Composer:
Felix ErskineCast:
Austin Butler, Ivana Baquero, Manu Bennett, Aaron Jakubenko, Marcus Vanco, Poppy Drayton, Brooke Williams, Melise, Vanessa Morgan, John Rhys-Davies (more)VOD (2)
Seasons(2) / Episodes(20)
Plots(1)
Thousands of years after the destruction of our civilization, Earth is divided into what is known as the Four Lands, whose inhabitants are a mix of races including elves, dwarves, trolls, gnomes and humans. At the center is the Shannara family, whose descendants are empowered with ancient magic and whose adventures continuously reshape the future of the world. As the story begins, dark and terrible forces thought to be confined for years, begin to escape. When Amberle, a young elven princess; Wil, the last descendant of the Shannara family; and Eretria, a human rover learn that only they have the power to stop the advancing evil, they form an uneasy alliance. Their seemingly impossible quest to save the world becomes a voyage of self-discovery as they find the inner strength to overcome self-doubt and fear, and embrace their destinies. (HBO Nordic)
(more)Reviews (2)
One of the commonly stated advantages of modern series over films consists in the possibility to better structure the narrative on a longer framework and, in connection with that, to develop the characters and depict them in a much more comprehensive manner than is possible with the limited runtime of a feature film. For this MTV-produced post-apocalyptic fantasy for teenagers, that principle is turned on its head, when the overall dramaturgy and the narrative structure are shaped according to the broadcast or, said more precisely, the placement of advertising blocks. Instead of the concentrated and conceptually escalating narratives of high-quality TV, we have here individual episodes divided into short films separated by advertising blocks, which have to roll out a single twist and end it with a cliff-hanger, all in the space of ten to fifteen minutes. In addition to that, the highlighted large budget for one episode seems rather ridiculous, when it is quite evident that instead of the contemporary blockbusters that the creators want to approximate at least in terms of the promotional element, the series has more in common with the Corman school of trash. The few CGI units soon become hackneyed, when it becomes apparent that it’s the same landscape, only with different camera movement and the money thus squandered is offset by shooting in generic exteriors and two or three interiors (or why nearly ever dialogue scene takes place by the elves’ tree), and that’s not even to mention the general dragging out of the runtime with blathering as opposed to the promised attractions and spectacles.
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Surely neither Tyrande Whisperwind nor Malfurion Stormrage would agree with such a take on elves and druidism. I didn’t think anything would beat The 100 in its stupidity and lack of logic. Well, this epic almost did. I can totally hear the casting instructions: young and preferably attractive. The script was full of gaping holes and generally dysfunctional. Ten full episodes failed to explain why elves, goblins, and trolls appeared on earth after some sort of great war. I don’t think I’ll ever find out as I value my time too much to waste it on watching another season of this.
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