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The Dark Is Rising [DVD] [2007]
 
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The Dark Is Rising [DVD] [2007]

DVD ~ Christopher Eccleston
1.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
RRP: £19.99
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  • This item: The Dark Is Rising [DVD] [2007] DVD ~ Christopher Eccleston

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Product details

  • Actors: Christopher Eccleston, Ian McShane, Jonathan Jackson, Gregory Smith, Amelia Warner
  • Directors: David L. Cunningham
  • Format: Anamorphic, PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 12
  • Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 10 Mar 2008
  • Run Time: 95 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 1.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00115QGOM
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 12,798 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

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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Customer Reviews

28 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (3)
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 (3)
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 (4)
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Average Customer Review
1.8 out of 5 stars (28 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
10 of 11 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)    (VINE VOICE)   
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 .
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars A shoddy, unconvincing mess of a film, 2 Jun 2008
By Meerkat (Dereham, Norfolk) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   
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 'fantasy' story to be given the film treatment - but what a disappointment when I finally saw the film.
Changes to the story are to be expected because film is a very different medium, but there is no earthly reason to make Will and his family American, no reason for there to be a 'lost twin' brother held hostage by The Rider, no reason for cod mysticism with the father being a physicist who was investigating the Light and Dark many years before ... and why was so much of the action played out in front of various members of Will's family? Why was Merriman so antagonistic to Will? I love Ian McShane but he was totally miscast as Merriman. Maggie was referred to as a witch but did almost no magic and was never a threat to Will - in the book she does imprison him by magic and take the first 2 signs from him before he's rescued by Merriman.
I'm sorry to have to say this, but if you love the books, avoid this film.
If you don't care what film writers do to books - you might enjoy this film although I found the adult leads weak and unconvincing. The children were marginally better but the entire story dragged and there was no real tension.
Oh dear. I hope they do better with the next book they maul.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars unpleasant characters, 18 Mar 2008
By Dr. Ian C. Smith - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
What stops this film from being really REALLY bad is that it diverges so far from Susan Cooper's book that it will no longer matter to her fans that the film is terrible. Virtually every major plot element of the book has been removed or replaced. The Stanton family are transformed from a rustic tightly-knit supportive family into one that is hugely dislikeable and full of self-obsessed bullies. Merriman is also brash, inconsiderate, and still looks far too much like a rather well-known antique dealer! Even Will himself takes to using his 'power' to blow up cars, and so by the end you are so alientated from nearly all the characters that you start wishing the dark would win.
The Rider and Maggie at least provide a bit of interest and depth, however oddly they are portrayed.

If you read the book you will also find all of the following have been completely removed: The Walker (& Hawkin); The Lady; Merlin (and ALL references to British folklore); The Old Ways; The Sign of Fire; Herne the Hunter, and Will's Dad the Jeweller. The finding of all six signs also differs completely from the book. So you're left with a film where a few people share names with those in Cooper's book, and the vague idea of finding hidden things and of snow, but not much else really.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed from Devon
Unlike many of this film's reviewers, I first read The Dark Is Rising as an adult,having found it in a little local bookshop and deciding it would be good for reading to my... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mary Weaver

3.0 out of 5 stars Average Age?
I just wonder what the average age of the reviewers is and whether they are all watching a modern version of a childhood favourite expecting it to be as good. Read more
Published 2 months ago by African Salad

1.0 out of 5 stars Travesty
This film is a badly made travesty with virtually no connection to the fantastic sequence of books writtne by Susan Cooper other than the title.

Read the books! Read more
Published 4 months ago by D. Rowlands

1.0 out of 5 stars Avoid this like the Dark
If you have any respect for the award winning work of Susan Cooper - steer clear of this appalling, pallid, pedestrian, twisted version of the stories. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Chaos Thierry

1.0 out of 5 stars Pity there isn't a minus star for this
I absolutely loved the books and agree that there is always room for some 'tweaking' (Harry Potter being a good example). Read more
Published 5 months ago by J9

1.0 out of 5 stars Bad excuse of a movie
After a long working week, the weekend is a time to relax and watch a couple of movies. Tonight's choice, The Dark is Rising. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Gary Williams

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 11 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 13 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 13 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 14 months ago by flintstones

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