Not being overly familiar with the Dragon Age games, I didn't really have any prerequisites for this movie, so I just took it for what it was a sword and magic fantasy animated adventure.
That being said, then the movie was sort of cliché. Sure, in a fantasy movie you need to have the stereotypical good against evil plot, which is also present here, but it is also spiced up with a sub-plot of betrayal and deception.
The characters in the movie were mediocre at best. You didn't really get to see any interesting characteristics of anyone, as they were shallow and sort of just flashy in and out of everything. Not even the two main characters were given proper character traits or personalities. At best, then you get annoyed with the Cassandra character because she is single-minded, narrow-minded, naive and sort of a brat. For a Seeker, then she is awfully childish in her mindset and seem so far away from being properly capable of taking on such a responsibility.
As for the voice acting, well it was adequate. At times it worked out well enough, but at other times it could have used a bit more commitment and passion.
Now, what really worked for the movie was the visuals. The characters were nicely animated, even though they had a hint of bordering on being in the Anime genre. The costumes and armors were really nicely detailed and quite nice to look at. However, something I personally didn't understand, was the alternate usage of a sort of weird hybrid mixture of animation and CGI for the characters, but using full-blown, all out CGI for the dragons and scenery. It was a mixture that often didn't fully stand well together. Personally, I think they should just have picked one style of visuals and stuck with it. Now, I am not saying that it is bad to look at, far from it, because to their own, they are quite stunning. Just a weird combination of attempting to mix styles together (which also failed in that "Dead Space" animated movie).
Another thing that stuck out like a sore thumb was the overpowered abilities of Cassandra. If she truly was all that powerful and capable in battle, why did they need circle mages for the fight with the dragons, or how come she wasn't at the top of the Seeker order? That leader was so easily bested and cut down, that it was just painful to behold, especially since Cassandra possess these skills and prowess in combat.
Despite a heap of things that just didn't fully add up, "Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker" was fun enough to just. Just take it for what it is, a fantasy adventure (of mixed visual styles) that doesn't require any thinking on your part. If you enjoy CGI animated movies, the "Final Fantasy" movies, "Resident Evil: Degeneration" ("Damnation" sucks horribly) or even "Tekken: Blood Vengeance" will prove more entertaining than "Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker".
And just for a final rounding up comment; what was up with the music that played when the credits started to roll? It was horrible and so misplaced. What a wrong choice of music to put into a fantasy adventure.
