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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
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1 - 4 of 7

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Reviews for The Seeker

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; Australian critics are listed first)
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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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This movie is LAME. The dark may be rising, but the boredom is crushing.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
10/09/07
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

Just another supernatural time travel movie that lacks passion and seemingly evaporates even as you watch.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
10/11/07
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

Throughout its interminable and steadfastly, maniacally bewildering running time, neither the cast nor director Cunningham appear to have even the most rudimentary idea of what is going on from one sequence to the next.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
10/05/07
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

Final score: Book 1, Movie 0.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
10/05/07
Tasha Robinson
Tasha Robinson
AV Club

The computer-graphic imagery is impressive, but The Seeker: The Dark is Rising demonstrates once again that when it comes to movie magic, TLC means more than CGI.

Full Review Source: Baltimore Sun | comment Comment
10/05/07
Michael Sragow
Michael Sragow
Baltimore Sun

The bum execution ironically sheds light on just how dim this film about light and dark really is.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
10/12/07
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

A terrible bodge.

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

What exactly are The Light and The Dark? The filmmakers sincerely hope you don't ask.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
10/05/07
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
N/R

Click to read the article

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

[The film features] episodic set pieces with disorienting action, culminating in a face-off that defies logic in its resolution.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
10/05/07
Annlee Ellingson
Annlee Ellingson
Boxoffice Magazine

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

That seventh-son-of-a-seventh-son business sounds like Muddy Waters singing, 'Got my Mojo Workin'.'

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
10/05/07
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

At its best, The Seeker is a pretty vivid fantasy book come-to-life; it does a decent, passable job of adding to the canon of kid-lit flicks.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment 2 Comments
10/04/07
Kelley L. Carter
Kelley L. Carter
Chicago Tribune

Walden Media's success at making the worlds of Narnia and Terabithia feel real on screen does not translate into the same magic in adapting Susan Cooper's series of young-adult fantasy novels.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
10/04/07
Robert Newton
Robert Newton
Christian Science Monitor

Too quick, too slight, and too cliched to make a splash in the company of such high-quality adaptations like LOTR and Harry Potter.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
10/12/07
Brett McCracken
Brett McCracken
Christianity Today

Ecclestein and McShane are so captivating it's almost worth putting up with The Seeker's inept script.

Full Review Source: CinemaBlend.com | comment Comment
10/05/07
Joshua Tyler
Joshua Tyler
CinemaBlend.com

Director David L. Cunningham and screenwriter John Hodge ("Trainspotting") conspire with a gruelingly slow pacing to underpin nebulous special effects sequences. "The Seeker" is a children's fantasy movie worth avoiding.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
10/04/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

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
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; Australian critics are listed first)
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