Wiggly Socks Movie Reviews

By Linda Winsh-Bolard

When last Light and Dark fought over the control of the world, Light won.

Expecting other fights to come, Light had designated future Seeker who would need six signs to give him the power to win over Dark. The seventh son of the seventh son will be the Seeker who will fight the Dark with the help of six signs only he can find.
If the signs fall into Dark's hands, the end of the world will follow.

It is holiday season in Britain, schools are getting out, and Will is going home for the holidays to join his five brothers, he is also invited to the local manor for the festivities.

Christmastime is special for Will because it is his birthday. On his fourteenth birthday Will wakes up with new "powers" and new task. Once Will admits to himself that he is indeed the Seeker, he can pass through time, read the book that describes the signs and see where the sings are hidden.

Albeit none of this gives him new powers to speak to girls, or to be a prominent part of his family. It does however give him the strength to bump his older brothers when they get on his nerves.

The Dark is embodied by Rider, man riding wild horse with growing special powers who offers rewards to those susceptible in exchange for the signs. Will has his own helpers and advisors: Merriman (Ian McShane), Miss Greythorne (Frances Conroy), Dawson (James Cosmo) and George (Jim Piddock), known as the Old Ones. From them Will learns that he is the last in a line of warriors empowered to save the world from evil forces of the Dark represented by the Rider (Christopher Eccleston).

Film is an adaptation of Susan Cooper's book. The Dark is Raising is the second book in five books series.

It was a pleasant idea to have a teenager fighting for the future of mankind in the 60's and 70s´ when the book was written, but is has gone stale with all that Harry Potter stuff around. The film aims at younger population, but even so it lacks in imagery when compared with Potter.

The original Will Stanton was a typical 11 years old Englishman, the new one is transplanted 11 years old American, just one of many deviations from the original that will irritate the fans. Evil fighting Americans, whose powers coincide with puberty, have crowded the screens for a while. Add to it the real 17 years old fighting the "evil powers" in Iraq and the core idea of the film is in trouble.


It is relatively fast, action driven supernatural thriller. The sets change between the quaintest current Britain "shires" and equally colorful past ones. Alexander Ludwig valiantly struggles with his part accompanied by adequate but unmemorable cast.

Passages through time are well executed, and fit with the overall films character; it starts with intercutting between long shots taken from above to the detail action going on Earth giving the impression of human chess or puzzle, and passing though time arch seems like a natural development. Unfortunately, the elements Will is fighting are the most worn out clich'es: an old woman who uses serpentines, a beautiful young woman who sells out to the Dark and tries to seduce Will into giving her the signs because she was promised "never to age" (a correct promise should the Dark truly fill the world with cold water and darkness killing all), his own proverbial brother and, of course, his own doubts, rather few of them in this film.

Will is a bit young to be Adam or Faust, and while showing his teenage frustration is nice (he blows things up) it questions his ability to understand what is on stake. What 14years old has the concept of humanity?


It is said that the director, David Cunningham, who shot the film in Romania on build up sets, using realia rather than too many effects; but why should 1,000 snakes imported from Czech Republic bring life to this story of another "chosen" one, remains a mystery.

Directed by David L. Cunningham. Screenplay: John Hodge, Cast: Alexander Ludwig, Christopher Eccleston, Frances Conroy, Ian McShane, Wendy Crewson, John Benjamin, Gregory Smith, James Cosmo, Jim Piddock, Drew Tyler Bell, Amelia Warner.