The plot (based on the novel “The Dark is Rising”, by Susan Cooper) isn’t going to win any awards for originality. A young boy, Will Stanton, (Alexander Ludwig) while living in England with his large family, is informed on his fourteenth birthday that he has special powers, and is the last hope for humankind against the forces of darkness. These forces of darkness are represented primarily by The Rider (Christopher Eccleston), and the various computer generated dark clouds and scary animals he brings with him. Will must use his new powers to travel through time and retrieve the all-important six magical “signs” that will make him strong enough to thwart the Darkness. Somehow, director David L. Cunningham manages to competently wring the proper threat level from all of this.

Of course, just beneath the surface of the metaphorical fantasy plot is a tale of early teen angst. It could be argued that many of the represented anxieties are dealt with in an unhealthy manner, particularly that of the beautiful older girl/crush object that overlooks young Will in favor of his older brother. On the flip side, however, this same scenario can be justified as a kid-safe probing of the perils of hormonal temptation. But “The Seeker” isn’t at all advocating repression so much as focus, discipline, and ultimately, great freedom. The film seems to be saying that adolescence is a dangerous and vulnerable time, but can also be a time of positive coming of age – if the correct decisions are made. All of the loneliness and changes in Will’s life must be honed into strengths at this particular moment, or the future is doomed. He is caught up in a spiritual war that must be fought. And fought it is - even if the causalities he suffers are particularly inconsequential.

We’ve seen all of this before in various ways in everything from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” to Joseph Campbell, but the worldview of “The Seeker” is assuredly varied from those sources. Seeing that both Cunningham and Walden Media operate within the realm of conservative values, it is no surprise that both the strengths and weaknesses of this film stem from there. Fortunately, the impressive production values and high-caliber acting (Ian McShane handles his would-be contrived role of expository mentor with a proper hard-lined assuredness) raise this film out of the danger zone of embarrassing mediocrity that such attempted projects often occupy; the good outweighing the bad. If anything, “The Seeker” openly and successfully embraces the tradition of high quality values-based fantasy - more so than the chronically dull “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe”.

“The Seeker”, while occasionally suffering from being over-shot and choppy, contains several visual motifs and aesthetic nuances that clearly stem from a competent director, and demonstrate that fluent film language isn’t dead to films geared toward children. But more than all of that, the young lead Alexander Ludwig does an incredibly impressive job of carrying this film with dignity and restraint not often seen by actors of his age. “The Seeker”, at a glance, may not offer anything new to an audience that’s been satiated by a steady of diet of Harry Potter and “Lord of the Rings”, but it should not be altogether dismissed, particularly for young audiences who can handle the scary imagery and intense situations. This burst of competent fantasy is a welcome surprise in a film season otherwise overrun with depressing reality.

- Jim Tudor