Truth #1: 2003’s “”The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”” was not only one of the most phenomenal fantasy films ever made, but also a fantastic stand-alone film, rising above the clichés and stigmas usually found in genre-specific movies.

Truth #2: While nowhere even close to “”Return of the King”” in quality, many of the films in the Harry Potter series are better than average fantasy films with extreme storytelling depth.

Truth #3: “”The Seeker: The Dark is Rising,”” released this past Friday, is a fantasy film that is somewhat different than the aforementioned epic franchises, but is above average and surprisingly emotional.

“”The Seeker”” has all the elements of the fantasy genre: good vs. evil, an isolated main character who just so happens to be a chosen one, and lots of whimsical happenings. Because it is a fantasy film, believability isn’t a required element, and in a way everything is fair game.

The ability to strew from reality is definitely beneficial to the film, because it allows for more suspense: since anything truly is possible, there really isn’t any way to predict what might happen next.

However, the biggest strength of the film, which is a pleasant surprise, is the realness of the main character, Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig). In a film of the fantasy genre, it is easy to get lost in the magic and wonder and forget about the characters. Thankfully, due to decent screenwriting, adequate directing, and excellent acting by Ludwig, the movie manages to allow for some degree of fantasy and a great deal of drama. It isn’t easy to create a character that is both strong and weak, loyal and defiant, and is prone to laugh just as easily as he might cry. Because of the complexity of the title character, “”The Seeker”” is much easier to accept as a stand-alone film rather than simply another fantasy film.

The special effects, though neither revolutionary nor particularly impressive, are appropriate within the context of the movie: “”The Seeker”” is not an epic masterpiece like “”Return of the King,”” and intensely detailed visual effects would have seemed out of place. At the same time, they are planned out enough to look realistic and not completely fake.

In terms of entertainment value, “”The Seeker”” is fairly successful as well. Unlike “”Return of the King”” and “”Harry Potter,”” the movie is a very modest one hour and 34 minutes long, enough time to tell a story, but not so much of a story that the audience leaves the theater scratching their heads. Also, the story itself is interesting and easy to understand, if not a little unbelievable-due undoubtedly to the genre. Furthermore, the peripheral characters in the movie are involved enough to add depth and emotional strength to the plot, but they aren’t so involved that they cause the plot to be convoluted with too much character development.

All in all, “”The Seeker: The Dark is Rising”” is an above average movie, but may only be viewed as such by those who have a taste for fantasy films. So, if you’re like me and you have a huge “”Lord of the Rings”” poster in your bedroom, you won’t be disappointed.