The Seeker
Kent Turner -- School Library Journal,10/03/2007
In The Seeker, the film adaptation of Susan Cooper’s Newbery Honor book, The Dark Is Rising (S & S, 1973), Will, the seventh son of a seventh son, searches for the six Signs needed to restore the power of the Light against the sinister forces of the Dark. Sound familiar? Although the plot remains essentially the same, little else is left of Cooper’s original story, as the film’s title implies, and the results are anything but magical.
When we first meet Will, the hero of the story, he’s just turned 14, not 11, as in the novel. He’s now an American, instead of English, but the movie stays put in England (convincingly filmed in Romania!). Will loses two sisters in the translation; there’s no mystery man, the Walker; and the Signs are no longer mere belt buckles (to name only three of many alterations), yet menacing black birds still hover in the air.
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Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox/Walden Media |
By jumping right into the action, the film simplifies the story’s setup, which, truth be told, took up nearly the first half of the novel. Will still appears in the right place at the right time to discover the hidden Signs. But instead of learning, step by step, his newfound powers, he quickly assumes the role of the chosen one, coming across as more of a lucky bystander than someone who succeeds by his own wits or (no pun intended) will.
Director David L. Cunningham previously made the controversial made-for-TV film The Path to 9/11, which raised the ire of President Clinton for its portrayal of his administration’s ineffectual handling of Al-Qaeda. With the exception of the action sequences, The Seeker’s pace feels very much like a television movie, with lingering reaction shots of the actors, ready for a commercial break.
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Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox/Walden Media |
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| Submitted by: | Arwen 10/16/2007 11:39:53 AM PT |
| Location: | US |
The movie got it all wrong!!!! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! They destroyed a classic!! Will Stanton did NOT have a twin brother, though two of his older brothers are twins, Paul and James. Paul plays the flute and James loves to sing. Neither of them got kidnapped by the way. Will is the youngest of a very close and tight knit family. Will always felt loved, supported, and protected. He is also a responsible, well mannered, and thoughtful child. No dysfunction there! Imagine that!!! The oldest, Tom who died in infancy, is mentioned in the book but does not play a roll in the story. The second to the oldest, Steven, whom Will loved and looked up to, is in the British Royal Navy. Steven gave Will his attic bedroom because Will absolutely loved it. Will's mother is NOT name Mary. Her name is Alice, and his father name is Roger, a professional jeweler. Mary happens to be his older sister. Will was 11 years old when the story took place and had no interest in girls at the time. He found his abilities, at times, a burden. Unlike in the movie, Will takes Merriman’s advice and teachings very seriously. He is British, NOT an American. The movie does not resemble the book at all, not even close!! Did the producers and directors even read the book!! I think not. They forgot a very important rule, Never Americanize British Novels!! 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 and will ask the same question. 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.” The entire Celtic Mythology and Arthurian Legend have been removed in the movie. The producers and Directors 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 and a wonderful read. Skip the movie. Read the books!!
| Submitted by: | Jan Curtis 10/15/2007 11:25:21 AM PT |
| Location: | Lapeer MI |
| Occupation: | children's librarian |
Actually, I rather enjoyed the movie as an action flic. It just had nothing to do with the book (except the names of the characters just happened to be the same.)
This was always my favorite book in the entire world and I cringed when I saw that it was being made into a movie. I knew there was no way that a movie could do the book justice.
| Submitted by: | A Grosso 10/4/2007 9:38:05 AM PT |
| Location: | Southern California |
| Occupation: | Professor |
How horrible.
| Submitted by: | Sue Roush (roushs@pcsb.org) 10/4/2007 4:48:54 AM PT |
| Location: | Seminole, FL |
| Occupation: | Library Information Specialist |
I was so disappointed when I saw the changes they'd made - and these were just what I noticed in the previews. Why set it in England? The main action of the books is set in Wales, with all the mysticism, etc., abundant in that country. Will shouldn't be American; haven't the Harry Potter films made TPTB realize that the hero doesn't have to be American? This is one of my favorite series of books, and I never had a student read "The Dark is Rising" who didn't immediately want to read the entire series.
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