Anyone Watching This Earthsea Spooge?

[livius drusus]

I assumed the story would be mutilated, the acting stilted and the effects cheap before I starting watching. So far those assumptions have not exactly been upended.

What I don't get is why they make some of the changes they make. Why change the real name and the use name around? Does Sparrowhawk sound more like a real name than Ged to these folks? Because it doesn't to me. Why does Vetch have to be the class clown? Why turn Tenar into Maria from the Sound of Music?

It just perplexes me utterly. :scratch:

[Johnny Pneumatic]

Maybe for the same reason Disney made a Cinderella 2, Little Mermaid 2, 101 Dalmatians 2, Lion King 2, Lion King 1.5 etc.

[livius drusus]

Yeah, but those were just guaranteed daycare video sales. TV revenue works differently. I can't imagine SciFi would have lost money had they kept Ged Ged and not made a fool of Vetch. :shrug:

[wade-w]

/me sighs

If I got the scifi channel, I'd be watching it. And from what you say, my blood pressure would be going through the roof.

[wade-w]

BTW, are they doing the whole trilogy, or just the first book?

[livius drusus]

It would, wade, without a doubt. Ged just shapeshifted to piss off Jasper, only he did it on a cliff and then flew through the dining hall taunting Jasper with his shapeshifted hawk voice. Nemerle (who looks like the Coca Cola Santa in a brown robe) then gave them the shapeshifting is bad, m'kay speech and now they're off to raise Elfarran.

It's just chaos. What could possibly be the point of pretzeling up the story like this?

[livius drusus]

BTW, are they doing the whole trilogy, or just the first book?
The first two, it seems. They've got a parallel story going on: Ged on Roake, Tenar on Kargad. Tenar is an even worse mutilation than Ged.

[livius drusus]

Tenar and high priestess freaked out while Ged raised Elfarran cause the Nameless Ones got restless, donchaknow. The gebbeth is a skeleton with wings. Nemerle pokes him with a stick and he flies away screeching. Now Nemerle (entirely unscathed by the encounter) is lecturing Ged about having been naughty and kicking him out of Roake.

The horror... The horror...

[wade-w]

Ackkkkk. A skeleton with wings??? Kicked Ged out of Roake??? What bullshit.

[livius drusus]

It just gets worse, wade. Now Ogion is fighting the Kargish king on a boat. Why, I have no idea.

[Adora]

This made me laugh (http://www.ursulakleguin.com/Earthsea.html), even though I wouldn't wipe my arse with the books.

*goes back to grumbling about Pullman selling out*

[livius drusus]

The gebbeth has fled to the Tombs of Atuan. Orm Embar is lisping something about the amulet of peace. :doh:

[livius drusus]

I wonder if the people who made the film of The Lord of the Rings had ended it with Frodo putting on the Ring and ruling happily ever after, and then claimed that that was what Tolkien "intended..." would people think they'd been "very, very honest to the books"?

I love you, Ursula.

[wade-w]

The gebbeth has fled to the Tombs of Atuan.

I'm speechless. This miniseries sounds like a true abomination.

[pzmyers]

My daughter just finished the books and was looking forward to this thing. We're sitting watching it and swearing like sailors together. They've taken a gentle and thoughtful story and turned it into a sword & sorcery botch.

What is Pennywise from King's It doing in this show?

[Ymir's blood]

Bleh. I've recorded both episodes but haven't watched them yet. Maybe it is better that I don't. The Earthsea books rank up there with JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis as childhood memories. I actually pulled out Wizard of Earthsea to start rereading as soon as I finish my current book, Life in a Medieval City by Joseph and Frances Gies.

:sadnana: :deepsigh: :no2: :kickcan: :blah:

[pzmyers]

Just saw the end of this thing. They didn't have a clue when they did this adaptation -- it's like they plucked a few elements out of the book and tacked them onto an idiot's version of a generic fantasy story.

I wish I weren't an atheist so I could imagine the vermin who made this thing rotting in hell.

[livius drusus]

Bleh. I've recorded both episodes but haven't watched them yet. Maybe it is better that I don't. The Earthsea books rank up there with JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis as childhood memories.

Earthsea played a major part in my childhood and teenagerhood. This piece of shit doesn't even touch that.

I actually pulled out Wizard of Earthsea to start rereading as soon as I finish my current book, Life in a Medieval City by Joseph and Frances Gies.

Cool. I like Gies' books. Cathedral, Forge and Waterwheel is one of my favorite fun with middle ages books. :yup:

Just saw the end of this thing. They didn't have a clue when they did this adaptation -- it's like they plucked a few elements out of the book and tacked them onto an idiot's version of a generic fantasy story.

That's it exactly. A jigger of names, a splash of plot elements and voila: Earthsea Martini. As bastardized and useless a concotion as that pink shit they used to drink on Sex and the City.