“The Witcher,” an adaption of the original book series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski (“Storm Of Seasons”), debuted on Netflix in late December, and already has been met with praise from fans of both the books and the video game series. Focusing predominantly on Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill, “Justice League”) as he travels the medieval continent slaying monsters for a price, it features a cast of characters and a world closer in style to “The Lord of the Rings” than “Game of Thrones.” Alongside Geralt are Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra, “Wanderlust”), as a sorceress, and Cirilla of Cintra (Freya Allen, “The War of the Worlds”) as the crown princess of the kingdom of Cintra. The show follows the three protagonists across years of separate adventures across the continent, showcasing the magic and monsters of the world of the Witcher.
The true strength of the show lies in supporting characters, such as the light-hearted bard Jaskier (Joey Batey, “Knightfall”), who acts as a sidekick and foil to the ever-serious, ever brooding Geralt. This is a much needed relief, as most of the plot focuses on heavy tones, with brutal combat and monstrous enemies occurring in every episode. Granted, the source material and video games are extremely violent, but a moment away from the constant blood and gore is welcome.
Another strength of the show is the diversity of creatures shown. From the common-in-fantasy dragons, to lesser known folk monsters, “The Witcher” manages to showcase a new species just about every episode. This goes past just the monster slaying, as not-quite human species are used as important characters as well, leading to interesting twists. In other instances, the creatures aren’t a focal part of the plot, and simply exist in the world and are paid no mind. This enables the worldbuilding of the first season to feel a bit more natural, instead of every episode having a “Monster of the Week” feel.
This is a double-edged sword, however, as the CGI shown is not what one would expect from a multi-billion company such as Netflix, and especially not from a project with such a well-known source material, and well-known lead actor. In some episodes, the CGI is more akin to a sci-fi channel movie, than from the production company that made “Stranger Things.” This can be especially distracting at times, with Geralt fighting something that looks like it came out of a PlayStation 2 game, rather than from a show with around a multi-million dollar budget per episode. The dragons, featured in episode six (“Rare Species”), look more like starved parakeets than fearsome fire-breathing beasts.
With the acting, the main trio, or quartet if Jaskier is counted, are talented enough and sell their roles excellently. Cavill has years of experience, having played “Superman” in three blockbuster DC movies, and performs as expected. Lesser known Chalotra and Allen play up to par as well, and Batey steals every scene he is in. Where things start to go awry is the writing itself, with more than a few scenes being forced exposition, and being simply too drawn out. Similarly, the costume design in many instances is atrocious, with Cavill’s wig looking like it was bought from Party City, and the Nilfgaardian armor looking like it’s wrinkled plastic.
All things considered, “The Witcher” succeeds past its missteps, and Netflix has started production on another season. “The Witcher” isn’t trying to be the next “Game of Thrones,” and it shows it.
Image from Netflix via YouTube
