The Seeker: The Dark is Rising

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Will Stanton finds a mystical chanber. The Seeker: The Dark is Rising.

The Seeker: The Dark is Rising – Will Stanton is part of a large family that has recently moved from the US to England and when he turns 14 he finds out that his fate is entwined with mystical forces – the Light (good) and the Dark (evil). His new-found abilities enable him to travel back in time to discover special signs which will enable the Light to vanquish the Dark. Unfortunately, the Dark has other plans and is far more powerful than Will who may not be learning fast enough to fulfil his destiny. Who will find all the signs first?

The Seeker: The Dark is Rising (2007) – Director: David L. Cunningham

Is The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising appropriate for kids?

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Rating: 12

Running Length: 99 mins

Starring: Alexander Ludwig, Ian McShane, Christopher Eccleston

Genre: Fantasy

REVIEW: ‘THE SEEKER: THE DARK IS RISING’
Based on the second book of ‘The Dark is Rising’ series by Susan Cooper, ‘The Seeker: The Dark is Rising’ introduces us to Will Stanton (played by Alexander Ludwig) who struggles to cope with the move from America to England and feels he is overlooked in such a large family, especially with older brothers who often treat him poorly. Discovering magical powers and a vitally important destiny, and therefore leaving a seemingly purposeless and uneventful life is something many teens can relate to. 

Unfortunately Ludwig struggles to carry the movie, lessening the gravity of his situation and the acting clout from the older, more mature actors is skimmed over in favour of more time with Will, presumably to be more appealing to its younger audience. Will, of course, has to hone his new-found abilities but spends so long being inexperienced and weak that the final pay-off is completely unconvincing. Eccleston is superbly menacing as the ancient evil, Dark Rider who hounds Will at every turn, unfortunately this only makes Will’s inexperience stand out even more and makes the Rider’s struggle to overcome Will all the more unrealistic.

Overall, ‘The Seeker’ has it’s flaws but younger teens who enjoy a fantasy film may like it. But this style of storytelling has been done better before and since and, clearly chopped and changed to fit its running time, this is a movie that rambles rather than seeking its destination.

CONTENT: IS ‘THE SEEKER: THE DARK IS RISING’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

Will is approached in a shopping mall by security guard who believe he has stolen something. They take him to a dark, isolated room and start to interrogate him. Will is clearly uncomfortable and the lighting is quite creepy. The light in the room begins to flicker and the guards start to talk in a creepy manner. Their facial features change in quick camera cuts, for example their eyes become black for a second and their teeth…, their hands become lizard-like with long, sharp claws. One of them scratches Will and, when he runs from them, they chase him, screeching.

When Will gets out of the building, he finds himself in a dark forest, chased by a mysterious dark figure on a horse which is followed by aggressive dogs.  Will flees in terror for around 2 minutes until he is saved by some people who explain what is happening.

Will falls and hurts his foot, causing his mother to ask a doctor to visit. When the doctor arrives, Will realises that he is the same man who chased him in the forest, only now he appears smart and ‘normal’. When his mother leaves the pair together, the doctor shows his true intentions and holds Will’s injured foot, blackness consumes it and starts to creep up his leg. Will writhes and grunts in pain but when his mother returns, the doctor lets go and there is no permanent damage to Will. The concept of a trusted authority figure turning violent towards a helpless victim could be frightening for some kids.

A story is told of a 2 week old baby who was abducted from home, under the noses of its parents and never found.

An old woman is exposed as being an agent of the ‘Dark’, a snake slither of her shoulder and she turns into thousands of snakes, the mass suddenly spring forth, covering several people, wrapping their bodies around them and stopping the people from moving. One snake rears up in order to attack a character but is stopped before any damage is done.

Will goes back in time and finds himself in the midst of an ancient battle where swords and axes are used. No strong violence is seen, however a barbarian kidnaps a woman and takes her to a boat. Will follows them in order to collect a sign, we see the barbarian force the woman to a covered area of the boat. After a brief fight with Will, the barbarian is seen swaggering towards the covered area but is once again stopped by Will. When Will has what he needs, he returns to his own time, leaving the woman at the mercy of the barbarian and nothing is mentioned about it. While adults are likely to understand what the barbarian intends to do to the woman, the visuals are very vague and there is no dialogue to accompany them so kids are unlikely to understand the implication.

Two established characters are attacked by birds, the camera cuts before the violence starts but in a later scene, the attack is shown in quick close-ups of beaks and talons. One of these characters is seen later, covered in scratches and the other is implied to have been killed.

A character suddenly ages, becoming an old crone. She violently attacks another character, grabbing at them, intending to kill them.

A child is kept imprisoned by an evil character for over 10 years.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?
VERDICT: IS ‘THE SEEKER: THE DARK IS RISING’ FOR KIDS?

‘The Seeker: The Dark is Rising’ is a watchable teen movie and with such a great, if under-used supporting cast, there is plenty of good performances to keep the adults interested. Unfortunately the weak protagonist, predictable plot and lack of focus will inevitably make minds wander before the end. Due to a few scary moments, we feel this movie is appropriate for kids aged 8 and over.

  • Violence: 2/5 (violence is generally implied or threatened. Very little is in any way graphic. Several incidental character place bets on a cock fight)
  • Emotional Distress: 1/5 (the story of the abducted baby could upset some children, especially as the infant is taken from an assumed safe place when its parents are nearby)
  • Fear Factor: 2/5 (the scene with the security guards may scare)
  • Sexual Content: 1/5 (vaguely implied sexual violence against a woman with no hope of rescue. A teen girl shows romantic feelings for a teen boy and is then seen later dating another boy)
  • Bad Language: 0/5
  • Dialogue: 0/5
  • Other Notes: Deals with themes of family, feeling ignored, accepting a special destiny, bullying, fighting against a stronger foe, taking the right, harder route rather than the easy way, trust, courage and betrayal.

Words by Laura Record

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