The Seeker: The Dark is Rising would be more potent if the filmmakers were more patient.

Loosely based on Susan Cooper's acclaimed middle-school bestseller, The Dark is Rising, it's hardly got a difficult plot - it really is about Light versus Dark, white magic pitted against black magic. The hero, Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig), an adolescent in a large American family in England, discovers he's the youngest in a line of immortals who must defend the Light against the forces of the Dark, especially the fearsome Rider (Christopher Eccleston).

The Seeker: The Dark is Rising (Fox Walden) Starring Alexander Ludwig, Christopher Eccleston, Ian McShane. Directed by David L. Cunningham. Rated PG. Time 94 minutes.