Bloodtype Online

    A young American boy named Will Stanton moves with his family to England when his father gets a job teaching at a school there.  On the eve of his 14^th birthday some strange things begin to happen to Will and soon he learns that he has a destiny to help save the world from dark forces.  With the help of other guardians of the light he must seek out 6 objects, that when assembled will restore the power of good and allow him to stop the forces of darkness.  But the minions of the dark know that he is seeking the items and do everything in their power to stop him.  Can Will assemble the items and save the world?  Well this is a children’s book so of course he does!   

    So ever since the Harry Potter film adaptations came out and made money studios have been falling all over themselves to produce the next big youth fantasy movie.  So we end up getting films like the Chronicles of Narnia as well as The Seeker: The Dark is Rising.  Now in the interest of full disclosure I will admit that I’ve read all of the Harry Potter books and own all of the movies on DVD.  Also as a child I read all of the Narnia books, so I’m familiar with that series as well.  But I’ve never read or even heard of the source material for this movie.  So perhaps that is why I’m not as down on this movie as many other reviewers on the web are.   

    The story is straightforward and simple.  You have a young man that is already dealing with his overbearing siblings and being 14 years old that then must also deal with being destined to save the world.  Basically this is a coming of age story that should really appeal to older children and teenagers.  The movie has some exciting parts and really never drags or is boring, so the kids shouldn’t get restless.  Unlike the Harry Potter books and movies though this movie really isn’t going to have much interest for the adults in the audience.  So while this movie may be fun for some in the family the parents are going to be bored with it.  The performances are decent and the child actors are pretty good.  The sci-fi nerd in me had fun watching Christopher Eccleston (Dr. Who) playing a villain.  Other familiar faces such as Ian McShane, Frances Conroy, and James Cosmo turn up in featured roles as well.   

    When I sat down to watch this movie I expected the effects to be halfhearted CGI done just well enough to please the young audience this movie is targeted to.  I was wrong.  While there is quite a bit of CGI it is executed pretty damn well and is mixed with practical effects.  Throw in sets that feel like illustrations from a book and a good cinematographer and you end up with a really cool looking movie.    

    This one is for the kids.  So if you want to sit down for a night of family fun and are looking for something new then this one may be up to the task.