THE SHANNARA CHRONICLES

Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi | TV Series (2016– )

“An Elvish tree, known as the Ellcrys, is dying. The bad news is that the tree has been the only piece of magic that protects the Four Lands from the Demon World. Amberle Elessedil is the only one who can save the tree. But she has to unlock magic that the Elves haven’t used in thousands of years. With the help of Wil Ohmsford, she travels to find the lost magic. But it won’t be an easy task.” —Chris Green

I didn’t read Terry Brooks’ Shannara epic fantasy saga when it was popular back in the  late 1970’s. Though I enjoyed the Hobbit, I was more into science fiction than fantasy. I still haven’t read it, but when an MTV-produced version came out on Netfilx, I decided to give it a try. I finished the 1^st season and wasn’t disappointed. The show is fun, gross, beautiful, slick, and sexy.

Excellently detailed costumes delightfully adorn young, perfect bodies of both sexes. The blond-locked hero,  Wil Ohmsford (Austin Butler) looks like a boyfriend I had back in my hippie days. The heroine, Eretria (Ivana Baquero) moves like a ninja ballerina. The Druid, Allanon (Manu Bennett), has a voice like Sean Connery due to his Maori, Irish, and Scottish roots. John Rhys-Davies who plays King Eventine Elessedil brings his usual professionalism to the part throughout its dark transitions.

Chronicles is exciting, compelling, and fast paced. The bloody, icky demons are brilliantly contrasted by eye-candy. It’s difficult to produce a believable fantasy world but the lush forests (real) combined with otherworldly elements (CGI) and a smattering of post-apocalyptic artifacts –  a rusted playground swing; the derelict, foliage-hung remains of Seattle’s Space Needle – work for me.

Lord of the Rings fans should enjoy this fast-paces fantasy journey as long as they don’t take it too seriously. A 2^nd season is scheduled.

Favorite episode: “Utopia”. A settlement, called Utopia, consists of people who aim to preserve and recover the ways of humans before the Great Wars, but their records of the past are actually episodes of the original Star Trek.