A lover of Earthsea for many years, I and my high school fantasy class students eagerly awaited the debut of this film on SciFi Channel. We were all disappointed. The filmmakers made too many bad choices and strayed too far from what made LeGuin's novel excellent. From casting a white Ged and characterizing Vetch as a clueless slob of a sidekick to complete inventions like the invasion of Roke-it's painful to watch. LeGuin herself apologized to her fans for the film. Occasionally, the makers get things right: Earthsea is beautiful and some scenes are good like when Ogion sees Ged as a bird and declares "I named you." These only serve as painful reminders of what could have been. I purchased the movie large to share clips with future students so that they could see more clearly what they have come to love about Earthsea through its absence in the film.