The Dark Is Rising [2007] - DVD (Christopher Eccleston, Ian McShane, Jonathan Jackson, Gregory Smith, Amelia Warner - Dir: David L. Cunningham)

Developing one's self confidence is difficult for most 14-year-olds, and doubly so for Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig) who's recently moved to England and has just begun his first year of study as an American overseas. Feeling shy and inadequate in school as well as amongst his five brothers and one sister, Will becomes increasingly confounded when he starts to see strange visions including a sinister horseman (Christopher Eccleston) who demands Will give him some sort of sign which he knows absolutely nothing about. Befriended by four elders of the local community (Ian McShane, Frances Conroy, Jim Piddock, and James Cosmo) who turn out to be "Old Ones" from ages past, Will learns that his destiny is as a seeker who must travel through time to collect six ancient signs that will somehow enable light to triumph over darkness and save the world as he knows it. As Will discovers that he possesses hidden powers and struggles to learn to control them in order to accomplish his quest, he is racked with insecurity and self-doubt. In the end, Will's inner strength will be tested to the extreme as will his relationship with both family and friends.

While based on Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising, this movie is significantly different from the book: Will's age and family circumstances have been changed, the role of the Old Ones in Will's education about his powers is much diminished, the six signs are less religiously symbolic, and the treatment of the final battle between light and dark is markedly different. Nonetheless, The Dark Is Rising is a suspense-filled, action-packed 94-minutes brimming with great special effects comparable to The Bridge to Terabithia and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy that's immensely appealing to viewers ages 10 and older. --Tami Horiuchi, Amazon.com

Customer Reviews of The Dark Is Rising [2007]

Garry Williams
London (Enfield)
16th November 2008

Don't bother
Appalling. A fantasy film for and by people who haven't a clue about fantasy. Two of our best actors, Ian McShane and Christopher Ecclestone, clearly agree and give performances which appear to be them reading from cue cards. And their performances are just about the best in it. Story is ludicrously badly thought out. At one point the hero finds himself in a village where Vikings are murdering and pillaging and manages to save his life by swapping a watch for a shield. Excuse me, but why would a Viking want to do a swap when he's in the middle of killing everyone and taking what he wants? The boy would have been well dead. Fantasy has to have some grounding in reality or it just becomes plain stupid and that is only one of many idiotic conveniences put into a very lazy script. When the only surprises are that the twist is so ridiculous that it makes no real sense you know you're in trouble. My ten year old son said this is the worst film he has ever seen which says it all. I in my more mature years have seen worse but this one is definitely up there with the most abysmal film experiences I have ever endured. Only reason I gave it one star is because the system will not let me give it less.

Alun Illumine
UK
25th October 2008

Truly Dreadful
This was, in my view, an absolutely appalling adaptation of the fantastic book by Susan Cooper. Barely keeping to the story at all the characters bore no relation to those in the book. I was so disappointed that such a wonderful book could be so badly misinterpreted. I normally enjoy Mr Eccleston's roles but in this he really disappointed me.

The only words I can use to really describe it is, shockingly awful. There was no mention of the Tramp and his actions that brought his punishment from the Light, no mention of the Old Lady, and the way the signs were discovered was dreadful. Why did they have to make the family american?! The whole point was that they were a Buckinhamshire family. There was no mention of the Smith and the forging of the link for the chains.... the only authentic bits were a few characters and the 6 signs (but no mention of the elements which they represent). Awful!

Persephone Fan
London
3rd July 2008

Please stick with the books
I love Christopher Eccleston's work. I love the Dark is Rising sequence of books (ok Over Sea, Under Stone isn't as good as the rest, but even so...). I thought I would at least enjoy the film. But no, it is truly awful. I resent having to give it one star, even, the film is a complete waste of time. Please stick with the books and read them out loud to/with your children if they don't want to read them themselves.

I can't understand why they re-wrote one key element of the book just to give a random happy twist to the film (won't give a spoiler just in case anyone actually wants to watch this tosh).

Merriman may have seemed a bit grumpy in the book, but he wasn't gormless - mind you, since poor wickle Ian Mcshane's brain couldn't cope with the book, its not surprising the character came across as a total idiot.

Rather than put yourself through the agony of this film, do something useful like watching paint dry.

Meerkat
Dereham, Norfolk
2nd June 2008

A shoddy, unconvincing mess of a film
Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Why do film writers do this terrible thing to excellent books? I love all the Susan Cooper stories and was really excited to see it was the latest 'fantasy' story to be given the film treatment - but what a disappointment when I finally saw the film.
Changes to the story are to be expected because film is a very different medium, but there is no earthly reason to make Will and his family American, no reason for there to be a 'lost twin' brother held hostage by The Rider, no reason for cod mysticism with the father being a physicist who was investigating the Light and Dark many years before ... and why was so much of the action played out in front of various members of Will's family? Why was Merriman so antagonistic to Will? I love Ian McShane but he was totally miscast as Merriman. Maggie was referred to as a witch but did almost no magic and was never a threat to Will - in the book she does imprison him by magic and take the first 2 signs from him before he's rescued by Merriman.
I'm sorry to have to say this, but if you love the books, avoid this film.
If you don't care what film writers do to books - you might enjoy this film although I found the adult leads weak and unconvincing. The children were marginally better but the entire story dragged and there was no real tension.
Oh dear. I hope they do better with the next book they maul.

sapiens
england
12th May 2008

Um...but sorry, NO, NO
As a mum with 4 children who LOVE reading, I like them to try the books, before we see the film attempt at making the 'pictures in your head real, for a given (other people's dreams) value of real'.

Sorry, but this film just does not work to encourage them to read any thing else within the series. It does not encourage anyone to read the rest of the series, why be disillusioned again!

Where are the, slightly Kipling flavoured, rhymes about the future? Where is the menace of 'being different'? Who removed the security of being 'normal' and a part of a something, even if you, sometimes, resent it?

Trite ending. Interesting material excised. The signs are mandelas, hunting of the wren, boat burials, music, navy, customs of holly, concepts of time, et al.

Okay, watch this, but mine, the oldest 14 and 9yox2, don't want it again, maybe in a couple of years, if there is nothing else. The little one, 5, walked off, she has sat and listened to all the Narnia stories and Greenwitch.

V.sorry, but taking GOOD books and making a MESS of them, just will NOT do! Anyone out there remember the film of Watership Down or the first cuts on Lord of the Rings?


I said it was a bit 'Kip...'

When the dark comes Rising,
Six will turn it back
Three from the circle,
Three from the track
Wood, bronze, iron,
Water, fire,stone,
Six signs the circle and...
the grail gone before.

30 years and I can STILL do it from memory!

Bye Sad and a bibliophile