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106 of 112 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
With the sword of truth, July 13, 2009
For the record, I am not a fan of Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" fantasy series, so I didn't really expect to enjoy the TV adaptation.
But to my surprise, "The Legend of the Seeker: The Complete First Season" turned out to be a surprisingly solid fantasy adventure series, with plenty of swords, monsters, lush New Zelaand scenery, sorcery and a likable young Prophesied Hero. It has some cheesy genre cliches at the beginning, but quickly evolves into a good-hearted, action-packed series.
Young woodsman Richard Cypher (Craig Horner) rushes to help a Confessor woman who's being attacked by D'Haran soldiers -- and promptly finds himself accused of being her accomplice, and hunted by the D'Harans (who have made it through a magical barrier than cuts off the Westlands). When he goes to get help from the eccentric wizard Zed ("He's crazy! He talks to his chickens!"), he encounters the beautiful Confessor Kahlan Amnell (Bridget Regan) once again.
The big reveal from Zed and Kahlan: Richard is a prophesied hero called a Seeker, who must use a magical sword to defeat the evil overlord Darken Rahl (Craig Parker). When his life is ripped apart by murder and treachery, Richard reluctantly accepts his destiny, and sets off across the Midlands with Kahlan and Zed.
Unfortunately the Midlands have plenty of problems as well -- cruel D'Haran soldiers, Mord-Sith, magical maps, a boy who can read minds, some inconvenient magic shape-changing, the birth of a forbidden male Confessor, a string of impossible murders (including one seemingly committed by Richard), a malevolent wizard who is trying to create new Confessors, corruption in the Westlands, a plague created by Rahl, and a visit to the haunted tomb of an ancient Seeker bent on possessing Richard's body.
In the course of their travels, the trio also learn that Rahl is searching for the Boxes of Orden, which can give ultimate power to the one who owns all three. Richard and his friends struggle to keep the magical boxes hidden, but a terrible mistake threatens to derail the Seeker's quest.
It's not necessary to be a fan of Goodkind's books to appreciate "Legend of the Seeker" -- it's only loosely based on Goodkind's first doorstopper, and quite a few things are changed. Fortunately the TV show has plenty of merits on its own -- the lush scenery porn of New Zealand, intricate story arcs and standalone adventures, and plenty of swords'n'sorcery. You almost forget sometimes that it's yet another story about a prophecied hero.
Each episode has plenty of action, usually involving Richard's acrobatic sword fights with D'Haran soldiers, and some fun magical twists (a talking doll). The writers also deftly avoid the Ye Olde Fantasye trap by penning dialogue that is breezy, straightforward and frequently amusing ("Remember, before chopping off the head, make sure the body is dead lest the head grow back." "What lesson is THAT?" "Not a lesson, just something I once read in a cookbook").
It does have some flaws, however -- the first two episodes are bogged down in genre cliches (Richard becoming a master swordsman overnight), cheesy moments (Richard's sword being struck by LIGHTNING?), and too much slow-motion. Fortunately things even out after the beginning of the series.
Craig Horner is absolutely perfect for the role, especially since Destined Heroes tend to be rather boring. Instead he perfectly portrays a down-to-earth goodness and kindness, which is tempered from innocence to maturity as the season winds on. But he brilliantly pulls off Richard's darker moments, including a horrendous Mord-Sith "training" session that leaves Richard broken, twitching and doe-eyed. He's also ridiculously gorgeous, and the directors take full advantage of that (the whole bridge-building scene).
And Horner has amazing chemistry with Regan, who does a great job as a strong, butt-kicking woman who can enslave anyone with a touch. Bruce Spence does a wonderfully eccentric, lanky old wizard who frequently batters Richard with life lessons, and Parker makes a surprisingly human Evil Overlord, whose cruelty and manipulations are revealed to be an obsessive desire for "harmony." Doesn't stop him from being deliciously hateable, though.
"Legend of the Seeker: The Complete First Season" is wobbly at first, but soon becomes a well-acted fantasy series that stands on its own apart from Goodkind's fantasy novels. Definitely a good show, and promises to become better.
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48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A treat for fantasy fans., August 1, 2009
"Legend of the Seeker" is the latest fantasy television series produced by the legendary Sam Raimi -whose contributions to the genre include Hercules The Legendary Journeys and it's sister show Xena Warrior Princess. While those shows were rather light-hearted romps, this one takes the material a little more seriously and is based on a series of novels written by Terry Goodkind. It begins with a pair of women in white being chased by soldiers. A local farmboy stumbles upon the second mysterious beauty after the first falls and decides to help her. The result of the meeting will be life-changing to say the least. The show's very strong mythology states that The Seeker is a man born unot a generation who is destined to rid the Midland realms of tyranny. Our heroic farmboy, Richard, is that Seeker. The woman he rescued is Kahlan, a Confessor whose power enables her to see through dishonesty and enslave people to her will through love. They are led by the mandatory wizard - in this case named Zeddicus- and the three set out together to end the rule of Darken Rahl, whose D'Haran armies threaten to dominate the Midlands and crush it's people under his boot. Not the most orignal setup, but the end result is effective and entertaining.
While "Legend of the Seeker" has a lot of fantasy elements like magic, prophecies, and the occasional monster it never relies upon these elements. The strength lies within the individual stories and the characters within those stories. The rest is just window-dressing. The smooth trickery and lies of Rahl, the earnestness of Richard, the sorrow of Kahlan, the wisdom of Zedd, and the way these elements interact with the fully-realized world they inhabit makes every story come to life. The characters are easy to care about and the situations they encounter leave a lot of room for grey area moralizing. In one such story, the heroes encounter a group of Confessors led by the head of the order. In that time, Kahlan's sister gives birth to a rarity: a male Confessor. The women immediately begin making preparations to drown the child since only female Confessors are allowed to live due to the history of the males of the order turning to evil. This puts the pure-hearted Richard at odds with his allies and the result is just brilliant, thought-provoking television. Another episode features a twist on the classic werewolf tale in the form of a king who makes a deal with a witch that he may become a monster at night to protect his kingdom from the D'Haran invasion. But when the war is halted and the beast begins feeding on his own subjects, what is a king to do? Time travel and seeing/altering the future are also explored as is the very meaning of being a hero. Does one stop to help the helpless against hopeless odds, or should the primary goal remain the focus; treat the cause or the symptom? In this show, either choice yields consequences.
The chemistry between the cast is outstanding here. Bridget Regan and Craig Horner as the two leads have palpable heat between them form their very first scene together. The story both ducks and embraces the usual cliche of two people who love each other pretending they don't for the sake of tension by tossing in the tidbit that a Confessor in ecstasy becomes unable to control her power and will unwittingly enslave the one she is with and they will henceforth be only able to think about her at all times. Such a thing would naturally hamstring the Seeker's ability to defend the realm so the very attraction that keeps them so close is also a very dangerous thing. This makes the sexual tension much more interesting storywise. Honestly, I'd be Ms. Regan's love slave happily; Midlands be damned. Bruce Spence as Zeddicus seems to be channeling Christopher Loyd in "Back to the Future" at times, but one can't really deny his charm. Each episode typically features several bit players and/or recurring characters who leave a large impression as well. I'm partial to the Mord'Sith, myslef. They're an all-female unit of dominatrix-inspired inquisitors under Rahl who wield magical torure devices and kick all kinds of ass. Then there's the sweet innocence of Jennsen, who is known as "the pristinely ungifted one" because of the fact that magic has no effect on her whatsoever. This makes her both a useful tool and a liability to both sides of the good-versus-evil fight. But is she too naive to tell which side is which? I could go on and on about all the little wrinkles that make this show great.
This first season has been one I thoroughly enjoyed. It may not be the most epic or original thing on television, but it filled a gaping television void and after 22 solid-to-outstanding episodes the season came to a fitting conclusion while leaving me wanting more and offering a slight promise of things to come without leaving any loose ends. Thankfully, the show has been renewed for a second season. Time will tell whether Raimi has lost his touch as a director, but as a television producer this is his strongest work. As a fan of the genre, I am well-pleased by "Legend of the Seeker" and I highly doubt you'll feel any different.
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48 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A few words, July 24, 2009
1.) "Legend of the Seeker" will come to Blu-Ray eventually. At the Comic Con panel yesterday, producers said a Blu-Ray set won't be released until after prices drop (they mentioned this will happen around winter/Christmastime). You can check the official Terry Goodkind board for more specific details. So for those of you who plan on rating this show negatively solely because of this, don't bother.
2.) The show and the books are not the same. Some of the changes have been for the worse; I was disappointed that Kahlan went from the daughter of a queen to an orphan with a rough life. The Box of Orden storyline could have been handled with more care as well. On the other hand, the writers seemed to have done away with the Star Wars-esque reveal at the end of Book 1. A wise move on their part as the show would have felt too much like a medieval version of the Star Wars saga.
3.) The production values have been consistently impressive. The cinematography and art direction are some of the best I've seen on TV to date. At times it almost feels like I'm watching a movie instead of a TV show.
4.) I love the cast. Bridget Regan (Kahlan) is the most gifted performer, managing to credibly portray Kahlan as a strong warrior capable of warmth and kindness. And although she currently has appeared in only two episodes, Jessica Marais (Denna) is the show's greatest villain. She can accomplish so much with just a quick look and low voice.
So if you're looking for a fun genre series with good characters and sharp special effects, you should try "Legend of the Seeker". The first few episodes can be tedious, but by Episode 7 everyone steps up to the plate and manages to create one of the most entertaining fantasy series in recent years.
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