The Seeker: The Dark is Rising DVD Review (2008)

A mess, though you sense while watching it that it could have been tweaked into something more promising had it not been twisted into something so convoluted.

Alexander Ludwig is Will Stanton, a pouty, 14-year-old American boy living in a small British nowhere with a large family of little flavor.

When into his life come the Light and the Dark--otherwise known as good and evil--Will is pressed into action to keep the dark from rising. Or else, you know, evil with reign.

Guiding him through his dull journey are the Old Ones, with Merriman Lyon (Ian McShane, wasted) and Miss Greythorne (Frances Conroy, ditto) informing Will that he has special powers (which he rarely chooses to use) and encouraging him to seek out the six signs of light.

To do so, he must travel through time, find the signs in bouts of chaos, and collect them so he can build a defense against the dark side, which is personified by the Rider (Christopher Eccleston).

Trouble is, since Will is the seventh son of a seventh son, with all that implies, pulling away from the dark side proves something of a challenge--just not a very entertaining one.

Read the full, unedited version of this review here.

Rated PG. Grade: C-