movie non-review

[wendyzski]

"The Seeker" opens this weekend. Don't Go. Please.

I loved The Dark Is Rising series when I was a kid and I still do. I have the SFBC omnibus edition and still read it once a year or so. When I first started playing D&D, the Quest for The Six Signs was the basis for my first original "dungeon" - a thing of wonder and detailed beauty and probably totally unplayable, but I loved making it"> I can still recite the poem from memory. It is second only to LOTR in feeding my sense of wonder and magic.

Apparently, Hollywood has anally raped my childhood.

EVERYTHING I have heard about this movie is awful. Apparently from the interviews none of the stars have even READ the books. Ian McShane who plays Merriman said "I don't think they've been very faithful to the book. I don't know how many of you've read the book. I know they sold a few copies, but I couldn't read it very well. It's really dense. It's from the 70s, you know? [...] No, I never heard of them . I did try to read the book, but they were a little...I think...I don't know how...There's four of them apparently. Or five. Oh, god. That means I might have to do a sequel."


I just threw up a little.

Will is an American, the Rider has a white horse and the Walker is young. Miss Greystone fights with a sword caner.. There are "No Arthurian elements" in the story any more. Will has a dysfunctional family and a twin held by the Dark. Max is a tattooed hippie. In short, the only things this story has in common with the books is some names and words. Here is a detailed list of the changes we know about so far, many are thigns I consider CRUCIAL to the stories.

Now I understand that directors make changes when adapting a movie for film. That's why it's called an "adaptation". Films were made of two other wonderful works from my childhood - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and LOTR. Both had changes made, some of which I can argue for or against but ultimatly the final work is faithful to the spirit of the original.

That's not what is going on here.

The commercials look awful. The reviews are terrible. I know of some people who are going opening weekend to sit outside the movie theatres and READ THE BOOKS.

If you MUST go see it because it has Christopher Eccleston in is, I beg you to wait a week. Seven days isn't so bad, is it? The Hollywood establishment sets such store by opening weekend box office numbers that it will probably ignore you if you wait. Or even better - get it from Netflix in a few months.

Me? I'll be reading.

Comments

[aedifica]

Oh, ow! I hadn't heard there was going to be a movie, but it does sound awful. And yet, I think I will see it--after it's on video--just because I'll have to see it for myself.

They're wonderful books, though!

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I might get it from Netflix or something - with lots of beer and things to throw at the screen.

(Apparently there is a scene where Will, chafing at the responsibility "imposed" upon him, blows up a car!)

[duane-kc.livejournal.com]

The director and writers deserve to have the same done to their autobiographies. I'll *watch* that. [evil grin]

[ashtalet.livejournal.com]

I never read the series, but my brother (who has) had the same reaction you did some time ago when he first saw a trailer.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

It's geared towards a young adult audience, but it still a good read. You're welcome to borrow it if you'd like. You know, if the entire room full of bookshelves isn't quite enough for you :)

[jamdin.livejournal.com]

I did not know there were a series of books and I thought the trailers looked interesting. Thanks for the warning to stay away and read the books instead.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

You should be able to find them at your local library or bookstore (http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Rising-Boxed-Set-Greenwitch/dp/1416949968/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-4752677-9177464?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191507273&sr=1-1).

The author is Susan Cooper and the books are:
Over Sea, Under Stone
The Dark Is Rising
Greenwitch
The Grey King
Silver on the Tree

OS,US is chronologically the first book but TDiR introduces the overwhelming theme of the books, and might be a better starting one. It's what this film was supposedly based on. You'll probably find them under Young Adult as the target audience is 11-13.

[petronivs.livejournal.com]

My expectations that it would be anything like Susan Cooper's book went away as soon as I realized I didn't see her name mentioned anywhere in the promos.

I only hope that it will encourage some kids to pick up her books and read them.

[woody-whistler.livejournal.com]

I saw the trailers for this and was immediately apprehensive. It looked far too much like an action/adventure fantasy, with glowing swords (light-sabers?), battle sequences, and all the trappings of a movie where computer-laden effects overwrite any other considerations, like plot and artistic integrity.

I suspect that this movie was made in an attempt to capitalize on the Harry Potter phenomenon. This would explain re-writing Will’s family background to make it closer to Harry’s, not to mention Hollywood’s discomfort (and perhaps lack of familiarity) with family members that actually get along with each other!

I've enjoyed the book set, particularly how it juxtaposed the fantastic and the mundane (as did the "Wrinkle In Time" series by Madeleine L’Engle) and suggested that they were more closely connected than we might find comfortable. If the best the movie can do is give us lots of video-game violence then it has done a grievous disservice to Ms. Cooper.

[ouijarose.livejournal.com]

I heard about the movie on the way home recently, thought I would share:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14783609

I've never read the books... but the movie looked cool... guess I was wrong.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

The movie may be cool, but it will NOT be "The Dark Is Rising" It will be a movie about an angry 13-yr old American with a dysfunctional family who learns he has powers that can do things like blow up cars and toss his brother into walls.

[mortie12.livejournal.com]

Pretty much. I feel much the same way about Ella Enchanted... No narrator, no evil uncle. *shudder* It was a good movie, but a horrible adaptation. I think TDiR is going to be much the same.

But still, Christopher Eccleston... Grrrr. *happy*

[popebuck1.livejournal.com]

This reminds me of the classic story about the first time (back in the '70s) that Spiderman was pitched to a group of movie producers - and one of them said "Great, but does it have to be a spider?"