The Dark is Rising

[rabidsamfan]

The movie comes out tomorrow. They've changed the name to "The Seeker", apparently, and have made even more changes that take it farther away from the books I love. (Check out this community if you want to see the rants.)

Apparently now the Walker isn't in the movie. (And someone did a YouTube video about it!) And there is worse. At this point, the movie is so bad it will probably drive children away from the books out of sheer distaste, and they will never know how badly the filmmakers screwed up the source material.

ETA: Looks like the critics don't care for it much either.

Please, please, please, for the love of decent fantasy films everywhere, don't go see this one. Buy the books instead. Donate them to your local library if you don't want them yourselves. But stay away in droves.

This public service announcement is brought to you by the remains of my brain.

Comments

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

It's disappointing to see that they've done such a poor job translating the story to the big screen. I had forgotten that an adaptation was being made, and all I can hope is that it's quietly forgotten by the rest of the world as well and somewhere along the line, maybe someone else will come along and do the story justice.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

As near as I can tell it's a travesty. I've been e-mailing critics and telling them not to blame it on Susan Cooper...

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

I've been e-mailing critics and telling them not to blame it on Susan Cooper...


!

Oooh, I admire you so much. I just fumed; you did something.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Well, it's frustrating to see the flaws of the piece laid at her door. It implies that the books are bad.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

I so hear you.
http://rubynye.livejournal.com/284223.html

Up for one more letter?

[surgicalsteel.livejournal.com]

Well, you know I bought the books on your rec, and I thought they were fantastic. Just saw a commercial for the movie at the end of Survivor: China, and my initial reaction is that Hollywood's butchered yet another wonderful series of books.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Well I can put a small positive on the side of the movie makers in making me rant and get a few more readers, I suppose.

They keep sending me stuff to hand the kiddies. One of the posters had a discussion about quests and said Frodo spent the Lord of the Rings searching for the One Ring.

Oy vey!

[surgicalsteel.livejournal.com]

*sighs* Sheesh. Someone needs a beta for their posters, no?

[elendiari22.livejournal.com]

Definitely not going to see this one. It's just preposterous.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Read instead!

[gentlehobbit.livejournal.com]

There is no way I'm going to see that... thing. I have loved the books since I was a child, and I shuddered every time I saw the trailer when I watched Order of the Phoenix.

Yuck, yuck and double yuck.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

It sounds like it's gotten worse too.

[gayalondiel.livejournal.com]

May I link to this post, dearie?

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Of course you may!

[lily-the-hobbit.livejournal.com]

I've never even heard about the books. What are they about?

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

There are five:

Over Sea, Under Stone is the first, and is about the three Drew children who do a little treasure hunting on a holiday for the sake of their Great Uncle Merry. It's the most "Enid Blyton"-like of the books, only starting to hint at the possibilities in store, but there's magic there.

The Dark is Rising is second and this is where the fantasy and magic kick in strongly. Will Stanton discovers on his eleventh birthday that he is the lastborn of the circle of Old Ones, and even though he is newly awake, he has a quest to fulfill.

Greenwitch brings the Drews and Will together to recover something which was stolen. This is my favorite book of the series.

The Grey King introduces Bran, whom Will must convince to help in the battle against the rising Dark.

and Silver on the Tree brings it all to a head.

Well worth reading, all of them!

[lily-the-hobbit.livejournal.com]

Wow, thanks!

[sayhello.livejournal.com]

Who's the author? These sound like my kind of books!

Hewene

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Susan Cooper. And you'll probably love them as much as I do.