Educational Media Reviews Online

This video is apparently a film recreation of the Spellbinder series of books, adapted for television in Australia. It is the story of Paul Reynolds and his friend Alex, who are practical jokers and tend to always get into trouble. While on a school trip, and trying to scare some girls, Paul is transported into an alternate reality through a strange electrical current and an explosion related to some power lines. Paul steals an Eyestone from a strange man called a Summoner, while his friends are surprised by his disappearance and begin looking for him. In Episode 2, Paul meets a girl named Riana, and trys to adapt to his new environment, but he is immediately labeled a stranger and an enemy by the powerful Spellbinders. Paul's classmates and the police continue to look for him.

The special effects and the storyline are wonderfully recreated in this adaptation. If the successive videos in this series are as well made and dramatic as these first two episodes, this series is a neat way to watch a successful science fiction book recreation in junior high to adult classes in English, writing, and science fiction. This video, and the entire series, are highly recommended.