Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker [Blu-ray + DVD]

The highly anticipated feature Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker (2012) is based on the popular role-playing video game, which has already been adapted to novels, web comics, and action figures. Tough-as-press-on-nails Cassandra wields a deadly sword as a member of the Seekers, an elite group of knights charged with defending the religious organization the Chantry and its leader, the Divine. She's forced into a reluctant alliance with the mage Galyan, when they discover a conspiracy to overthrow the Divine, hatched by a coven of evil sorcerers lead by Frenic (who looks suspiciously like Darth Maul). An utterly predictable series of betrayals, confrontations, sword fights, and nick-of-time rescues concludes with Cassandra being acclaimed as the savior of the realm--and the hint of a possible sequel. Dawn of the Seeker demonstrates the very different requirements of a successful game and a feature film. A player distracted by swinging a sword or firing blasts of magic in a duel to the death probably won't be bothered by limited animation or clunky dialogue. But a viewer watching a film is stuck with the ineffective facial expressions, awkward movements, and clichéd speeches ("Hate can only breed more hate"). The filmmakers concentrate on the motion-capture sword fights and stunts, which are better animated than the dialogue segments. But the look of the characters shifts disconcertingly between two and three dimensions mid-scene. Director Fumihiko Sori relies too heavily on elaborate camera moves and rapid cutting to prop up the threadbare story. The extras include a standard making-of documentary and a rather self-congratulatory tour through BioWare, the Canadian studio that created the original game. (Rated TV MA F FV: graphic violence, violence against women, grotesque imagery, potentially offensive religious imagery) --Charles Solomon