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 |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
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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.
| Starring | Drew Tyler Bell, Frances Conroy, James Cosmo, Wendy Crewson, Mark Donovan, Christopher Eccleston, Edmund Entin, Gary Entin |
|---|---|
| Director | David L. Cunningham |
| Studio | 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 39 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 10 Mar 2008 Production year: 2007 |
| Format | DVD |
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 »
[Highly rated reviewer]
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.
[Highly rated 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 .
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
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