Swords, magic, young persons on a quest and good versus evil, all the elements for good fantasy are incorporated into the series Legend of the Seeker.
Based on the universe within THE SWORD OF TRUTH novels of Terry Goodkind, Legend of the Seeker is entertaining and fun, and has become a “must see” program for many families.
Good acting, attention to details and the incredible New Zealand geography as a backdrop for the action make Legend of the Seeker irresistible.
In a place of beauty and magic, a world that contains Midlands, Westland and D’Hara a nefarious plan is taking place in which Darken Rahl (Craig Parker) emperor of D’Hara will conquer the rest of the world by gaining control of all the magic and turning it to evil purposes.
As the series opens, Kahlan Amnell (Bridget Regan) a member of the truth seeking order called Confessors is fleeing with the Book of Counted Shadows to get it safely out of Darken Rahl’s grasp. The book is part of prophesy concerning the rising of a Seeker of Truth to defend the lands against Darken Rahl, and vanquish him. Young Richard Cypher (Craig Horner) is unaware of his destiny until his path crosses that of Kahlan’s and together they come to the wizard “Zedd” Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (Bruce Spence) for an explanation and further instructions.
Richard is recognized and named “Seeker” by Zedd and is given the magic sword of truth that will help him in the fight against Darken Rahl, and the quest begins. As Zedd, Richard and Kahlan journey, they encounter people whose lives have been destroyed by Rahl’s forces and they try to better the situations to gain the following of these people. Truth and justice are always issues, and Kahlan often must use her confessor abilities to set things right.
Along with the quest, there are underlying stories about the lives of each of the characters, and their relationships with family and friends. The series is a fine blend of storytelling and action with characters that the audience finds appealing and sympathetic.
Legend of the Seeker is presented in wide screen on five discs containing all the season one episodes which are cleverly titled with a single word. The episodes are in English audio, and have French or Spanish subtitles available. There are very nice specials with this set, “Words of Truth” is a conversation with author Terry Goodkind and is most interesting not only for the elements within the creation of the series, but in appreciation of his skill in crafting the world of the original novels.
“Forging the Sword: Crafting a Legend” is a behind the scenes look at how the series was filmed in the gorgeous environments of New Zealand. There are also deleted scenes, and audio commentaries.
If you are a fantasy literature fan, this series should be most appealing, as it is serious storytelling without goofy humor and too many anachronisms. After all it is another world in another time, and for many a most enjoyable escape!
The Clips:
FEATURETTE: MAIN CHARACTERS -
FEATURETTE: SETS -
THE FUTURE -
UNIMAGINABLE -
TRUE LOVE -
TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS -
Legend of the Seeker: The Complete First Season is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
Your Talkback on this Story