This should have been much better. Although I always try to judge a movie or mini-series on its own merits, I just want to say I read the books very recently and because of how beautifully written, engrossing and emotionally felt they are they are now among my favourites. Part of me was excited about seeing Earthsea I was also dubious considering who was responsible. I overall found Earthsea deeply disappointing. It has good cinematography and tolerable effects I give you that, but everything else fails. I don't want to compare too much actually to the books, as Earthsea was problematic even on its own merits, but as an adaptation it is really atrocious to the extent you can't even recognise it. But that is not all. The worst asset is the story, disjointed and as far from engrossing as you can go, having none of the feeling, soul and heart that I get from the books. The script is full of awkward delivery and stilted and unintentionally cheesy lines. You don't care at all for the characters, they are not likable or easy to empathise with but feel like fantasy clichés. The pacing is sluggish, the direction cumbersome and the acting is awful with some of the most uncharismatic actors I've seen anywhere in recent times. Overall, a soulless mess, the Studio Ghlibli film was less than perfect, and not exactly a brilliant adaptation either, and my least favourite of theirs but it was far more watchable than this. 2/10 Bethany Cox

Le Guin distanced herself from this garbage from the start. But barring an escape to the marvelous realm she created, no distance is far enough. I watched as much as I could, and that solely to answer one question: was the original too expensive to be done properly? Had to be, because there is no other excuse. I'm guessing the screenwriter was handed a synopsis, told to throw in a couple of babes, and hope that one-time viewers would support the project.Danny Glover must have signed on as a fan, been given a significant alas refundable front fee. Read the script. Vomited. But at least was secure in the knowledge few would watch it, and none would remember it.Do not buy this. Don't watch it, even if it's free. If you must watch it, demand payment yourself. Upfront. Refundable.Spend the hour reading, re-reading, or re!reading the book. Or listen to the audio book, which is great.

This has your typical made-for-television quasi-medieval fantasy realm crap where swordfights never draw blood and the stunts are generally CGI or very simple run-of-the-mill boring stuff. This is a good kids movie but for adults it's just to inane, boring and bland to really stand out as anything worth watching. This is basically a director trying to jump on board the Harry Potter craze using a Television Show Movie budget.. you see the usual television quality CGI effects, a derivative script and bland actors and actresses who have no idea who their character is. The only acting that occurs in this movie is two people- the Head Magus and the Head Nun of the order that watches the unnamed ones. Other than that it's a bunch of drug addicts that just woke up blandly reading their lines and assuming their costume will make up for them not working very hard at the job of suspending disbelief. Isabella Rosellini has been taking more matronly looking roles these days, but she is still a classic beauty of the sort that drove artists insane during the renaissance- the movie is worth watching just to see her. If you want to see this legendary woman in a real movie- watch BLUE VELVET- a very harsh and brutal flick when she was at the height of her epic beauty- she burns into the screen like a fever vision in that one! In this movie she is pudgy, pasty, yet you can still tell she's completely gorgeous beneath it, a very good casting choice for her role as the head nun.As far as suspending disbelief... There's a lot to disbelieve in this movie- like.. disbelieve you should watch it!! PLOT: The son of a blacksmith's mother died when he was a child- he was raised by his father, a blacksmith, and an old witch that his mother saved from the sea long ago- as such he has magical powers- powers that he wants to develop so off he goes to hogwartz.. oh wait this isn't harry potter- but it sort of IS!! The rip-offs are many but the movie is saved a little bit by several good looking women to watch and a little bit of bearable CGI effects.. sometimes this movie is OK, but then the direction comes back in and ruins it completely- making it a bland, boring affair lacking in imagination and budget to convey a story worth telling in a format worth seeing.If you want to see what this movie was shooting for I think you would watch a Harry Potter movie followed by Willow followed by Dungeons and Dragons(which was terrible).

The Wizard of Earthsea entered my life while I was an adolescent, lonely and missing direction. The text provides a moral obstacle course in a fantasy setting which sidesteps the silly moralising of much fantasy literature. I waited twenty five years to watch this, and at the age of forty, I'm very disappointed.A lot of money has gone into this, and it will be many years before another attempt is made. The essential trade offs between mediums have been made, but some decisions seem extraordinary and unnecessary. The white actors in black roles. The naming change of the principal character. The storyline.The first story, detailing the finding of some wisdom by Ged, between his home and the release of the shadow from Roke should have been the limit of this film. Instead, the need to include the beautiful Kreuk led the production to try to tell the first three stories at once. The failure of the production stems from the inability of the producer to limit the production.