Sneak preview of upcoming novel.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
The Dark Is Rising, people!Just have to say this real fast, before it's too late.
If you read The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper, as a child and you thought it was awesome, and you:
a) don't want to see the movie because you're scared it'll suck, or
b) didn't even know they'd made a movie of it because they only advertised it on kids' TV stations...
then you should go see it, real fast, before it leaves the theaters. Because we saw it last night and it was awesome. I went in with the a) mindset, above. I didn't expect much. They modernized the hell out of the story, setting it, like, yesterday, with the Stanton family keeping in touch via online video and Will Stanton having an IPod and all that. And some of the events were nudged around, of course. But, in general, it was awesome. The cinematography was beautiful, the special effects fabulous yet tasteful, and the actors, all unknown to me, were well-groomed and did their jobs very well. All three of my kids, ages 10, 13, and 15, enjoyed it. Even though the younger two hadn't read the book, they were able to follow along quite well.
It was better than that Eragon movie, and probably better than most if not all of the Harry Potter movies.
Funny thing: We were the only ones in the theater last night. (Actually, we were probably the only patrons in the entire cinema.) Since they were born, I've been very strict with my kids about movie manners. We don't talk during movies. Never, ever. Unless it's an emergency, and then we whisper directly into each others' ears.
But last night, since we were the only people in the theater, that rule could be relaxed. We talked, and then we yelled. Well, I did, mostly. I was like, "OMG, that's messed UP! No way! Dude! Oh my god, I'm freaking out! That is too scary for me!"
And my kids were very indulgent, only rolling their eyes affectionately or else politely yelling "Ooh!" a couple of times to keep me company.
I'm gonna go back and see it with my boyfriend, who never read the book, to see if I'm just imagining how good it was.
Okay, that's it. I have a hundred other things to tell y'all, but will save them for later.
Labels: parenting, pop culture
6:14 AM #Comments:
Oooh, that's how I felt about Stardust. Loved it! (Although I haven't read Gaiman's book, so I don't have that to compare it to.) But I have indeed been hesitating on Dark is Rising because I was afraid it wouldn't be as awesome as the books. So I'll take myself to the theater this weekend pronto.# posted by
Ms Molly : 9:49 AM
I saw this over the weekend too - and there were only 2 other people in the theatre!
I thought that the visual style was the most impressive I've seen in a while - not just in kid's movies, but in movies in general.
I loved the books as a kid, but realized I barely remembered them. The plot seemed a little flimsy, maybe because of the way it was condensed, but overall I was super impressed.
# posted by
The Flying Trapeze : 10:37 AM
I'm glad you liked it, too, flying trapeze. I just went to Rotten Tomatoes and saw that most of the critics hated it... although it looks like it was mostly because they had Harry Potter burnout. (Or because critics simply hate being forced to watch kids' movies, maybe?)
I don't want it to look like I'm just posting good reviews of stuff because I'm getting paid to or something... I really did like it. Like you said, the visual style was pretty stunning.
Ms. Molly: I'm glad you posted, because I was wondering about Stardust. I kind of want to see that and Golden Compass, but wasn't sure if they'd be worth it.
# posted by
Gwen : 11:07 AM
Our local critic hated it, too. Because, she claimed, it was a big ripoff of Harry Potter. Did she not do any research? Check the publication dates on the books? Good heavens.
I'm glad to hear the movie is good. I've been avoiding it in case it sucked, but now I will see it.
# posted by
Ellie : 11:35 AM
Thank you for your review! I ADORED those books as a kid and when I saw a preview for the movie (at a screening of Stardust, which was charming), I was outraged that it had been modernized. But if you love the books and you loved the movie... that is a good recommendation.
# posted by
girl_in_greenwood : 11:55 PM
The trailer for Golden Compass looks amazing. I'm excited for the movie because of it. We've read all three books and can't wait for the movie.
-Faith
# posted by
: 4:55 PM
Oh, I'm glad to read a positive review of this too. These books are in my top favorites of all time and I reread them really about once a year, so I freaked right out when I saw the trailer on TV recently. The casting looked sort of weird to me, but I'm still excited to check it out.
# posted by
Maven : 4:03 PM
Ooh, I hope I don't mislead y'all.
The modernization shocked me at first, but I think they did a great job of capturing Will's emotional journey. Even though this movie Will Stanton uses the word awesome, and the one in the book never did, I did feel like he was the same person, in the end.
Full disclosure: I tried to read the first book to my kids a few years ago, but it was kind of difficult for them to follow. Like reading them Lord of the Rings was. I should try again, now that they're older. But I was glad the movie was relatable for them.
Saw it again with my bf this weekend. He said he liked it, too, and that it was way more grown-up than he expected.
# posted by
Gwen : 8:36 PM
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