Title: Wizard Of Earthsea (12)
Year: 2004
Running Time: 180 minutes
Director: Robert Lieberman
Cast: Shawn Ashmore (Ged), Kristin Kreuk (Tenar), Isabella Rossellini (Thar), Danny Glover (Ogion)
Notes: Based on the Earthsea novels by Ursula Le Guin. Originally shown as a two part mini series. Won seven Leo awards.
Rating: 3
Thoughts: Le Guin is on record as disliking the adaptation with many fans of the original books critical that her carefully constructed world was turned into a simplistic fantasy backdrop.
Certainly the characters seem to slip into good and evil stereotypes, not helped by some weak dialogue that is also poorly delivered.
The original novels tell of two young people finding their way and a realisation that evil can lie within all of us, rather than there being some monstrous enemy to defeat. The film takes a different path, eroding any character development and then making this a straight good vs evil battle.
Sadly all that seems to survive the adaptation process are some character names, a general premise and little more. This turns into a generic story, that might have been fine, but that is then poorly delivered.
Only the initial scenes at the magic school are especially engaging, one of the areas in the film that keeps a little from the original works.
This isn't as good as it could be and it's a terrible adaptation.