The kick of the year I thought I'd start with The Shannara Chronicles.
**CAUTION** SPOILER ALERT This entry contains spoilers of The Shannara Chronicles E01-02 S01
Ever since the news broke in December 2013 that MTV was planning on making a fantasy series called The Shannara Chronicles I have waiting on the tip of my chair for it to come out. Regularly checking to see if there was any news online. Hoping I hadn't missed the start by accident. I knew that the series would be based on a book, but since I hadn't read it yet I decided to not start reading it yet because I wanted to see if I could get enchanted by the series alone. I am definitely planning to read the books later on though.
I must say, that 2 years waiting, made that I had very high expectations, I had seen some trailers and some making offs and in every article I read about it, there was high praise. And more often than not, when critics give high praise, it is totally not going to be as good as they say. This time though... It was everything I had expected!
Ok let's talk characters shal we?
First, the person it should be all about, or at least that is what I think. Wil Ohmsford (Austin Butler). I don't know if it was just me, but I had the feeling that Austin Butler wasn't hundred percent sure of his performance yet. Even though for his young age he already has done quite a bit of acting, in the beginning it all felt a bit to forced for me, not natural at all. Or maybe he was just nervous because he had to stand next to an Icon like Manu Bennett. The further the double episode went the less it became visible, but I still don't know how I really feel about this character. But I am not going to draw any conclusions and just look forward to see the next episodes.
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| Will Ohmsford played by Austin Butler |
Then we have Amberle Elessedil (Poppy Drayton) the cute and agile Elf. Who believes that because she broke the rules and became one of the Chosen that this is why the tree is dieing. I'm pretty sure it wasn't her fault, but I guess we'll have to see more to find that out. I must say she puts down quite the performance. I had never heard of her before, but she will not be a face I will soon forget.
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| Amberle Elessedil played by Poppy Drayton |
And then the Gandalf of the group Allanon (Manu Bennett) brings the trio together to safe the world from demons that are about to plague the world and make sure that the tree can be reborn. Manu Bennett is for me an Icon. Apparently I should have seen him before in Xena, but I have my first recollection of him from Spartacus and from then on, I have been following his carreer closely. He is the one that puts the series where it is. His acting is just outstanding and makes it interesting to watch. He always gives himself fully when he plays a role and you can see that. You do not think Oh look, its Crixus or Slade Wilson, no, you see Allanon, you feel Allanon. If I haven't convinced you yet to watch this series, he should be reason enough to try it out anyways.
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| Allanon played by Manu Bennett |
Even though the series is more than just Manu Bennett. The decors are epic, the story flows like you'd watch a movie like Lord of The Rings, the story on itself is also very intriguing, even though in my opinion, they could have ditched a few of the romance scenes because those were a bit less. The music is really pulling you in and the special effects are of the best quality.
It is really something everyone should check out. MTV delivered what they had promised.
I am going to cut it here, I could go on for hours, but the pain in my arm does not allow that.
Personal rating: 9,5/10
IMDB rating: 8,5/10*
Episode Calendar rating: 7/10*
TVDB rating: 7/10*
Average: 8/10
Kisses
Kate
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