-olds, and doubly so for Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig) 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 Dark Is Rising 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, Amazon.com

Synopsis
Based on Susan Cooper's 1973 Newbery Award-winning fantasy novel, THE DARK IS RISING, director David L. Cunningham's 2007 film follows the adventures of young protagonist Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig), who discovers that he is an immortal being connected with an ancient struggle between good and evil. Aided by fellow 'Old Ones', including Miss Greythorne (Frances Conroy) and Merriman Lyon (Ian McShane), Will, an American in England, must face off against shadowy forces bent on world domination, most notably represented by the black-clad Rider (Christopher Eccleston).
Taking a different approach to Cooper's revered novel, THE SEEKER, actually drawn from the second book in THE DARK IS RISING sequence, will certainly raise the eyebrows of ardent fans of the series, particularly given screenwriter John Hodge's considerable alterations to the original story. For example, Will is American instead of British. For those unattached to Cooper's story, however, THE SEEKER will likely prove to be an enjoyable escapist film, with Conroy (SIX FEET UNDER), McShane (DEADWOOD), and Eccleston (HEROES) adding credibility to a largely unknown cast that is anchored by the likable Ludwig.

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22 Reviews 5 star:  (1) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:  (4) 1 star:  (13)           Average Customer Review 1.9 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   17 of 20 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars An underrated gem, 20 April 2008 By  Veronica Marwood (England) - See all my reviews 'The Dark is Rising' is a fantasy adventure following Will Stanton, a 14-year old American boy living in a quaint English village with his sizeable family, who - through a strange and mysterious chain of events - discovers that he is 'the Seeker', a warrior foretold to play a key part in the ancient battle between Light and Dark. To aid the forces of Light in their endeavour to triumph, Will must collect six hidden 'signs' within just a few days, while fending off attempts by the enigmatic Rider to foil his quest. It's all very fast-paced, and the intrigue doesn't let up from the very start. There's plenty of thrills, and one scene in particular, in which Will is pursued by a pair of sinister security guards, is genuinely quite frightening. The film is packed with dramatic set pieces and fantastic showdowns, culminating in a thrilling climatic confrontation. The settings, from a beautiful snow-bound village to a stunning gothic manor house, are perfectly depicted and gorgeous to look at, and the 'time travel' segments are very well realised. There's definitely enough magic to keep Harry Potter fans happy, and the plot boasts several unexpected twists. If there's anything wrong with this film, it's the casting, particularly of the protagonist; the young actor portraying Will just doesn't have the right look, voice or mannerisms to play the hero of a fantasy movie, and doesn't make the character particularly believable or sympathetic. Then there's the fact that the girl we're meant to believe is Will's potential love interest looks (and, judging by a quick check of IMDB, actually is) about 10 years older than him. Thankfully, the adult cast - led by Christopher Eccleston and Ian McShane as the main representatives of Dark and Light respectively - is much stronger and easily diverts the viewer's attention from these faults. 'The Dark is Rising' is flawed, certainly, but it's still got plenty going for it, and I was surprised to see the number of one-star reviews it's received here. Admittedly, I haven't read the Susan Cooper novels the film is based on, so I can't draw any comparisons, which is perhaps why I hold it in higher esteem than others appear to. However, judging it on its own merits, I think 'The Dark is Rising' is a fantastic family movie - magical, exciting and scary; it's definitely better than the much-lauded 'The Golden Compass', for a start. It's no masterpiece, but older children and anyone who enjoys a bit of magical fantasy will find it both captivating and satisfying. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   7 of 8 people found the following review helpful: 1.0 out of 5 stars The Dark is Rising, 4 May 2008 By  redpencil "HB" (UK) - See all my reviews So many opportunities missed here. They had a good basis to work from in Susan Copper's excellent book, an intriguing much loved story with mythic overtones... and they turned it into a theme park adventure story for the totally un-demanding. Elements of the story cut from the film are shown in the extras... and imho, it was a mistake to exclude them from the theatrical cut as they do in part explain what's going on. But the thing I really can't forgive is the director saying how pleased they were that the Transylvanian village they used '... looked exactly like an English village, when they'd laid pavements and put up some shop fronts' Per-lease! If your location manager really told you that - they should be sacked! Go on - admit it - you filmed in Romania to cut costs and that extends to the rest of the production, and it shows. Christopher Eccleston and Ian Macshane do their best, but its an uphill struggle. The producers have a series of books here to make a franchise out of - take some advice - fire your director and get in a writer who understands how to adapt fantasy novels to the screen! 'Harry Potter' should have showed you that 'Englishness' will travel internationally - take the hint and can the americanization of a series of stories that rely on the notion of Arthurian legend and 'the Matter of Britain' as the backbone of their plot. Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   8 of 10 people found the following review helpful: 1.0 out of 5 stars The dark was indeed rising , as my eyelids were drooping, 9 May 2008 By  russell clarke "stipesdoppleganger" (halifax, west yorks) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)       As a huge fan of the fantasy gene I feel a little derelict in my duty by not having read any of the "The Dark Is Rising " series of books by Susan Cooper. From reading numerous review of this film from people who have read the books , and are fans, it is clear that the producers, directors and the writer who adapted this for the big screen ( John Hodge who admits to not being a fan of the fantasy genre. He obviously took the job for the money but why didn't anyone realise this and fire his arse?) have made a complete hash of the job. On most levels this is a poor move, but at least it could have been exciting and good fun but it commit's the most cardinal sin of all ....being interminably dull. Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig) is a 14 year old American( In the book he was English so why the change? To appeal to the U.S. market or distance him from a certain other young bespectacled English schoolboy?) boy living in an English village (The film was actually shot in Rumania which will be why I was constantly confused about where it was set as it looked nothing like an English village) He feels somewhat cut off from his large extended family -almost literally as he has to sleep in the crumbling attic -and has a serious crush on the older Maggie (Amelia Warner) To add to this he has started to have strange visions involving a certain repeated pattern . Suddenly some of the eccentric locals Merriman Lyon ( Ian McShane) and Miss Greythorne( Frances Conroy) inform him he is "The Seeker" who must find the six signs that will ensure that the light will win over the dark again .Very important this because the dark , represented by Christopher Eccleston wearing a feathery cape on horseback, is rising up again to plunge the world into eternal darkness as the dark is wont to do . Or something like that. Happily he, Will , has some powers to help him achieve this end including time travel (useful), Pyrotechnics(Fairly useful but wears out if he uses it too much so not that useful after all) and the ability to give others a ruddy good shove ( Not so useful unless you want to give someone a ruddy good shove) The whole film is an arbitrarily assigned hotch potch of fantasy elements that never gels into a cohesive narrative. There are a couple of twists that anybody who hasn't nodded off after the first five minutes, and be aware there is a good chance this may happen , will see coming as if they had ridden across the screen wearing a feathery cape. The film is jam-packed with extraneous fantasy window dressing -ravens, dogs that growl at Will , menacing figures that might be beasties but all these never add up to anything substantial . Worse of all , after all this the concluding confrontation between light and dark is nothing more than lots of shouting (The Duke Of Wellington from "Blackadder III" would love it) and some swirling black clouds. A sub-plot involving a missing twin brother is shoe-horned in for added poignancy. The acting is competent enough but it's hard to escape the feeling that prodigious talents like Eccleston and McShane are wasted but then again the whole movie is one big wasted opportunity . Why decide to make a fantasy and then be so half hearted about ? And why adapt much loved books and completely ignore what is was that made them so loved in the first place.? No wonder Susan Cooper is so disgruntled with this movie. She's not the only one . The Dark is indeed rising ....in the hearts and minds of studio executive who let tripe like this come into being . Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 22 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 1.0 out of 5 stars Dont let this movie ruin your book reading.. Such an excellent series of books to base one or a set of films on, such a missed oppertunity. This film gets it all wrong. Read more Published 3 months ago by Tom Strong 1.0 out of 5 stars Do not waste your time As someone who has grown up loving the Dark Is Rising Series of books by Susan Cooper I was quite interested to see it adapted for the 'big screen'. Read more Published 4 months ago by Mrs. K. Bryan 2.0 out of 5 stars Just doesn't work...very disappointing. Watched the trailer..ignored the reviews (again) and as usual regret ignoring the reviews. It should have been great but it was so annoying! Read more Published 5 months ago by K. Grunwald 5.0 out of 5 stars Curious Curious as to why this has had bad reviews i thought as a film it was entertaining, enjoyable, adventerous and well acted. Read more Published 5 months ago by flintstones 1.0 out of 5 stars Truly Dreadful This was, in my view, an absolutely appalling adaptation of the fantastic book by Susan Cooper. Barely keeping to the story at all the characters bore no relation to those in the... Read more Published 8 months ago by Alun W. Jones 1.0 out of 5 stars Please stick with the books I love Christopher Eccleston's work. I love the Dark is Rising sequence of books (ok Over Sea, Under Stone isn't as good as the rest, but even so...). Read more Published 12 months ago by Hannah 1.0 out of 5 stars A shoddy, unconvincing mess of a film Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Why do film writers do this terrible thing to excellent books? I love all the Susan Cooper stories and was really excited to see it was the latest... Read more Published 13 months ago by Meerkat 1.0 out of 5 stars Um...but sorry, NO, NO As a mum with 4 children who LOVE reading, I like them to try the books, before we see the film attempt at making the 'pictures in your head real, for a given (other people's... Read more Published 14 months ago by sapiens 2.0 out of 5 stars Rather dull I like a good fantasy movie but this isn't one. The plot involves an American (why?) boy living in England who must 'seek' a series of magical objects to stop the Dark from... Read more Published 14 months ago by R. Talibart 3.0 out of 5 stars Film has its faults The film has it faults certainly, but I'd watch it again some day. Like others I've been a big fan of Susan Coopers 'Dark is Rising' series, particularly as its was perhaps... Read more Published 14 months ago by C. Logan Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 22 customer reviews...

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