"You think we can muster up enough wizard power to pull it off?" the sidekick asks the hero. I say no. This miniseries isn't as magical as it wants to be. Genre devotees may differ.
Based on two novels in Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea series, the saga centers on Ged (Shawn Ashmore from the X-Men movies), a young wizard on a mission to stop villainous King Tygath (Sebastian Roché) from conquering the mystical land of Earthsea and gaining immortality. Sagely advised by venerable wizard Ogion (Danny Glover), Ged eventually confronts the Nameless Ones, fearsome spirits locked up in the Temple of Atuan under the watchful eye of high priestess Thar (Isabella Rossellini).
The protagonist attends magic school for a while, but it's not nearly as much fun as Harry Potter's Hogwarts. Though Ged's plump pal Vetch (Chris Gauthier) provides a bit of comic relief, it's more than offset by pretentious dialogue. "So this is our destiny?" up-and-coming priestess Tenar (Smallville's Kristin Kreuk) says to Ged when they team up in Part 2. "If not us, then who?" he replies. Not the most satisfying answer.
FANTASY
