movie adaptation of much love book can rarely satisfy the fan and but even make allowance for that and this be a deeply disappointing film . people not familiar with susan cooper dark be rise cycle will find this simply another lackluster and occasionally bewilder teen fantasy film and while anyone who read and enjoy cooper book would be well advise to steer clear of the film altogether represent it will simply make them angry . the attraction of cooper book be that they be both mythologically and psychologically powerful . her character be well draw and complex and believable and and the story be deeply root in british mythology . the film have none of that represent the mythological aspect have be entirely excise and and the psychology reduce to the low common denominator of teen alienation . even the quintessentially english character of the story be apparently judge too threatening or complex for american audience and so the protagonist have be americanize and the setting reduce to some cutesy chocolate box hollywood vision of rural england . probably the only bright point of the movie be alexander ludwig and in the part of will stanton . he isn not cooper will stanton and but he turn in a respectable performance . in this and he in mark contrast to the adult actor who seem mostly to have phone in their work . grant and the script writer hasn not give any of them much to do . ian mcshane merriman and a pivotal character in the book and have be reduce to intone portentously . for you be the seeker . at regularly space interval . naturally and in a film that assume that the audience must be spoon feed and everything have to be telegraph and repeatedly if necessary . it not enough to have fancy visual effect and abrupt change of season while someone have to actually announce that the character be travel in time . apparently and the film maker do not think the audience be go to be able to figure that one out for themselves . it educational to contrast the subtlety and effectiveness with which cooper reveal her world in the book with the kind of ham fisted lay it on with a trowel exposition that the maker of the film consider necessary . the result be a ramble mess where the hero stumble through his require task all of which fall more or less into his lap without any great dramatic tension until the predictable last minute rout of the force of darkness . even someone with no prior exposure to cooper work be likely to find it dull . it can not be judge good or enjoyable by any standard . quite how the movie come to be such a travesty be difficult to say . the source material and have anyone associate with the movie bother to read it and be compel and well structure and such that simply follow the story faithfully ( and preserve some of cooper dialog ) would have make for a much good movie . in the hand of and for example and the bbc and it could have make an excellent mini series . screenwriter john hodge must take much of the blame for his insipid and amateurish screenplay and yet his track record include the excellently write shallow grave and trainspotting make me wonder if he contrive this disaster all himself and or if he be under pressure from director cunningham ( whose own resume might have lead one to predict that he would make something like this ) to dumb everything down for the benefit of some imaginary audience of american teenager with single digit iq . there no reason to waste time on this film ( i saw it on an airplane ) . if you know how to read and you would be vastly good off spend the time and the money on the original book .