Half way through the first of this week's two episodes of Legend Of The Seeker I simply lost interest.It's not that the show is bad, it certainly isn't. It looks good, the effects are pretty decent for a TV budget, the main cast are all very competent - but I realised I was just watching it because it was "geeky" and that perhaps swords and sorcery just isn't my thing, after all!
Certainly not for TV viewing anyway.
I don't think the UK Sci Fi channel is doing itself any favours showing the series in two-episode blocks eother, even with Sky+ that's a big commitment every week to squeeze in around my other shows.
That's a lot of investment to ask of an audience and you'd expect something special back... and I, personally, just wasn't getting that from Legend Of The Seeker.
I was hoping for something new, I don't know what exactly, but the show just reminded me of countless sword and sorcery B-movies I've devoured over the years, just recycled with a slick, professional, 21st Century sheen and a surfeit of "bullet time" fight sequences.
I can't even say I'll miss it in my weekly viewing because I never remembered when it was on anyway, and just relied on the Sky+ box to record it for me.
It certainly wasn't an action show that I looked forward to at the moment (like True Blood, The Tudors, Chuck, Moonlight, The Wire, or Buffy The Vampire Slayer - daily reruns on FX)
If nothing else it should free me up some time to catch up on my backlog of The Wire.
Now if Legend Of The Seeker were set in modern times or featured a vampire...
Just kidding!
It was a good show - certainly a lot better than the disappointment, and slight embarrassment, of Krod Mandoon And The Flaming Sword Of Fire - but just not what I was looking for at the moment.
I still believe this facet of the fantasy genre is totally underserved by television companies, but I'm just waiting for an iteration that really grabs me.
Wow, here we go again, separated at birth. I never got into Seeker either. Just another Xena or Hercules clone without the sense of humour. Been there done that and I don't feel like I missed anything.
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ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying Seeker!
ReplyDeleteI must admit it isn't grabbing me the way, say, Firefly or Babylon5 did but it is enjoyable!
The less said about Krod Mandoon the better...
My main problem with Seeker is the endless list of "standard fantasy" plot points! The main character having a secret past that he wasn't aware of is the most obvious (need I say Belgariad, or any of the others), but I suppose you have to expect that with fantasy to some extent!
So, not ground breaking or original, but enjoyable and it will stay in my Sky+ list, at least for the time being.
Still both my wife (who is not a great SF & F fan)and I are loving True Blood.
Rachel usually wouldn't look twice at most of the programmes I enjoy - and she's particularly anti anything that looks in the slightest bit "horrific" - but she, too, is really enjoying True Blood.
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