Movie Review: The Seeker
I took my daughters to see the seeker this weekend. The story is about a young boy, Will Stanton (played by Alexander Ludwig), who after coming of age, learns that he is the Seeker, the last of a line of the "old ones", immortals on the side of Light fighting the Dark, the Rider (played by Christopher Eccleston),. The job of the Seeker is to find the 6 signs that will allow him to defeat the evil.
The story arc was decent with only a couple of jarring holes in the script, which may be due to leavings on the cutting room floor, such as the sudden introduction of Merriman Lyon (played by Ian McShane) driving up and giving Will and his brothers an invitation for his family to come to the manor for some holiday cheer. How did Will and his brothers know the man? I don't know about you, but I've told my kids that if a stranger drives up in a car and tries to give you something, RUN!
Spoilers Ahead!
Another hole I found is when Will finds his twin brother, Tom, stolen from the cradle by the Dark and kept in a crystal ball, only to be released when Will defeats the Rider. The brother appears as a fully dressed teen, (Alexander Ludwig with a different hair style). I couldn't help thinking of the original "The Parent Trap" with Hayley Mills. Tom doesn't have any lines, obviously in awe of finding his brother, that or he is a complete idiot (why would the Dark consider teaching a kid kept in a crystal ball since being a baby). Now I haven't read the book, but I think I would have preferred Will stepping through time, somehow diverting the abduction of his brother, maybe having one of the immortals taking Tom to another family and instructing Will about a future reunion to avoid a time paradox.
While the movie is entertaining, it's not going to be one that I'm going to rush out and buy the DVD when it's available.
Will Stanton did not have a twin brother,though two of his older brothers are twins. Neither of them get kidnapped by the way. He is the youngest of 13 children. The oldest, Tom died in infancy, the second to the oldest, Steven, is in the British Royal Navy. Will was 11 years old when the story took place and had no interest in girls at the time. He is British not an American. The movie does not resemble the book at all, not even close!! Did the Producers even read the book!! I think not. Those who have not read the books are in for a surprise when they do. "Is this the same story?" they will ask. Those who have read the books will be sorely disappointed. I don't mind movie adaptations of books. Quite of few are very well done such as "Lord of the Rings",The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and they even did a fair job with "Harry Potter." But the producers really butchered the "Dark is Rising." There are 5 books in the complete story of the Dark is Rising. The 1st one is called, "Over the Sea, Under the Stone", the 2nd, "The Dark is Rising," The 3rd, 'the Green Witch", The 4th, "The Grey King"-- Newberry award winner, and the last book is called "Silver on the Tree." Very excellent books. Skip the movie. Read the books!!
Thanks for the info. Honestly I'm not sure if in the movie they stated where Will and his family were from, most of it was assumptions based on the americanized casting of the characters, since to me I could not detect any hint of an English accent in Will or his family.
