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Movies / Upcoming / The Seeker
The Seeker

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The Seeker (2007)

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Reviews Counted:89

Fresh:12

Rotten:77

Average Rating:3.9/10

Consensus: The magic of the book is lost in translation with The Seeker, due to its clumsy plot and lack of heart.

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

US Box Office: $8,746,699

Synopsis: Based on Susan Cooper's 1973 Newbery Award-winning fantasy novel, THE DARK IS RISING, director David L. Cunningham's 2007 film follows the adventures of young protagonist Will Stanton (Alexander... Based on Susan Cooper's 1973 Newbery Award-winning fantasy novel, THE DARK IS RISING, director David L. Cunningham's 2007 film follows the adventures of young protagonist Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig), who discovers that he is an immortal being connected with an ancient struggle between good and evil. Aided by fellow "Old Ones," including Miss Greythorne (Frances Conroy) and Merriman Lyon (Ian McShane), Will, an American transplant in England, must face off against shadowy forces bent on world domination, most notably represented by the black-clad Rider (Christopher Eccleston). Taking a different approach to Cooper's revered novel, THE SEEKER, actually drawn from the second book in THE DARK IS RISING sequence, will certainly raise the eyebrows of ardent fans of the series, particularly given screenwriter John Hodge's considerable alterations to the original story. (For example, Will is American instead of British.) For those unattached to Cooper's story, however, THE SEEKER will likely prove to be an enjoyable escapist film, with Conroy (SIX FEET UNDER), McShane (DEADWOOD), and Eccleston (HEROES) adding credibility to a largely unknown cast that is anchored by the likable Ludwig. Presented by Walden Media, the company behind the CHRONICLES OF NARNIA screen adaptations, THE SEEKER may not please Cooper purists, but it will undoubtedly entertain those looking for a diverting fantasy movie. [More]

Starring: Alexander Ludwig, Christopher Eccleston, Ian McShane, Frances Conroy

Starring: Alexander Ludwig, Christopher Eccleston, Ian McShane, Frances Conroy, Jonathan Jackson

Director: David L. Cunningham

Director: David L. Cunningham
Screenwriter: John Hodge
Producer: Marc Platt
Composer: Christophe Beck
Studio: 20th Century Fox

[See More Credits]

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    Interrogation Room
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    We Are The Old Ones
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    Even The Smallest Light Shines In The Dark
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  • Will Meets The Rider
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    Production Design
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    Flooding The Manor
    >
1 - 4 of 7

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Reviews for The Seeker

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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This one is unimaginative and hokey, an adventure nearly as bungling as last holiday season's dragon egg, Eragon

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/06/07
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
10/05/07
Sydney Morning Herald
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Jeffrey Gantz
Jeffrey Gantz
Boston Phoenix

a lot of shouting offered up as an ineffectual camouflage to the picture's complete lack of ambition.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
07/01/08
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

Sloppy, lifeless storytelling so limp it guarantees no sequels will be made.

Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com | comment Comment
03/12/08
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
DVDTalk.com

The Seeker is great-looking and well-acted, but unlike the Potter books and films, there's no sense that it's about anything more than the throwing-balls-of-smoke and mind-melding that we see onscreen.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
01/10/08
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

It's important, when criticising some of the more clichéd elements here - the dark versus the light, the Tolkein parallels, the quests - to bear in mind that this film is aimed at older children, not your average jaded film critic.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
12/07/07
Amber Wilkinson
Amber Wilkinson
Eye for Film

Disappointing adaptation of a great kids' book.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
10/22/07
Carrie R. Wheadon
Carrie R. Wheadon
Common Sense Media

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
10/20/07
Brian Marder
Brian Marder
Hollywood.com

Not-too-impressive CG effects and frenetic camera work but cannot mask what is--or, rather, what isn't there.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
10/19/07
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

The excessive strobe effects may trigger epileptic fits, but the movie itself will induce narcolepsy.

Full Review Source: thelondonpaper | comment Comment
10/19/07
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
thelondonpaper

An orgy of portents that runs out of oomph.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
10/19/07
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph

By Americanising the hero and grotesquely distorting the plot, they can only alienate the fan-base and confuse the newcomer.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
10/19/07
Robert Hanks
Robert Hanks
Independent

A moderate Potter-teen fantasy about an American kid who comes to little old England with his family (dad's on some kind of academic posting) to find that he is the boy-king leader of a group of supernatural warriors.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/19/07
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An uncanny and unholy blend of The Fifth Element, The Sixth Sense and The Seventh Seal.

Full Review Source: Financial Times | comment Comment
10/19/07
Karl French
Karl French
Financial Times

The Dark is Rising is one of those awful sorcery tales where a spotty young boy (Alexander Ludwig) suddenly gets to save the Earth from supernatural creeps such as Christopher Eccleston.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
10/19/07
James Christopher
James Christopher
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Not very likely to seize that Potter market, this is a disappointing film that starts out okay but goes rapidly downhill, thanks to rudimentary characterisation and storytelling that's designed more to accommodate gratuitous action.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
10/19/07
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
Channel 4 Film

A terrible bodge.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
10/19/07
Paul Arendt
Paul Arendt
BBC

Cheap-looking, mostly cheerless stuff.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
10/19/07
Total Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A total dud.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
10/19/07
Trevor Johnston
Trevor Johnston
Time Out
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Latest News for The Seeker

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