Legend of the Seeker: L'épée de vérité

When I first heard about the TV series, I knew it was an adaptation of a book. At first, I didn't want to watch it thinking that the TV series is surely not as good as the book. Of course. Surprisingly it is charming and captivating to watch. It is like an addiction, you want to watch it again and again.

I like all the main cast. Craig Horner as Richard from my opinion is a good actor(hunk!haha) and Bridget Regan as Kahlan was doing a really good job as the confessor. The wizard Zedd has a good sense of humour (kind of weird at first). I enjoyed the series so far.Can't wait for the next episodes..

...I'm actually really enjoying this series (as of episode 4). I started watching Legend of the Seeker knowing that I was signing up for extreme fantasy, and must say it's very entertaining. It is a huge call to pay off a story of this scale every week without looking embarrassingly cheap, especially with all the special effects required. To the show's credit, it embraces what it is and delivers an unusually high standard for television.

I find the action sequences gripping. They have put a lot of effort into stylizing the fights, and as someone who generally finds hand-to-hand a bit dull because it's all cut-cut-cut to hide inconsistencies and build pace, Legend of the Seeker has some wonderful stunt work and detailed action. The slow-mos are fantastic; it is great to see the detail and be able to understand the complexity of choreography instead of it being hidden under choppy editing.

I will agree that Craig Horner is almost too pretty for this role, but it compliments the style the directors have taken; just look at the effort that's been put into delivering beautiful cinematography. It is not surprising they have chosen to cast equally beautiful leads to give the show a holistically beautiful appeal. And let there be no doubt: this show's cinematography coupled with New Zealand's breathtaking topography makes for a very pretty show.

The angry and negative reactions of the book fans has been pretty overwhelming, and a bit disappointing to read. But on the bright side, this show has encouraged me to pick up the books. So it's not all lose/lose for fans of the books, as the show is garnering new readers for the novels.

I loved this show, I catch is by chance on the CW this past Sunday (saw the third and forth episodes) and was instantly hooked. I missed having a great adventure, swords blazing, fantasy including and hero adoring show on TV. I immediately looked up the first two episodes that I missed online and watched them.

I loved the fire that lingers between Richard and Kahlan, the Confessor (I love that title/name). Zed is perfect, he adds that hint of humor while still maintaining his powerful presence. Now the action....it was great and captivating. I am a fan of taking bits of slow downed fighting snips within a fight that just make the scene grander (alla 300), and I adore me some sword play. I think people who liked Lord of the Rings, Zena, and just plain fantasy adventure stories will love this series.

I personally have read the books but never became an obsessed fan (I have enough obsessions) and I have been reading a lot of hating from fans of the book , saying that the show gets away from the books' story line and that Richard's character has been dumped down a little and he is also physically smaller. Both these things I do not have an issue with. I to thought he was stupid at times in the first two episode, but I think that they did that to show character progression and growth. He will learn in his journey (by the fourth he already seems much wiser). I like him smaller as well because is makes him a character to root for even harder, he may not look like a all menacing warrior ( alla Hercules) but don't underestimate him. He comes off more as a young man that destiny has chosen to become a hero but a hero that was bond to have a great destiny.

Although, as an obsessed fan of other books that have been adapted I understand the fans feelings, but I am also one that lets things go. When adaptations are not all I imagined, I take it as a separate thing. The show is just inspired by the novels and does plan on keeping the main story line. However, it is not a movie or a mini series but a TV series it will not follow the book to note and can not be expected too.

All and all I thought it was a great action adventure show to satisfy the fantasy lovers in all of us, just enjoy it. I recommend people to go watch and see if you'll loved it like I did. Additionally, Craig Horner and Bridget Regan are great eye candy and welding swords and kicking butts just makes them hotter.

So how is the Legend of the Seeker? What do people think so far? Looking at the comments we get a load of onestars from people saying it doesn't follow the books to the letter, people that can't understand how Goodkind could "sell his soul to Hollywood" (really... wow), and people that make untrue claims about inaccuracies in the TV-series apparently without having watched it themselves.

So is the Legend of the Seeker that awful? Nah, not really. It's a fun series, a bit heavy on the comedy on some occasions, and it's taken a while to get the story rolling, but its good fun to watch, beautiful scenery, good main actors that feel believable. It doesn't take itself too seriously and in my opinion, neither should the viewers.

In conclusion: The naysayers say, No! Horrible! Goodkind sells his soul to mammon! But I'm sure after an honest viewing without preconceptions most will agree that its a nice example of a good, old-fashioned fantasy story with all the sword slashing, magicking, and vanilla romance to make it a recurring theme in the rss-downloader.

Filming of Wizard's First Rule, the first book in Terry Goodkind's popular The Sword of Truth books began this week.

But the 22-episode series has been renamed Legend of the Seeker - apparently to avoid religious concerns among American audiences about scorcery.

Executive producers Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert told a comics and fantasy convention of the name change, and announced the New Zealand actors, Entertainment Weekly reported.

The syndicated series from Disney-ABC Domestic Television and ABC Studios, will premiere in the United States on the weekend of November 1. The series marks ABC Studios' first foray into broadcast syndication, and has already been sold into stations covering 95 percent of the American market, according to TV Week.com.

Each one hour episode will have a New Zealand director and the series will be shot in the Auckland region over 36 months. One of the episodes will be directed by New Zealand actor Michael Hurst who starred in the original Hercules TV series.

The series is based around a backwoods guide, Richard - played by Australian actor Craig Horner - in Westland, the only part of the world which contains no magic. While investigating the mysterious murder of his father he rescues a woman, Kahlan Amnell, (played by American actress Bridget Regan) who has crossed over from the "magic" side of the world, and does battle with an evil dictator.

Raimi said Australian actor Bruce Spence will play Richard's best friend Zedd, Jay Laga'aia will play a boundary warden Chase, and Craig Parker will play the series' villain, Darken Rahl.

Parker spent four years on Shortland Street after being cast as Guy Warner in 1992, and won international attention after being cast as Haldir, one of Lothlorien's elves in the first two parts of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Laga'aia played David Silesi in four series of the television drama Street Legal and Captain Typho, in two Star Wars films, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

Tapert, who filmed Hercules and Xena, Warrior Princess in New Zealand and married his star, Lucy Lawless, in 1998 showed people at the convention a clip from the show's filming around Auckland.