The Dark Is Rising
2007
Susan Cooper's beloved fantasy series comes to the screen with THE DARK IS RISING. A boy discovers that he possesses special powers, but his newfound abilities thrust him into a battle between good and evil. Read more
| Starring | Drew Tyler Bell, Frances Conroy, James Cosmo, Wendy Crewson |
|---|---|
| Director | David L. Cunningham |
| Run time | 99 mins |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
loading...
-
Critics' reviews (2)
View all -
Susan Cooper's popular children's fantasy novels finally get a big screen adaptation, some 30 years after they first appeared in print. Undoubtedly the producers have an eye on the success... read more »
- LOVEFiLM
-
Most helpful member's review
View all -
44 out of 45 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
A franchise fails before it starts
With the approaching end of the Harry Potter franchise (assuming that JK Rowling doesn't suddenly write another book based in Hogwarts) Hollywood is definitely on the look out for the next 'Potter'. 'The Dark is Rising' is one such hopeful, being based on the second part of a five book fantasy series, that was originally published in the 1960s and 1970s.
Will Stanton is fast approaching his 14th birthday, and is struggling with the all the usual issues, not least of which is his crush on one of the older girls at school. But his life becomes far more complicated when he starts seeing strange patterns on normal objects around him and is pursued by a dark ominous figure on horseback. Demanding that Will hand over 'the signs' Will is in real danger until four of the village locals appear and chase off the figure. These individuals turn out to be time travellers, known as the 'Old Ones' and they tell Will that he is 'the Seeker', the seventh son of a seventh son, and must find six 'signs' before the Rider's power comes to it's full, otherwise darkness will sweep the lands forever.
A major problem with 'The Dark Is Rising' is that the story, though in itself interesting, is played out in such a dull and predictable way that it's hard to get a great deal of enjoyment from it. It doesn't take a great deal of thought to work out exactly what is going to happen, so when it does occur you're left with an empty, hollow feeling. Those words in fact ring true for most aspects of the film, as the acting is also 'empty' and 'hollow' more often than not. Christopher Eccleston seems to be enjoying himself, and it's nice to see Ian McShane doing something other than Deadwood but Alexander Ludwig (Will Stanton) is incredibly uncharismatic in the lead.
There were reports on this film's release that the writer of the books, Susan Cooper, was unhappy with the interpretation of her works, and seeing this it's not hard to see why. It's saving graces are few, though it's certainly far from being the worst film ever made. Some of the set pieces are very good (watch out for the security guards in the shopping centre) and overall it isn't a bad story, with some nice twists (though if you're over 8 you'll see them coming a mile away). This is worth a watch if you like fantasy films, and go into it without expectations. But don't expect the next Harry Potter - Hollywood's still working on that one. -
Most recent members' review
View all -
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Angry!
Susan Cooper's books are brilliant and I suppose that this utter travesty of an adaptation now means that they will never be filmed as they should have been.
There is not enough room on this website to describe how rubbish this film was, although the other negative reviews have touched on many of the things which made it offensively bad, I'll mention some specially low points anyway - the trading with pillaging vikings, the total lack of ability on the part of the leads, the dysfunctional American family, the almost total omission of the British mythological backdrop, the gothicisation of Amersham (!), the throwaway witch scene, the fast and efficient retrieval of 'signs' lost for centuries without breaking sweat etc.etc.etc A film made by idiots for idiots. I hope the people who perpetrated this lost their shirts, and Christopher Ecclestone should be dee[y ashamed of participating in this garbage, there was more artistic integrity to be found playing piano in a strip joint.
It should be illegal to rent this. -
News and features
View all
The Dark is Rising
- 18 Oct 2007
Susan Cooper's popular children's fantasy novels finally get a big screen adaptation, some 30 years after they first appeared in print. Undoubtedly the producers have an eye on the success of The Lord of the Rings and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Master H. Potter, Esquire. Unlike those successful franchises, however, The Dark is Rising has offended fans of the books by making sweeping changes to the story and the characters, most obviously by changing hero Will from an 11-year-old... Read more
-
Image Gallery
View allShowing 1 to 1 of 1
-
-
More like this
View all
Related user collection
trickytrees films (38)
20% from 1 member
Celebrity collection
Bill Nighy (13)
63% from 44 members
