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Currentfilm.com Review: Sort of like "Lord of the Rings" for tweens/teens, "Legend of the Seeker" is a syndicated series offered by ABC studios and produced by the pairing of Sam Raimi and Rob Talpert - while Raimi has gained great fame from the "Spider-Man" series, he has produced quite a few films and TV shows with Talpert, including "Army of Darkness", "Hercules" and "Xena". While "Hercules" and "Xena" were known for being corny good fun, it's interesting to see the changes that the duo have made for "Seeker". While the previous shows from the producing duo seemed to use low-budget visual trickery to good effect, "Seeker" is far different: the series is sleek and elegant, with graceful cinematography, reasonably good (for a TV series) effects and more believable sets. The series, which is based on the "Sword of Truth" novels by Terry Goodkind, focuses on Richard Cypher (Craig Horner), who lives an ordinary life until he finds himself defending Kahlan Amnell (Bridget Regan), a mysterious woman who he later finds out is a witch. She has come seeking ... well, the seeker. Richard, despite his protests after being presented with the truth, finally begins to come to terms that it is his destiny to defeat the all-powerful Darken Rahl (Craig Parker), who is looking to rule the land. While Richard doesn't seek trouble, it finds him and he's soon off, with a magical sword from the wizard Zedd (Bruce Spence) along for protection. The series does not venture too far out into unexpected territory; the series offers many of the elements from other similar sword-and-sorcery epics, including the wise old wizard (the Yoda/Gandalf figure.) The acting is charming and engaging, but falls a bit short of being remarkable in any way. Interestingly, whereas the "Xena" and "Hercules" shows were fun thanks to a goofy, rambling style, "Legend" actually works for the opposite reason: offering a moving score and very nice production values (the New Zealand locations look gorgeous), the series takes itself quite seriously - which allows one to overlook some of the show's lesser aspects. Overall, this is a fine series that shows that producers Talpert and Raimi can still work together to produce solid entertainment for the small screen. Season 1 1. 1- 1 1 Nov 08 Prophecy (1) 2. 1- 2 1 Nov 08 Destiny (2) 3. 1- 3 8 Nov 08 Bounty 4. 1- 4 15 Nov 08 Brennidon 5. 1- 5 22 Nov 08 Listener 6. 1- 6 29 Nov 08 Elixir 7. 1- 7 6 Dec 08 Identity 8. 1- 8 10 Jan 09 Denna 9. 1- 9 17 Jan 09 Puppeteer 10. 1-10 24 Jan 09 Sacrifice 11. 1-11 31 Jan 09 Confession 12. 1-12 21 Feb 09 Home 13. 1-13 28 Feb 09 Revenant 14. 1-14 7 Mar 09 Hartland 15. 1-15 14 Mar 09 Conversion 16. 1-16 21 Mar 09 Bloodline 17. 1-17 28 Mar 09 Deception 18. 1-18 25 Apr 09 Mirror 19. 1-19 2 May 09 Cursed 20. 1-20 9 May 09 Sanctuary 21. 1-21 16 May 09 Fever 22. 1-22 23 May 09 Reckoning The DVD VIDEO: "Legend of the Seeker" is presented by ABC Studios Home Entertainment in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The show is given an excellent, first-rate presentation by the studio, as image quality remained consistently pleasing. Sharpness and detail remained quite good, as the picture looked rock solid throughout the show. The presentation only showed slight edge enhancement in a couple of scenes, with no other flaws seen. Colors looked deep and bold, with no smearing or other faults. SOUND: The show's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack offered quite pleasing audio quality, with surrounds delivering mild sound effects and ambience. Audio quality is excellent, with crisp dialogue and clear, well-recorded score. EXTRAS: Commentaries with members of the cast and crew are offered on: "Puppeteer", "Denna","Prophecy", "Destiny". We also get a set of deleted scenes, “Words of Truth: A Conversation with Terry Goodkind” featurette and “Forging The Sword: Crafting a Legend” featurette. Final Thoughts: Overall, this is a fine series that shows that producers Talpert and Raimi can still work together to produce solid entertainment for the small screen. The DVD set provides solid audio/video quality, as well as a nice selection of bonus features. Recommended. |