Earthsea
- TV Mini Series
- 2004–2005
- 45m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
6.5K
YOUR RATING
A reckless young man is destined to become the greatest sorcerer the mystical land of Earthsea has ever known.A reckless young man is destined to become the greatest sorcerer the mystical land of Earthsea has ever known.A reckless young man is destined to become the greatest sorcerer the mystical land of Earthsea has ever known.
- Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
- 7 wins & 8 nominations total
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaUrsula K. Le Guin, author of the novels on which the production is based, was critical of the adaptation. Among her complaints was the "whitewashing" of her characters' races (in the novels, few of Le Guin's characters are white). Le Guin also resented a statement published by director Robert Lieberman intoning that she approved of his take on her story.
- GoofsShortly after Ged and Oigon turn their backs to the goat, the crystal from Oigon's staff falls to the ground. After the cut, the crystal is back.
- Quotes
The Dragon: Ask me two questions, wizard, and I will give you the answers.
Ged: Isn't it usually three?
The Dragon: Yes, but with that you're back to two.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Troldspejlet: Episode #33.9 (2005)
Featured review
Greatness to Mediocrity
Legends of Earthsea has a quality cast and acting -- though a cast that was largely south Asian or middle eastern might have been truer to the original story -- and also does nice things with settings, sets, and computer graphics, and could be an enjoyable TV movie in its own right, if the viewer were not aware of and comparing it to the original story.
The great shortcoming is the script and storyline, which has mangled the first two books of the Earthsea trilogy -- one of the greatest pieces of writing in the fantasy genre by one of the greatest fantasy and science fiction writers -- into a very mediocre, formulaic fantasy production with a story that bears only a passing resemblance to the original. The story suffers from a peripheral character, the Kargad king, being blown into a major character to provide a central villain, all but destroying the nuance and social complexity of antagonism in the original stories. The original stories have a strong theme of growth through the lifecourse of the central character, Ged. Collapsing the stories together and shortening the time frame has required a number of story changes which weaken this central theme. A number of changes have been made with respect to Atuan that play into a sappy, very unsatisfactory ending.
If you want cheap entertainment this is a good movie. If you want truly great stories, and fantasy reading that offers insight into your everyday life and commentary on the world, read the books instead: A Wizard of Earthsea, Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, by Ursula LeGuin. The later Tehanu continues the story of Ged, but is, IMO, less deserving of praise.
The great shortcoming is the script and storyline, which has mangled the first two books of the Earthsea trilogy -- one of the greatest pieces of writing in the fantasy genre by one of the greatest fantasy and science fiction writers -- into a very mediocre, formulaic fantasy production with a story that bears only a passing resemblance to the original. The story suffers from a peripheral character, the Kargad king, being blown into a major character to provide a central villain, all but destroying the nuance and social complexity of antagonism in the original stories. The original stories have a strong theme of growth through the lifecourse of the central character, Ged. Collapsing the stories together and shortening the time frame has required a number of story changes which weaken this central theme. A number of changes have been made with respect to Atuan that play into a sappy, very unsatisfactory ending.
If you want cheap entertainment this is a good movie. If you want truly great stories, and fantasy reading that offers insight into your everyday life and commentary on the world, read the books instead: A Wizard of Earthsea, Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, by Ursula LeGuin. The later Tehanu continues the story of Ged, but is, IMO, less deserving of praise.
helpful•449
- blyden4
- Dec 15, 2004
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- Release date
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- Also known as
- Legend of Earthsea
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime45 minutes
- Color
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