Is anybody going to watch "Legend of the Seeker" on TV this weekend?

[TZ]

Its based on Terry Goodkind's book "Wizard's First Rule"? Although the later books in the series got bogged down in preachiness (particularly annoying RIGHT WING preachiness) the first book was excellent....

[deepthought42]

1. I'm a nerd...

which means yes...lol

So sue me! :P

[TZ]

2. I found the date and time

for me locally so I will check it out as well...

[deepthought42]

3. if anything...

it's a good distraction from the election...and I need one right now.

You can watch the first 10 min on the website: www.legendoftheseeker.com Yes it does differ from the book, as the show will, I'm sure, but it looked alright.

[TZ]

7. Did you watch? what did you think?

I thought it was okay though if you asked me it took a few too many liberties with the book. And some of the casting choices, particularly Zedd, bothered me.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

4. Nope. 'cause of the reasons you listed above.

I don't appreciate an author telling me that since I opposed the Iraqi war, I have no moral standing and should be killed. (see Naked Empire)

Terry Goodkind can go suck an egg for all I care. Even if "Wizard's First Rule" was entertaining, I'm not giving him any more of my time.

[semillama]

5. True.

Heck, I'm not giving him any more of my time because he's blatantly ripping off Robert Jordan... an author whose works were so huge and lengthy that he literally DIED before he could finish! At least pick someone more succinct to rip off!

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

6. I'm almost embarassed to admit it...

but I gave Goodkind up until book eight (Naked Empire) before I finally gave up on him.
So there's this insipid trilogy of books out there that "resolves" the entire storyline, but I refuse to buy them, read them, or even touch them.

I will admit that I'm just a bit curious about the television show. But I think I'm gonna have to pass.

[semillama]

8. That's ok - I made it to four or five.

It takes a LOT for me to drop a series. Exhibit A: I am still reading the Wheel of Time series. Of course, now that we know there's only one more book, it's easier...but don't even bring up the interminable wait for the next book in A Song of Ice and Fire!!!

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

9. Now you're really gonna want to hit me: I couldn't get into Jordan's Wheel of Time series.

I tried. I really did. Everyone who's read both the Wheel of Time and the Sword Of Plagiarizing Ayn Rand series told me I'd love the Wheel of Time.

And reading Martin's Song of Ice and Fire is kind of like reading Stephen R. Donaldson: it's something I do only once in a great while because my brain hurts afterward. (Both have an amazingly complex writing style.)

[Greyskye]

10. I'm a fantasy series slut, and I didn't make it past the 3rd or 4th book

I count myself grateful that I waited until there were about 10 or so books in that series completed, then I started reading them from the library, instead of buying them like I usually do.

Couldn't get into it. Not into the story or the characters.

I liked the Sword of Truth books, but haven't been able to get into the bits of the TV show I've seen.

I have, on the other hand, re-read Donaldson and Martin a lot. I haven't revisited the Unbeliever in over a decade, but I'm very impatiently awaiting whatever happens next in the Song of Ice and Fire!

[davidinalameda]

11. the show's growing on me

I watch when I catch it

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

12. I changed my mind, and I'm laughing my ass off now.

Not because the show's awful. It's not. The acting needs a bit of work, but as entertaining fantasy fare, it's not too bad.

No, I'm laughing because of one thing: It's not his books. It's nowhere near his books.

Oh, sure. The characters are there. There is someone in the show called Richard, and he is the seeker, and he has companions; a confessor named Khalan and a wizard named Zedd.
And the villain is called Darken Rahl. And he's trying to destroy/take over the world.

And that's about all it has in common with Goodkind's works. Mr. Terry Goodkind, who lamented for years that his works weren't really fantasy fiction, but important social commentary, has had his precious jewel turned into an average syndicated fantasy show devoid of any of his idiotic right-wing rantings. And the story's better for that. Mostly gone is the sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant misogyny that peppered his books. And the show doesn't suffer because of it.

New Zealand is as beautiful as ever (as it was in the Hercules and Xena series, not to mention LOTR) and the effects they use, while being minimal, are effective. The casting doesn't bother me too much; I actually enjoy the person who plays Zedd, and I think that Bridget Regan, who plays Khalan, is more than capable in her role. I always imagined Richard being...more muscular. And they seem to do their own stunts for some of the fighting, which is kind of nice. And no wire combat, either (this is Sam Raimi we're talking about here, so I half-expected Xena to come flying in out of the trees)

The costuming is nothing short of magnificent, I'll admit. From the Mother Confessor's robes all the way down to the Mord-Sith's red leather, everything looks like they've spent a lot of time on it.

But yes, I'm laughing. Because the show is not the inane political rantings of Terry Goodkind, but a mildly entertaining fantasy story filmed against a beautiful countryside.

[davidinalameda]

13. you're not going to hear me complain about how muscular Richard is

every time he takes his shirt off-oh my!

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

14. Goodkind always wrote Richard as being some kind of Big McLargeHuge kind of character

(Kudos to MST3K for coining the word "Big McLargeHuge")

But the actor who plays him is nowhere near that muscular. Fit, yes, but not what Goodkind described

[X_Digger]

15. Yup.. based on, LOOSELY

"Based on" in the sense that a screenwriter's brother in law has a friend whose roommate once read the series.

I gave it up as a lost cause two weeks ago.

[travelingtypist]

16. I'm finally catching this on Netflix online.

I'm liking it. I mute the slo-mo sword scenes, but Zedd's cool, the scenery is beautiful, no crazy chicken yet, which is where I stopped reading the books.

[Ignis]

17. Ditto. It's better than I had expected.

Only about 8 episodes in, but I'm still interested so far. It's starting to drag a bit with the "freak of the week" approach, but I'll probably sit through the whole season to see the resolution.

I've not read these books, nor anything else by Goodkind. He's a bit...facile for my fantasy author tastes.

[Ignis]

18. Just finished the 2nd season on NetFlix streaming video.

Again, it was ... not so bad. :shrug: I was pleasantly surprised, for a second season in a row.

The writing is still only average, and the acting can be cringe-inducing from time to time, but overall, it's an interesting story that's directed/produced reasonably well with some good casting choices. The fantasy tropes are a little over-the-top (the green rifts in the ground as holes to the underworld were slightly cheesy), but the quality of the show is pretty consistent.

(I've never read the original series, so I'm basing this solely on the show itself.)