If Susan Cooper Were Dead, She’d Be Rolling in Her Grave
Since she is still alive, I assume she must be desperately in need of money to allow this abysmal-looking adaptation of The Dark Is Rising to be made. It looks like the worst children’s book adaptation since Ella Enchanted, which made mincemeat (and imitation-Shrek mincemeat at that) out of Gail Carson Levine’s delightful novel.
Just take a look at the trailer. Or don’t. Up to you.
They’ve CHANGED THE SETTING TO AMERICA! For some books, this works fine (e.g., A Little Princess), but not The Dark Is Rising. It’s so dependent on its British setting. Since when did Herne the Hunter roam the forests of North America? And this immediately rules out sequels that have anything to do with the books, because the rest of the books in the series revolve around the Arthurian legend. We ain’t got no King Arthur here.
And the rest of it? The adolescent-crush emphasis, the cheap humor . . . arrghhh! I can’t go on. I’m going to go kick things now and then hug my book in consolation.
3 comments July 12th, 2007