Dir. David L. Cunningham, US, 2007, 94mins
Cast: Alexander Ludwig, Christopher Eccleston, Ian McShane, Frances Conroy, James Cosmo
Review by Matthew Rodgers
Another bodged attempt at starting a fantasy franchise, The Seeker is based on a series of supposedly popular books that translates to one of the most limited, imagination starved duffers since Eragon crashed and burned onto screens last year.
Playing more like a rejection from a CITV brainstorming meeting than a major motion picture David L. Cunningham’s movie only briefly reflects the ambition of the book to tell the story of Will Stanton (Ludwig), a boy with special powers that earmark him as a seeker, a role that as it transpires requires very little actual “seeking” under the guidance of Obi-Wan/Aslan/Gandalf lite Merryman Lion (Mcshane) to discover the seven signs of something-or-other.
That’s all you really need to know as our young American hero – interestingly switched from the British nationality of his literary counterpart to appeal to the stateside audience. $7M and counting after two weeks tells its own story – and his quest to avoid Dr. Who on a horse (Eccleston).
Hastily assembled and seemingly filmed on an abandoned farm The Seeker is a complete and utter mess from start to finish. Diluted from Susan Cooper’s source novel the films vision and ambition lack any scope as the plot is inexplicably propelled by expository dialogue – “You sensed a sign Will, and you brought us here” - and no element of fun that could have brushed over the huge cracks. It simple takes itself way too seriously for a kid’s film.
The cast do their best to stay submerged in the darkness but the hammy dialogue barley justifies the pay cheque. Ian McShane has established himself as much more than “that guy who used to be Lovejoy” with roles in HBO’s critically acclaimed Deadwood and the forthcoming Golden Compass but even he cannot pull off lines such as “You are the seventh son of the seventh son”. Equally so, Eccleston sufferers with his wooden delivery and pantomime theatrics as the never threatening bad-guy.
The Seeker: The Dark is Rising is another missed opportunity because such stories with a built in fanbase require attention to detail and a pre-determined passion for the project that reflects in the final film. The now tiresome fantasy book-to-film adaptation is not one that should be rushed to fit a release window, or to surf the waves made by The Lord of the Rings trilogy. This one is definitely not worth seeking out.
|
