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| Dvdivas
was founded by John Gabbard in 2000. It's purpose has been and
remains to be to provide you, the entertainment community with
the latest dvds and movie reviews. It will continue to be your
link to the most popular dvd movies. |
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"Earthsea"
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Reviewed
by: |
Kim Anehall |
| Genre: |
Drama |
| Video: |
Widescreen
Anamorphic 1.85:1 |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo |
| Languages |
English |
| Subtitles |
English,
Close captioning |
| Length |
172 min |
| Rating |
Not Rated
|
| Release Date |
March 8,
2005 |
| Studio |
Lions Gate
|
| Commentary:
|
with director
Robert Lieberman |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
“Exploring Earthsea”
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| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
None |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Shawn Ashmore,
Kristin Kreuk, Isabella Rossellini, Danny Glover, Sebastian
Roché, Christopher Gauthier, Jennifer Calvert, Mark Hildreth,
Alan Scarfe |
| Written
By: |
Ursula K.
Le Guin (book), Gavin Scott (teleplay) |
| Produced
By: |
Matthew O'Connor,
Michael O'Connor |
| Directed
By: |
Robert Lieberman
|
| Music:
|
Jeff Rona
|
| The
Review: |
Throughout the last two decades of the 20th century the
fantasy genre gained a large number of followers, which initially
might have been influenced by encounters with J.R.R. Tolkien’s
adventures or roll playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons.
This group of people has steadily grown through the help of
computer games, books, and other media that brings the audience
away from the reality of the human existence. Thus, the Sci-Fi
Channel delivers the Earthsea to this growing fan base. ***
The televised miniseries Earthsea is an adventure that
brings the audience away from reality to the world of Earthsea
where the world consists of a vast number of islands. The
author Ursula K. Le Guin created this world and she has a
large number of dedicated readers. More can be found on her
website, www.ursulakleguin.com
,
in regards to her books and comments in regards
to the TV series. ***
Earthsea opens in a small island village where the blacksmith’s
son, Ged (Shawn Ashmore) discovers that he has magical powers.
Ged, a restless young man, saves the town from an attack through
the use of magic, which brings forth the wizard Ogion (Danny
Glover). Ogion requests that Ged becomes his student, but
Ged’s father initially rejects the request. Nonetheless, Ged
becomes the pupil of Ogion, as he begins his journey on becoming
a wizard. ***
On this journey the audience gets to follow how Ged is
coming of age through foolish magical stunts and deadly encounters
with dragons and other dangerous creatures. Ged builds lasting
friendships and eventually discovers the wonder of love. Through
many adventures with Ged the audience will experience both
suspense and drama with some wisdom. ***
The mini-series seems to be based on a number of clichés
from other fantasy films such as Harry Potter, Lord of the
Rings, and Willow (1988) among other films. This hurts the
story, as does the visual experience through some CGI effects
that come across with visual awkwardness. If one truly wants
to experience the world of Earthsea the audience should reads
Ursula K. Le Guin’s books, which are far superior to this
TV story. *** ---
|
| Image
and Sound: |
For the
most part Earthsea looks pretty good. The picture is clear and
it delivers very good contrasts, which augment minor details
in the mise-en-scene. This gives the audience an extra chance
to notice much of the background and the environment in the
film. Small instances of slight edge enhancement are present,
but only noticeable when the audience actively searches for
it. Colors are bright and vivid while the greens are phenomenal
and the black levels augment the visuals of the story. The sound
is delivered in a crisp DD 5.1 with no auditory noise that would
affect the experience. On a couple of occasions the DD 5.1 elevates
some of the scary moments in the film such as when Ged is haunted
in the woods. *** |
| The
Extras: |
The Exploring
Earthsea feature brings together some of the cast who explain
their views of the book and why they were interested in making
the film. Throughout this feature the cast compares it to
other fantasy films, which becomes rather annoying, as it
does not come close to any of the films they mention. I rather
wish they stayed away from comparing the film with other films,
as it actually made the film seem worse. *** ---
|
| Commentary:
|
Robert Lieberman
unveils many of the problems he encountered while shooting Earthsea.
This includes making the film viewable for children and not
too dark or scary, but whether this is good or not is a personal
preference. Lieberman also discloses how time, budget, and other
influences gave him a reason to shoot scenes the way the audience
can see them. Generally, Lieberman’s commentary is a typical
commentary, which gives the audience an idea of why it turned
out the way it did. *** |
| Final
Words: |
Earthsea
had great potential, as the books offer a solid foundation upon
which a film can be made. However, it seems that this film shows
the affects of too many chefs, which leaves the audience with
a somewhat flat fantasy experience. There are interesting subplots
and themes, but it never takes off and flies by itself. It merely
remains standing on the ground displaying a monument without
value, which in the end will leave most viewers disappointed.
It might only be a rental recommendation to those hardcore fantasy
enthusiasts that watch everything about an alternative reality.
*** |
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