Cast: Ian McShane, Frances Conroy, Christopher Eccleston, Gregory Smith, Jonathan Jackson and Alexander Ludwig
Director: David L. Cunningham
Studio Synopsis: Based on the acclaimed novel by Susan Cooper, The Seeker is the first film adaptation of the author's acclaimed The Dark is Rising Sequence. The film tells the story of Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig), a young man who learns he is the last of a group of warriors who have dedicated their lives to fighting the forces of the Dark. Traveling back and forth through time, Will discovers a series of clues which lead him into a showdown with the forces of unimaginable power. With The Dark rising, the future of the world rests in Will's hands.
Rating: PG
Running Time: 98 minutes
Official Web site: http://www.seekthesigns.com/
Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/theseekerthe
darkisrising/

The Verdict: With Harry Potter almost ready to take his leave of Hogwarts, the race is on in Hollywood to find a true successor to everyone’s favorite boy wizard. Walden Media—devoted to adapting such popular children’s books as Bridge to Terabithia, Charlotte’s Web and Holes—already has tested the waters with The Chronicles of Nania. Twentieth Century Fox’s dragon-fueled Eragon, though, failed to soar. Now Fox and Walden Media have united to blow the dust off Susan Cooper’s 40-year-old literary series The Dark is Rising Sequence. Based on the second book, The Seeker follows the time-hopping efforts of 14-year-old Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig) to prevent the forces of the Dark from engulfing the world as we know it. Much has already been made of the changes made to the source material, most notably the decision to age and Americanize Will. Now Will is a fish out of water in the small English town where the Old Ones—led by Deadwood’s roguish Ian McShane—enlist his help to thwart the evil Rider (a menacing Christopher Eccleston). And Will’s suffering from more teen angst than Harry Potter had in his last few films. His clashes with his parents and his longing for girls out of his league—a clear attempt to pander to The Seeker’s target audience—get in the way of the task of hand. And, to be honest, Will’s a bore and a whiner. OK, so he got the job of saving the world because he’s the seventh son of a seventh son. Too bad a personality didn’t come with his newly acquired powers. When director David Cunningham turns his attention to the doom and destruction, The Seeker offers some terrific special effects and a nail-biting showdown between Will and the Rider. Oddly enough, with all its talk of the need for balance between the light and the dark, the suitably grim and brooding Seeker more often than is much an adolescent take on Night Watch as it is an attempt to cash in on the Harry Potter phenomenon. And some scenes may be too creepy and intense for kids who are half Will’s age. Perhaps learning a lesson from the open-ended Eragon, Cunningham works hard to ensure The Seeker seemingly ties up all loose ends. And that’s fine. There's no need for a sequel. We know Harry Potter, and Will Stanton is no Harry Potter.
—Robert Sims

Reviews:
Boca News (3 out of 4 stars)
Metromix South Florida (2 1/2 out of 5 stars)
The Miami Herald (2 out of 4 stars)
The Sun-Sentinel (2 out of 4 stars)