So Geralt broke Rience's hands but then decided to walk past him and not kill him in that instant?!?! He could have just swung his sword and finish him off on his way back to the portal!
As a casual viewer who's not invested in the lore, it was alright.
I like it, it's a good start of new season.
you'd think having studied at The Royal Scottish Conservatoire in Glasgow, Jeremy Crawford could manage a Scottish accent...
At this point I don't even blame Henry Cavill for leaving. He deserves so much better.
That one hour felt like a whole day. How they can make it so boring?
Good start into the season, some pretty great action sequences, hope they can keep this momentum going throughout the season! Yet again, the bard is extremely unfunny however (I like the character but ooofff on the 'humour' they attempt with him)
Am I the only one who doesn’t hate it??
7.5/10
Huh, this is possibly the first time I saw a dedicated/customized Netflix intro?
"Hm" - you don't simply mess with Geralt!
The scenery is so beautiful in 4K <3
Some really lovely nature/landscape shots!
The relationship between Geralt and Yennefer is "interesting"... :D
"You look lovely" - and he even wrote back at the end!
Ciri, Geralt, and Yennefer are all bonding together :)
I'm happy that the three of them are together again!
Unfortunately it didn't last... :o
Their costumes aren't really good at all in terms of hiding... :o
And losing track of Ciri in the maze (i.e., not following her closely) didn't seem like the smartest idea :o :D
That fight at the end was badass! Especially Ciri and Geralt :)
And some unexpected heroes as well ("You're the bravest bait that ever lived").
People, especially younger ones, are far too critical. Complaining about things they obviously haven't a clue about. (i.e.: writing, funding, dialogue, etc.) Enjoy the show rather than tear it up!
IMO, dialogue was fine. Choreography spot on. Writing made sense. The constant traveling by Geralt and company is necessary story movement. No different than other shows. Not sure where they get GOT style show. It's the same as previous seasons. Better in ways.
I like the bond development between Geralt/Ciri & Ciri/Yennifer. It's cool to see the softer side of Geralt.
I'm just sad Cavill is leaving. Will be interesting to see how things move from Cavill to Hensworth.
Everything about Ciri felt off. She had at least five more layers of makeup on her face compared the other actors. When she spoke, it almost always sounded out of tune, like a mismatched recording. Plus, the dialogues between Geralt and Yennefer made her feel like a background accessory. Hell, the elf during that last battle was right, she “doesn’t look that special” thanks to the writers.
Being able to buy four houses is quite a feat for always broke Witcher and the witch on the run.
Moreover, they have even managed to fuck up “Dear friend” letters. What a shitshow.
This felt like a very weak start of season; and the nonsense keeps coming. I still can't understand how having 8 books, tons of lore and 3 main videogames, they have the NECESSITY of still inventing shit that adds 0 value to the story. The shit they are pulling between Dandelion, Radovid and Phillippa is completely unnecessary. The whole "Hello friend" letters, the "training" and "having fun" times, the rushed developing of the elves story. It all feels random, bad connected and overall badly written. Let's see what the rest of the season brings, but i think we can all agree that Henry made the right choice giving a step back from this clusterfuck. I seriously doubt if they will be manage to get to S5, because my prediction is that 75% of people were watching because of him. Once they gone, i don't think that the big red N will see with the same kind eyes to the producers
(852-word review) I can understand being at least entertained by this show, especially the first season, which was decent when it premiered and shines brighter now. There was an actual story and compelling supporting characters; the characters in general, notably the central three, felt competently written – overall, the season felt efficiently put together. Even the second season (yes, an undeniable decline) had its moments; however, in the midst, those elements that felt competently done in the first season gradually became less so throughout.
And now, with this premiere alone, none of them seem present; this isn't the same, better (but still not up-to-par) show in the beginning, with the first season. It could have been better. The pacing was jarring, jumping from one scene to the next, expecting you to care for what's happening, yet seemingly not caring enough to make that possible. The "story" is cluttered – every loose piece leading back to Ciri (summed up to "Everyone wants her") while liberated of any merit of their own. This show has been declining far down enough to where you'd think it'd have hit rock bottom by now, but it's still going.
There's meant to be emotional and general weight to certain scenes – exposition about people in the past (Aelirenn), some awkward symbolism/parallels, and constant dialogue about them to try and add that clever/imaginative-intended touch to the writing for extra points, on top of an attempt at adding more character growth to Ciri through that constant dialogue regarding said awkward symbolism/parallels (spoiler alert: it doesn't feel "cogent" whatsoever – it's borderline nonsensical), a certain death that just happened, with the obligatory 'This other character cares/cared about this character' emotional-intended reaction to it, Geralt's speech at the end – but there isn't a sense of genuinity or impact; there's a sense of emptiness.
The direction of the fight choreography/fight sequences seemed more focused on being stylish and "cinematic" with the CGI blood and the slow motion, except for the fact that the former was terrible and that the latter was gratuitous – while also forgetting to make the fight sequences "good." The choreography was lukewarm and lacked a thrill and liveliness (perhaps the score was meant to pick up the slack?), and the directing was lackluster. The fight sequences weren't that terrible, but those aspects could've been done more efficiently.
Most of the outfits and hairstyles for Yennifer are horrendous – looking bland, and the hair-down look (in that particular way) is uninspired. Her best look was the scene before the festival, even though that throwback dress still isn't that good. She looked even better after it when they were packing their belongings to find a new hideout, particularly the makeup; that was a surprisingly excellent look, and I don't get why she doesn't look like that more often.
The plot convenience with the Geralt vs. Rience fight at the end to extend his life a little longer and to split the central trio up by having Geralt have enough time to break his hands, run to his sword, and then go back through the portal, yet not kill him instead, was hilarious. You wouldn't "need to find Rience to finish him off," Geralt, if your master(s), aka the writer(s), possessed slightly better skills. As it turns out, the Butcher (of Blaviken) was them all along.
And Joseph Trapanese's score, while a cue or two stood out (same with the second season), made me wish Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli were the composers instead of him more than anything. His overall score back then did the trick, and I'm sure it'll be the same here, but also the same regarding the feeling of something lacking and only a few cues standing out; Sonya and Giona's score seemed more tonally efficient, and all-around impactful/effective and memorable.
Case in point – the score cue ("The Time of Axe and Sword Is Now") during the final scene. That was their work, and it's so much better; however, while it still hits by itself, it doesn't hit the same way within the context of the show/this episode's ending as it did two seasons ago, which speaks to the avoidable but occurring depreciation of the show.
At least, entertainment-wise, we have Jaskier, amirite? What a lovely, enjoyable character, is he not? Right? Guys...? The writers seem to think so, but more importantly, the average viewer, as his comedic relief existence is continuously used, not to mention so well-written and not at all annoying. Everyone's here for him, no doubt. He's irrevocably (thank you, Bella Swan, for the word of the millennium) not insufferable Jaskier.
But in all seriousness, despite this show's apparent inability to ascend further, there is still something about it – drawing you in, even through the thick and thin of everything. That'll have to do. And this premiere, while underwhelming, wasn't that far from decent enough; yes, it could've been more entertaining, but that's not that big of a deal. Not to mention it's just that – a premiere, and maybe the following episodes, including the second half of the season, will be a significant improvement. Fingers crossed.
gave up after a few minutes
That 'Dear Friend' stuff was a spit in the face. I'd have rathered they just never included it.
10 minutes into the first episode, and the thing that strikes me most is just how off the tone of this show is compared to the source material. It has been a while since I saw season 2, but it feels like the tone is veering further and further into the YA sort of genre with every season. Even the action feels off to me. All the weird slow-motion effects and style to it... it just doesn't feel like I think The Witcher should feel. It seems entertaining enough, I guess, but it's just so frustrating and depressing to think how good this stuff could have been if they just kept the vision of the books rather than putting so many distant filters over it.
I'm also really struggling with Yen at the moment. I knew Anya was kind of too young already and not an imposing enough presence in previous seasons. But this is even more apparent as she's spending time with Ciri and trying to teach her magic. She simply isn't Geralt's equivalent in any way in this show. Henry has such gravitas and presence on screen, but Anya is just kinda... there. She looks like Ciri's sister, and it's not at all believable that she could ever be a mother figure to her. She's supposed to be a big presence - someone who Ciri looks up to and respects, not some young girl who is basically on her level. This isn't a knock against Anya (I think she's a great actress), it's just maybe a bit of a miscast. It probably wouldn't be bad if Ciri was younger and more accurate to how old she should look at this point. But as of now, Ciri looks the same age, if not older than she should at the end of the final Witcher book. Quite concerning considering how early on in the story we are.
Dijkstra and Philippa are kinda weird, and I definitely wouldn't say they were true to the source. But I don't actually mind them. I'll reserve judgement until I see more of them.
The scene in the maze missed the mark entirely for me. I'm really not enjoying any of the action thus far. I feel like the action peaked in the very first episode of season 1, and it has been all downhill ever since.
Although the music in the show has always been mostly pretty good, I think they use way too much of it. Every scene, every piece of action, everything just seems to be undercut with sudden dramatic music.
The Jaskier/Radovid stuff is truly abhorrent. Feels so wrong and out of place. It makes no sense.
Almost everything that comes out of anyone other than Geralt's mouth just sounds so generic, bland, and badly written. Ciri's speech at Sheaerrawedd felt so out of place, and the fight right after wasn't good. All the Rience stuff just makes me cringe. None of it even makes any sense. It's like they keep trying to have these big dramatic moments, but they just don't work because they haven't been earned. We're just jumping from big moment to big moment with subpar and rushed setups in between them. This would be less of an issue if they had actually just stuck to the books last season rather than having 95% of it be literal fanfiction. Instead, they've spent this entire first episode condensing all the big moments from Blood of Elves into 60 minutes. They literally had 8 episodes last season to fit this stuff in, but instead, the showrunner kept giving interviews about how "Blood of Elves doesn't have much content to adapt." Yeah, okay. If that's the case, why are you rushing and struggling to do it well or coherently in a single episode at the start of the next season? It's so frustrating.
Overall, this episode wasn't good. As an adaption of the source material? It'd be lucky to get a 2 or 3 out of 10. As a standalone episode of TV that is unrelated to The Witcher IP? A 5/10 is probably more than generous.
How much make up should Ciri have?
YES
I don't know why but seeing Robbie Amell genuinely SHOCKED ME. lol Also I'm glad I'm paying enough attention to realize the role of Rience has been recast.
I did like the first 5 minutes, what awesome episode beginning.
Ok about the jackapace... You have such a huge lore on your hands and you don't get enough screen time to adapt even 1/3 of it... Instead of trying to adapt as kuch as you can, so maybe your audience wouldn't feel totally confused about what's going on, you decide to include this monster subplot, which is totally irrelevant and unnecessary. I don't get it, really.
Also that specific fight was a total joke. Geralt didn't even use a potion. They introduced the jackapace as such a huge, scary monster, which Geralt actually killed in probably less than 30 seconds.
The Shaerrawedd fight just felt cheap and short... Like they just dropped a bunch of people in one place. Instead of staying next to Yen, where she was safe, Ciri decided to run to the opposite part of the square and just kick?! an archer?! Seriously? They could've done all that fighting so much better with the slow mo effect. It's like they didn't have a coordinator and just tood everyone to do whatever they like. Remember the very first fight of Geralt with Renfry's men. Now that was awesome. Everything besides Geralt's fights is just bad.
Francesca is one of the greatest sorcerrers, but Yen just knocks her out with one spell and that's it.
Geralt breaks Rience's hands and just leaves through the portal. And then he decides to look for Rience and kill him. Dude, you could've killed him right there. The writing is ridiculous.
For the role of Rience, they could've cast an actor with similar face proportions like the last one, so you couldn't tell the difference. Now it's just too obvious the actor is different.
I wish some big movie studio had bought the rights for the franchise and just had adapted the books in like 7-8 movies. Now it feels a waste of having Cavill here.
Shout by Mirko MoellerVIP 8BlockedParent2023-07-01T18:21:27Z
„Mr Cavill, how did you personally like the first episode of season 3?“
„Hmm.“