The Seeker

Oct. 6th, 2007 08:48 pm
girlyswot: (doom)
[personal profile] girlyswot
I just watched the trailer for the new film loosely based on Susan Cooper's wonderful, wonderful 'The Dark Is Rising.'  I feel physically sick. 

Will is American.  He's trying to ask a girl out.  He hangs out at the mall.  His brothers are mean to him.  Does any of this remind you of Will Stanton?  No, me either.  What else?  Ian McShane is pitiful as Merriman.  I mean, honestly, Lovejoy was his niche.  The Lady didn't do much for me either.

The soundtrack and the visuals made this look like any other genre fantasy.  But 'The Dark Is Rising' isn't like that.  There aren't big action sequences (there's the Hunt, of course, but that's the only one I can think of) or many weird and wonderful visuals.  Lots of times, the weirdness is in the normality.  Especially Will, who is the most normal, ordinary, well-adjusted 11 year-old boy whose family love him.  Oh, and they all happen to be English and, conveniently, live in the English village where the book and, bizarrely, the film are set.  I can't begin to imagine how they work that one out.

I shudder to think what Hollywood will do to 'Over Sea Under Stone'.

The only redeeming feature is that they seem to have retitled the film, 'The Seeker', so hopefully no one will be put off reading the books by this rubbish!

(no subject)

Date: 2007-10-08 03:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] petitecrivan.livejournal.com
Ugh, that's awful. I absolutely loved that series. One of my favorite parts was all the Welsh stuff, learning how to pronounce names, words, etc, and just the world that it was set in. It doesn't work in the US. You need that magical sort of setting.

Definitely will not be seeing that movie.

(no subject)

Date: 2007-10-08 03:35 am (UTC)
ext_9134: (Default)
From: [identity profile] girlyswot.livejournal.com
Well, what's odd is that although Will's American, the film still seems to be set in England (though shot in Romania for cost reasons). But I agree, I loved it too. We had a family holiday in Aberdovey one year which I thought was just so exciting! I kept wanting to go up Cader Idris and find the Bearded Lake, and my family thought I was barmy!

(no subject)

Date: 2007-10-08 03:37 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] petitecrivan.livejournal.com
I'm going to North Wales next semester and I'm really excited! I've read a few books set there and really can't wait to actually go there and see it.

(no subject)

Date: 2007-10-08 03:40 am (UTC)
ext_9134: (Default)
From: [identity profile] girlyswot.livejournal.com
Oh, it's beautiful. You'll love it.

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