JFC what a downfall. I was not the biggest fan of S01 and S02 but it was on ok watch .. but wtf happend in S03. The writers must be completely braindead. Very happy for Henry that he was able to get out of this.
Damn you, Netflix. As if I hadn't too many videogames in my backlog, now all I can think about is replaying The Witcher III.
Really good story (no surprise there, considering they took all of it from the books).
Great production quality, from the soundtrack to the visual efects, the ambientation...
Awesome action scenes, specially Blaviken in the first episode, that fight will be hard to beat.
Pretty decent cast overall, with some excellent choices (Geralt and Yen), and just the minor disappointment of Triss not being a redhead.
And brilliant storytelling too, through all the first season. The two timelines work perfectly for me, I have no idea why there is so many people confused by that.
No, the only problem for me is that there are only 8 episodes of this. They are perfect as an introduction to the world, the characters and the lore, but now that they are all introduced... I want more. Now, please. But no, according to IMDB, season 2 isn't expected to air until 2021. Are you kidding!? Not cool, Netflix. Oh well... meanwhile, it's definitely time to replay The Witcher III :grin:.
:wolf:
It's sad when some minorities who are not minorities at all insist on getting some roles that do not fit them at all, just because they otherwise have to cut the racism track ..... That kind of pisses me off. Why does Jennefer have to be played by an Indian? Why Triss from a Turkish / Arab woman (what do I know)? Why is Fringilla played by a black woman? These are all roles these actors don't fit into. Something like that is done again and again, just because otherwise one would be accused of racism. Something like that is just poor. I, of Jewish descent, would never insist on playing a Nazi in a film about World War II. The actors also have to fit the role. The new trend, where actors want to have all sorts of roles these days, even though they don't fit, and you usually come across the racism streak, is just questionable and sucks
Season 3 update: I can't imagine this series without Henry Cavill as the titular character (no shade to Liam Hemsworth who is scheduled to pick up the mantle in season 4). Henry Cavill is not only to be applauded for his presence in the role or in fixing the mental imprint of the character in the minds and imaginations of the fans >sigh< but for his desire to remain faithful to the source material of the series. One can't help but wonder how adrift it will become once he leaves the field. I watched this season with bittersweet nostalgia thinking it may be the end of an era. This series will always be about the interplay of the characters and chemistry is hard to replicate. Otherwise my review remains unchanged from my initial impressions.
I’ve watched 2 seasons of THE WITCHER, now, and I find it a compelling series. You just have to wade through a lot of nudity, sexuality and become chummy with the f-bomb (all unnecessary for anything but the gratuitous building a young audience). I was a little annoyed by the anachronistic vocabulary and ideologies but the story arc, the relationships, the dogged ethic of Witcher and the moral dilemmas and redemptive arc of the main characters won me over. Definitely not for all audiences, but for me, I rate it an 8 (compelling) out of 10. [Fantasy Adventure]
Full disclosure, I have not read the books or played the video games, so, my review is entirely about this first season of the series. I also should say that I have no problem suspending belief and thoroughly love worlds built on folklore archetypes and magic. I really enjoyed this series. With all the award garnering series coming out lately, built around reality based stories about corruption, sexual predatation and the abuse of power, I really needed to escape into fantasy, where even the anti-heros have codes they live by. I enjoy that the series draws from a canon of books where the plot and premises have already been well conceived. I thought the casting was excellent. Henry Cavill is such a beautiful man, and he broods with the best of them. Freya Allan adeptly portrayed both innocence and the cunning of survival as she inhabited Ciri. And, Anya Chalotra is stunning in her reveal. The chronology of this season is easy to untangle if you take the clue from the first episodes title (THE END'S BEGINNING). Quite simply, Ciri's timeline is the present and all the other, ageless characters' stories are excerpted from the hundred years before Ciri's present. Great Action. Great adventure. There is A LOT of nudity and gratuitous sexual content (I wish productions would trust the content of a series for their audience rather than having to fed them the crack of sex to keep their attention). I give this series an 8 (great entertainment) out of 10. [Fantasy Action Adventure]
So I've only read the first three books, but that should cover the first season of this series. I am amazed how this turned out, but as many others have said, this season jumps a lot around with the time lines and it's very hard to keep track. They do the same in the books, but it is much easier to keep track of in the written words (and it's mostly flashback stories).
Fights look amazing, Sountracks are fitting and Henry Cavill makes for a great Witcher.
There may be some small details that were overlooked, but I can't wait for seasons to come.
So I've have to say I've thoroughly enjoyed this, even though I kept getting interrupted. So I may have enjoyed it more if left alone.
I also enjoyed the ps4 game although I hear this was based on the books, which I'm not going to read but I will definitely go back to the game and complete it finally.
But I must say I had a very hard time reminding myself that I was watching Geralt of Rivia "The White Wolf" and his love interest Yennefer, and not Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné "The White Wolf" and his love interest Cymoril.
In which the latter was written 1st.
A complete rip? Maybe/maybe not, Influenced/inspired by Moorcock's creation? Most definitely.
Well the story lines may be a little different in places but the similarities in character looks as well as in many other aspects are uncanny.
I do have to say clearly it is very possible that two people could create two very similar ideas with very symmetrical visions. Even I myself have come up with ideas before that then one day I've seen someone make into a movie or show that felt like it were ripped straight from my head. But who knows, we probably never will.
Judge for yourself by reading the books, googling it or just wait for the supposed Elric series that's supposed to be coming out.
"Fingers crossed it gets a high budget and doesn't get put to shame by this one".
Oh yeah and if you're gonna play around with the whole time jumping thing please do give us the date or a better clue or something.
For example 1 min Geralt could have his renowned scar and the next min he doesn't have his scar, simple.
Definitely binge watch otherwise you might feel you missed an episode or think you forgot something.
And yes yes Elric is my namesake, thanx for that one Dad.......
It's official, The Witcher season 4 is in production. But that's not all, we're already planning season 5, which will be the final season
Oh No!
Anyway.
Sadly, this show has declined recently. It's run by incompotent EP's and Season 4 has the chance to be one of the WORST seasons of television to ever disgrace the silver screen. Was smart of Henry to jump out of this particular dumpster bin.
So I see many complaints about the timeline of the story... Ive read the books years ago and yes, I found it kind of confusing at the beginning. I knew the timeline and I thought its Netflix's idea to chaotically show the story but by the 3rd episode Ive found couple of hints in the dialogues with which people can understand that Yennefers story is when father of Calanthe is on the throne, Geralts when Calanthe is, and Ciris when Cintra was in flames. So stick to couple of eps before you make a decision to leave the show.
And I must say that the books, the two tomes of short stories (!!) give a little chaos to the timeline too. Not to spoiler anyone, between the stories Geralt is in a place with people with whom he talks about the events after all of the short stories. So complain to Sapkowski and watch the show to the end ! The Finale is marvellous and Im totally not objective as Yennefer will always be my fav character in the Witcher: movie, shows, books, or the games:D
Well I have an obsession for the witcher from the games and the books. I did not have any trouble understanding the timelines. I enjoyed it a lot. You have to understand that season 1 is all about the introduction of the characters. But still they did a pretty good job. Not as good as I expected but I will hold that thought for now and hope that season 2 will make season 1 worth it.
Am I the only one who thought that the last season was supremely confusing and quite badly written? The first season was epic. Second was meh. The third was dog shit. I'm done with this show. I can see why Henry Cavill was pissed.
Binge Worthy!
I’ve read the other comments and there’s mixed reviews. I noted this show had come from a series of books, which I’ve not read and can’t comment on.
I’m dyslexic and therefore don’t get the pleasure of reading. However, I am well educated despite this and in a lead auditor; this has taught me written words no matter how well written are always open to interpretation. When people read, they are lost in their own endless imagination, and each person will have different interpretations. Which makes it difficult to turn books in to shows or films...some people will be unfortunately disappointed.
There’s additionally other variables too, changing books in to a show/film has to have changes to make it possible for limitations, audience, budget, longevity of production etc.
I’ve obviously watched some programs which are based on books, that were read to me as a child, so I do understand why people get disappointed at times.
But, take it as a separate entity, based on the books and don’t expect word for word etc.
For me with no previous knowledge of these books, I absolutely loved the first season. Totally hooked and as I said...binge worthy.
So many fantasy and sci-fi are quite awful, it’s not often they are pulled off well. Of course most were in ore of Games of Thrones, forgetting the disastrous last season which was so essential.
I personally thought this was fantastic! I didn’t love everything if I decided to nit pick; I didn’t like the comedy element they threw in with the Withers musical companion during many episodes. I didn’t hate it either, but it’s a serious show and the comedy element for me degraded it. I didn’t dislike the character or his acting, I simply feel it wasn’t necessary and it was too much. It should have been toned down.
The time sequence in the show was a tad confusing, especially at the beginning until I realised what was going on and then how it tied together. I suppose the show would have been slow without doing so, but it simply wasn’t clear if we were in the past or present at times.
The above are minor irritations and didn’t takeaway my enjoyment of the show.
I’m absolutely delighted to watch an adult fantasy show so well done...such a rarity.
I do hope this show continues, it’s one of my all time favourites to date. I’m jealous I don’t have the means to read and enjoy the books.
I watch mainly fantasy, sci-fi and horror, I love the escapism and I do watch some rubbish to be honest, but I like the storyline even if the budget is low, actors are poor etc. I try not to let these things effect what I choose to watch. But, The Witcher is definitely not in this category, it’s excellent!
A huge thumbs up from me :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
I LOVE THE WITCHER SO SO MUCH I don’t know why but I’m sooo drawn to geralt and cirilla’s (father/daughter) relationship and dynamic ugjwjhdjshdjdjc
my old mom wanted to watch this i told her don't bother if i can barely understand whats going on with the time jumps you wont have a clue whats happening so there we go. If you like putting the pieces together and jigsaws you'll love this.
The show has moments of greatness. The world of the Witcher, the characters, and the story are very interesting. However, this show plays like a summarization of the actual story. I wish that was actually presented before the show started. Instead you get a "based on "The Witcher" series" amidst the end credits. That is very "loosely" based as is clearly evident. Like many Hollywood adaptions, this one falls short. If you're looking to fill in all of the gaps, then please check out the novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
I haven't seen the books and j haven't played the games which I think amounts to my confusion at this show. it's told in three different timelines with three different main characters and the show does nothing to help you understand what is going on. I feel like, dare I say, they filmed these different episodes and then played a bit of pot luck to decide which order they were going in. The episodes didn't link up in the traditional way and I understand that this can sometimes be a good thing but it just didn't work for me here.
The characters and acting were good though so thats a plus. I feel like this is one of those shows where, when it comes out, I'll watch the second season to cement how I feel about the show in general because with just this preliminary season I'm not overly impressed.
Toss a coin to your Witcher O'Valley of Plenty O'Valley of Plenty ho ho ho :heart_eyes:
I'd watch it over and over avain just for Jaskier !
I loved this first Season! Great start. Makes me want to see more and I can't wait for season 2!!
I really liked the show in story/VFX/CGI/choreography wise. But for the good sake of Triss Merigold and Yeneffer, I shall downvote this show on every platform I can. Hopefully one day such productions can learn to pick the right actors for the character.
new timeline, Different from book.
things that happen with 100 years between are now at the same time
Play the games, avoid the show.
It's good. Not bad but not great either. It would have benefitted greatly by having 10 episodes. Season felt way too rushed.
Good:
Acting is really good all over. Henry Cavill really feels like he was born to play this part.
The swordfighting is absolutely beautiful and fantastically done. Especially Geralt. Although the bigger battles (not one on ones) are really not that great.
Music/soundtrack is really phenomenal. Got goosebumps at times.
Costume design was really well done. And cinematography was pretty good.
Bad:
The different timelines. Not only is it a bit confusing at times (although that can be forgiven with a decent payoff which IMO does not exist in this show) but it just kills any flow of the show whatsoever and the pacing was really bad at times. I think the show would be a lot better with 10 episodes and focusing the first two or three only Geralt and explaining the world we're in.
Worldbuilding. I feel like they expect only book readers to watch this show. They namedrop/show a lot of stuff but never bother explaining anything to non book readers. Of course a bit of mystery is always good but viewers need to understand this world, how it functions and what rules there are (in regard for magic for example).
Dialogue feels really clunky at times. Geralt is fine but everyone else just felt weird at times.
The CGI was okay but I kinda expected better.
I have hopes that Season 2 will be better with a more linear/cohesive story. Right now only the writing is holding this show back from becoming great. I can see a lot of potential for future seasons.
EDIT AFTER SEASON 2 (and after having read the books in between seasons)
It's a decent and entertaining show on it's own. It's just knowing the books, Henry Cavills absolute love for them and the budget behind the show it could be so much more than just decent.
As a show on it's own it's a solid 8/10. But as an adaption of incredible books? 2/10.
I barely have any words, this is so epic! Sorry Game of Thrones but you are no longer sitting on the throne! This is far way better! I just love everything about The Witcher! EPIC!
Season 2 managed to make this show even better in my opinion. Hope they keep coming.
I can’t seem to figure out if I love this or hate this. That being said, it made me laugh, the sword fighting isn’t only very well choreographed but also brilliantly shot, and it’s not as confusing as some people claim it is. To be completely honest I think I was just distracted by Henry Cavill most of the time.
Too much focus on the female characters, not enough on the Witcher. I wish fems would stop rewriting popular male IP with the fem-agenda and do their own stuff.
Season 3 was one of the worst seasons of anything I've ever seen, and I'd watched Season 2 so that's quite the achievement.
I loved this show a lot and can’t wait for season two. Only gripe is it doesn’t do a good job of distinguishing past from present. Took me till episode 3 or 4 to realize I was looking at two different timelines.
At first I got confused by the timeline, but didn't let it to bother and kept watching. Eventually I loved the way how the timeline got put together, and I'm really waiting for the second season now.
very awsome , i wish it wil be a 10+ seasons
Oh okay. New season when?
First and second season were great. The third is a mess. Abandoning the source material, antagonizing the lead actor and the fans… that leads to a disaster.
Tris Merigold is described in the books as a red-haired woman with pale skin and green eyes. She is often dressed in red or purple robes and has a slim figure. Her appearance is described as very attractive, and she has a confident and charismatic air.
You couldn't have cast the person more wrongly in the series. Probably, the choice fell on this miscast only because of the "wokeness".
This had so much potential!!! They got the budget for sure :type_4:but shit is messy af. I imagine this would have been different if HBO adapted it. What can I say they're JUST damn good at adapting/making adult shows :100:.
Rating:
Characters:3/5
plot:3.5/5
Character Progression:2/5
Storytelling:1/5
Overall:7.5/10
Storytelling;
Whoever is doing the fucking storylines/storytelling needs to be fucking fired. This could have been the next Game of Thrones easily if it had masterpiece storytelling. The Storylines are all over the place. I understand in S1 they're trying something unique and structuring the timeline like the fucking book. It held my attention but from there it went downhill real quick.
This atrocious storytelling is nuts :skull:. They give you the sense of a huge dreadful event coming and some characters just jumping in for the action aka Ciri. This is where the storytelling comes into play!!. This is what moves the villains and heroes as they interact with the plot.
In this, The Witcher fails terribly. The characters pop up and do something that you'd not give a fuck about. A villain comes, demands to have the girl and kills other people. That's IT:type_1_2:♂.
Character Progression;
OMG, this is the downer for me :100::expressionless:. In season 1, they at least did something resembling character progression/development and only 2 characters at that :rolling_eyes: Yen and Geralt. That's it. From there on out, nobody else gets characterization and this is what GOT excelled at. In GOT you would encounter fans divided when you ask “who their favourite character is?”. And that's :100::100: phenomenal characterization/progression/development/arc. In The Witcher, all you get is people yapping about Henry Cavill. And that should tell you something about the other characters :unamused:.
Finishing S3 and I'm done with it. I'll indulge myself with the books:wave:. Read The Last Wish and it's more promising than this shit show :100:.
I am not sure to watch s3 since s1 the show as so much decline and the comments are not really encouraging
A really good show that can be hard to follow at times I will say, but it still somehow kept my attention. While the future of this series is uncertain, the first two seasons are very good themselves, and if you are a fan of the video game, you might also like this.
Fantastic
If someone asked me to write what can we call this serie?
I think i could say a mix of Lord of the Rings World with Game of Thrones violence
We might be in presence of one of the best stories to watch in next decade!
I just want to say that I love it.
I did not understand any nouns in this show but the story was good and the nudity was over the top. Ep 5 was DAMMM.
Trying so hard to GoT.
Henry Cavill is the Witcher.
Season 1 has been good. The switching between present and past made the story - at times - hard to follow and even downright confusing. Had that been done in a better way, to make it much more clear it were jumps back and forward in time - the story most likely would have made more sense.
I still really enjoyed the show. Hopefully season 2 will follow soon.
Unfaithful to the source material. You'll probably enjoy it better if you've never read the books. It honestly feels like all of the nuance had to be removed from the story because the writers thought the viewers would be too dumb to get it. I have no hope of further seasons being better since they've already changed so much...
It's alright as standalone generic fantasy, but it's nothing close to even game series.
It would have been better had they specified the different time period they were showing instead of letting you try and guess. Otherwise great serious.
Season 1-excellent, Season 2- so-so, Season 3- gave up after ep.3, its become mundane, slow and boring with nothing to hold ones interest, or excite. Started out with great promise that slowly fizzled out from midway thru season 2......Pity.
Woke propaganda. Trans and homosexuality promotion.
I loved it really. I fell in love with Yennefer again and it makes me want to play The Wither 3 again on Switch this time. I think they did a good job with the monumental task of converting this long story that is worldwide to a TV show. Take my opinion knowing I have only played the games.
If you want to hear the word "destiny" a lot then this show is for you. Otherwise watch episodes 2, 4, 5 and 6 and forget about the rest.
Hands down one of my favorite shows, and it is only one season. Yes it took some getting used to with the timeline, but even so it is worth ANYONE checking out. Cavill does a phenomenal job portraying Geralt Of Rivia, so much so that I don't anyone else even attempting the role. The season features action, surprises, occasional comedy, etc. Something for everyone.
I wish I could give it a 10 (which I very very rarely do) -Season one is excellent in every aspect but one:
The timeline is blurry and confusing as f***.
Events taking place decades apart are only put into their place by a character dropping that something happened three decades ago in passing.
Normally that wouldn't be an issue, but most characters don't age!
I am still a bit confused as to why the bard doesn't age, since he seems to be human (I'm at Episode 6, so I hope they do explain it in one of the last episodes, but I doubt it)
That combinations makes it really hard to keep track of what happened before, what happened after and what happens at the same time.
P.S.: I don't know the books, so I have no idea if they had the same problems.
I took a look at the descriptions for the books though and some elements seem to coincide with the first prequel book. So I assume they are meshing prequel and original books together somehow.
It was obvious there was and is and never will be a way to cater to all fans.
It is impossible if there are only two fans in the whole wide world which have only read the books. Or if there a many of them, all with different first contacts with Geralt and his story, and different backgrounds. A German fan has a different approach to many of the stories compared to for example an American one, because he had heard the fairy tales, which Sapkowski wove into his stories, reinterpreted. Just an example.
So obviously that was something Netflix had in mind and it seemed they cared about it. I would have preferred a different decision (sticking closer to the books), but I see why they did what they did and I think it's the right decision.
They also decided to sway in the minor and sometimes bigger details, sticking to the red line of each story and weaving a new telling around it. It reminds me a little of Neil Gaiman's "Norse Mythology", where he admits that his retelling is deviating from the source in some points, because he is re-telling the stories, not copying them. And that's a good thing. Yes, we might not see some moments of dialogues in Netflix's version, but imagine them as someone telling you Geralt's story as you sit around a camp fire. You don't care about every little detail, you want to hear the story of Geralt and Ciri and how they faced down their destiny. You want a good time and you'll have it.
Yes, some people may be hurt that they experienced a story that wasn't exactly what they expected. Maybe they are not sold on the cast, maybe they hate that there were more than one nude illusion girl in Stregobor's tower or that Geralt didn't cut someone in two in Blaviken. And that's okay. The Witcher fans are a passionate bunch coming from many different directions. Let's give this retelling of our favorite story a chance. It deserves one.
I haven't seen the full season yet, so I'll probably add something to this comment later on.
Some people are making a fuss that the timeline is confusing. Since this is the internet it gets blown out of proportion. You get a clear hint in one episode this is happening and its easy to figure it out afterwards. That being said, just watch it! It´s really good!
In two words: Super disappointing.
Season 1 was fine. They did interesting things with the timelines (which were a tad unnecessarily confusing) and they had some decent political intrigue and fun "short story" episodic plots. It tied up fairly neatly at the end.
Season 2 was pretty great. A lot of dangling threads are introduced in the first 4 episodes in very frustrating ways and most of them are tied up incredibly neatly in the final two. There's a lot more focus on the characters and this is primarily Ciri's story, not Geralt's or Yennefer's though they do have major roles to play. Jaskier comes in the clutch to deliver some much needed levity and pulls it off with some great scenes. Music is as good as always
I hope they end it at a neat and tidy Season 3. I'm not sure if they will considering the popularity but I still want it to be something they round off by the end of the next season in a bow all gift wrapped with a solid conclusion.
Okay. I've watched this in its entirety, twice and I still haven't got a fucking "scooby" what's going on.
I hope season 2 is more coherent.
I only started watching this show because my husband asked me to. (He’s a gamer, I’m definitely not). The first two seasons were tolerable enough for someone who doesn’t love fantasy TV (hi, hello, it’s me); but then we heard that Henry Cavill is leaving after the third season, and we both stopped caring to watch at all. He is the best part of this series, hands down.
i love when a show is obviously written by a feminist cause you can just see so many details and passion, like if someone rage rating this tv show low, you know he aint the one would respect woman's power
added: the ones commented below me already proved it
Deff prefer the 2nd season over the first but still good
I love sci-fi and fantasy and this is a great show. It follows the video game pretty decently, which I also thought was entertaining. I really like this show so far!
First season story got fucked by the jumbled timeline, otherwise it would've scored a :100:
The cast is perfect, same with the sceneries and visuals.
Edit: 2nd season, I just keep falling in love with Yennefer more and more after each episode, god I love her... Anyway, they did a great job in rectifying their previous mistake with the storytelling.
The story is finally starting to take shape and I'm all excited for a 3rd season, Lets gooo !
Should watch season 1 a couple of times before understanding the confusing timelines, however it pays off, season 2 was amazing and all he characters are so lovable. Great acting and writing, definitely one of my favorite series of all time.
I feel like I'm the only person who absolutely loved the changes they made in season 2 compared to the books! I hated the books, dragged myself all the way to 50% of Lady of the Lake and then finally gave up because I was so disinterested for the last 3 books. I do miss the connection Ciri and Yen have in the books but the show made the world more interesting with the addition of new monsters and monoliths!
It has a confusing storyline at the start but once you realise the timelines then it will make sense. A nice set up for a future season.
I found the show enjoyable overall, but most certainly flawed. It adapts material from the first two books, taking a good amount of liberties in certain areas. Now, I was fine with them making changes, but felt some of them certainly were for the worse. To begin with, the timeline is completely messed up. They wanted to give the story a POV type of thing, following each of the 3 main characters separately, which had me confused for half of the show. There are jumps in time all the time. I genuinely believe that it would have been better if they had just had the story move chronologically.
The POV brings forth another issue, pacing. The most interesting parts to watch were certainly Geralt's, adapted straight from the book. They were adapted pretty well, though a bit rushed at times. It is understandable why they showed Yen and Ciri's stories, though I think that if they had their own separate episodes, the show would have fared better. It leaves a very disjointed feel to the whole story, moving between classic Geralt stories, the weird Yennefer ones and that of Ciri.
Speaking of Geralt, Henry Cavill is the perfect actor to play Geralt. Within a few episodes, he became my default version of the character. I experienced immense enjoyment just watching him be Geralt, there are a lot of subtleties he completely nails, while giving it his own flavour. My other favourite casting choice was Julian, Geralt's troubadour companion. The actor portrays his witty, cynical, comedic relief aspects lovingly well and he is a pretty darn good singer to boot.
The actress of Yennefer does a good job. They show her development from the start to the woman she becomes, which was interesting. There were some weird parts here. I will give it to this way of presenting the story, it makes the mage characters a lot more interesting from the start here.
Now, I have some more issues with Ciri. They missed what the execution in the books had, mainly the connection between Geralt and Ciri. They have the theme of destiny connecting them, but it feels more unsatisfying and contrived. They set up the hunt from her and her powers much earlier, I hope it doesn't lead to the show feeling repetitive later. I just wish they didn't feel so much like a plot device and more like a human being. She is a rowdy tomboy, they only hinted at this once.
Visually, the show looks good. Cinematography is fine, not outstanding, but fine. The CGI is mostly okay, but it has some horrible spots. Fight scenes are amazing, maybe overchoreographed at times, though that is nitpicky.
Loved the music for the show. I was surprised how good it was even. As a person that spent time with all 3 games, each one of which always had an outstanding soundtrack, I wondered how the show would live up to that. It did it excellently. The sound is different from that of the games, but feels very much like the Witcher. Particular fan of the theme of Yennefer and the Toss A Coin For Your Witcher.
All in all, The Witcher is a good show. The first 2 books are in a different format that the other books, being short story collections rather than novels. There was obviously an attempt to streamline the former into the latter to make it more serialised, yet I feel those 2 books make for great TV just the way they are. Episodic with hints of continuity. I have hope there will be improvements in the next season, so I am waiting eagerly.
Edit: As time has passed, I've grown to dislike the show somewhat more. As it is, it is enjoyable, though heavily flawed. It largely butchers the material from the first two books, even though it's arguably the best material to adapt for a TV series. I've changed my rating from a 7 to a 6 and edited out a few parts I don't agree with any more, but my thoughts are mostly the same, I've just realised I felt pressured to give it a higher score so I wouldn't be one of those "the books are better" people, but I think it is perfectly fair to criticise a show when it neither does anything particularly unique with its concept, nor does it do its source material justice.
Yet another Hollywood Me-Too brainwashing. Never seen a series that tried that hard to avoid including men in main roles or portray men in secondary roles as weak buffoons who are at the mercy of the all powerful queens (talk about the stereotypical man they portray in the queen) and sorcerers. Even the hero of the story, who's supposed to have been born with no feelings, fell to the mercy of the beautiful sorcerer who also happens to be of Indian descent. However, unlike other brainwashing series that are also badly produced and acted (like that joke "Watchmen"), those of us with a brain big enough to laugh at the brainwashing attempt and ignore it can enjoy some aspect of this series. Hopefully, as Hollywood understands that misandry is falling out of fashion, future seasons will drop the brainwashing and focus on the quality of storytelling.
Stopped watching after Season2. What a shame what they did.
Haven't read the books.
From my perspective, the show is pretty good; watchable, at least. The first season is better than the second from every point of view. The show is called 'The Witcher', but it seems to give exponentially more importance to side characters as it goes along towards season 2. Another thing that I noticed is that it has quite a few nudges at contemporary society for a dark-medieval story. At some point, you realize that the writers don't seem to understand the world of the narrative with some dialogues that they add to the show.
A lot of side show, too much woke for my taste, and not enough 'the witcher' in The Witcher. Good to watch once, easily forgettable.7/10
"The Witcher" is a standalone TV show, and it doesn't matter if it is an accurate transposition of the original novels or the video games. Despite that, "mixed feelings" is the best way I could describe it.
The overall atmosphere and characters are fine, but it felt that the storytelling was a little messy. First of all, the lore from the books is never explained despite being far from obvious, leaving most casual viewers disoriented. Names and locations are also hard to remember, with the show doing literally nothing to help you remember the essential information. They just go on with everything assuming we all took the necessary history classes. I played the video games some years ago but still couldn't figure out a lot of the dynamics. The three main storylines are supposed to intertwine but are not temporally parallel. Ciri has to find Geralt, but the other characters just travel aimlessly waiting for the mandatory intersection. Fights are well choreographed but also mixed with cheap CGI at times. Much of the talking is sloppy, although the humor positively reminded me of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys".
The second season showed off better production value, but ended up being even more slow-paced than the first. I am sure they could have told the same story in a couple of hours. While "vertical" self-contained episodes like the first one were quite fun, I couldn't care less about the overarching narrative. At times it was hard to follow the plot and grasp the characters' motivations because they would keep changing for random reasons. Or maybe I should say, the show fails at keeping you focused long enough to keep all characters and lore details in mind?
Only 5 minutes long? Please correct that.
I love this show, very well made and the videogame is one of my all time faves! Can't wait for S2! Henry truly embodies Geralt!
I thought it was pretty good, Cavill is great as Geralt.
The time jumps were a bit confusing at first, but once you pick up on it, it's pretty clear what order everything is happening in.
I'm confused why Jaskier is not aging, I thought he's supposed to be human with no magical enhancements. Also, slightly upset Triss is not a redhead. Fight scene at Blaviken was art, can't tell me otherwise.
Yennefer for me is the least liked character on the show, I can't stand her whining, "oh boo hoo, poor me, had a tough life" ffs just get over yourself already, ugh.
Overall, good season, I'm excited for next one, I just hope Yennefer is less annoying then.
A cure for the game of thrones itch
The bad-ish
Firstly, was the timeline confusing? Slightly. But it you pay attention, it’s rewarding to put it all together.
Secondly, not much is explained about the mythos. How are Witchers created? How did these worlds merge? Why are they at war? These questions weren’t answered for me, YouTube had to come to my rescue.
The great
Awesome action, the fight scenes are really well done. The pacing is great, I was never bored. The cast is excellent, especially Cavill. Chalotra was unbelievably gorgeous in this and played her part well also.
OveralL, it’s a bit of a throwback to weekly shows such as buffy and angel. You have a big bad creature to defeat in each episode, but also there is an over arching story. I really enjoyed it.
Maybe I expected the wrong thing, something like LOTR or GOT but The Witcher is more like a children's fantasy movie, like The Chronicles of Narnia, Eragon, The Neverending Story or Alice in Wonderland. The Bard especially made it trashy, which the show in general could not afford even more. The CGI was OK but very bad and obvious in the cave where the black guy lives. Without knowing anything about The Witcher I was kind of lost in the beginning. There should have been some kind of scrolling text like in the Star Wars movies that explains the situation or a narrator like Galadriel in the beginning of LOTR Fellowship
Didnt read the book or play the game. But the language used is really modern English. Maybe they should make it sound difficult and old fashioned to understand to fit into this genre.
when going into this show my greatest fear was that Cavill was not fit for his role, but f**king hell the dude nailed it! I legit thought that they might've hired Doug Cockle (the one who voices Geralt in the video game series) to dub over Henry, that's how similar they sound. And of course Henry delivers more than just voice, his performance was very good. Too bad I can't say the same about any other character in this show... Overall it wasn't bad but it felt kinda trippy at times and the timeline stuff made it even more confusing...
the 1st season was barely watchable, but this is as much as I can suffer this woke shit...its basically a diversity fest with a constant attempt to portray a oppressor-oppressed narrative...
Great fun. Timeline jumps make it fun to follow. A few effects that could be spruced up going forward but overall a very enjoyable watch.
I did not read the books, and I did not play any of the games (although I heard at least one of the games is of great quality in storytelling) so I went into this show more or less a blank slate.
And boy it is bad.... The writing is just dreadful. I think the writers assumed prior knowledge to the world and characters, and lean on that assumption too heavily.
From the very beginning it is poorly written. Timelines are messy and unclear, exposition is done terribly, worldbuilding looked like an afterthought and taken from a first draft, the pacing is all over the place and inconsistent over time as well inconsistent for each subplot. Episode structure is even irratic. They presented us a continuous story, but several episodes focused more on little episodic adventures that did not impact the main storyline all that much. And for a show with only 8 episodes, that is deadly and lead to other stories being rushed or simply put on hold for the next season (I assume.)
Toward the middle of the show, it started to get a bit better and I thought it could be promising after a bit rocky start, but in the end they could not deliver and it turned into an utter and complete trainwreck (oh that last episode, I almost fell out of my chair several times from disbelieve.) Rushed plot resolutions, while other characters stories crawled to a complete standstill with close to no progression or character development, in somecases even for the whole season.
What the show does have going for it: Photography, sets and costume design are beautiful!
I really did not want to dislike this, but it looked like they actively tried to make me stop watching.
Note: This review is about season 1.
The writing is so shallow with very little depth to any of the characters. Hard to care for anyone if you don't know them. The modern dialogue mixed in is funny at times but mostly it came across as lazy. The timeline jumps are cued up rather poorly as well, you're often left asking wait is this then or now?
Overall this felt like watching a video game, complete with missions and cut scenes and a few lines of dialogue sprinkled in between. Fans of the game and popcorn flicks will appreciate it more than those who are looking for a show similar to those early seasons of Game of Thrones.
I thought this would be one of those shows that got better if I had patience, but it really didn't by the end of season 1. Maybe I'll have to watch season 2, but I get the feeling this show just isn't for me. Maybe I would've enjoyed it more if I read the books or played the games, but I'm way less interested in that now considering how the show went.
The timelines weren't too confusing once I realized what was happening, but it seemed unnecessary as there didn't seem to be any payoff or reason to tell the story that way. Other shows doing the same thing were much more satisfying when things fell into place, and it usually delivered plot points in a meaningful way. I understand certain characters not aging, but the bard, queen, etc. must all have some kind of secret magical background yet to be revealed since they didn't age either. It's hardly the biggest flaw of the show, though.
I laughed at some scenes that were supposed to be serious, like Borch falling to his "death" and his voice as a dragon, some fights, etc. I don't understand the romance between Geralt and Yennefer. I thought maybe their relationship would develop in the earlier timeline and I'd find out why he thought she's amazing, but nothing like that happened.
There is pretty much no character development for anyone other than Yennefer, but even in her case some of it didn't seem believable or I must have missed something. Geralt was fine, especially with the "Hmm" and "Fuck" memes. The bard's relationship to Geralt was fun. The action sequences were alright. None of that is really enough to praise the show for though.
People comparing The Witcher to Game of Thrones must be comparing it to season 7. It's not bad enough to deserve comparisons with season 8, but it's certainly not as good as the first half of the show when it had an actual writer's content to work from.
I started The Witcher right after binge watching The Dragon Prince, an animated series with an age rating of 7+. You'd think it wouldn't make sense to compare them, but The Dragon Prince is better in pretty much every aspect except the number of tits. It has many similar elements like animosity between humans and elves, fantasy creatures like dragons, in-fighting among humans, "good" and "bad" magic, etc. The plot is interesting and has a direction with good use of foreshadowing, characters progress and develop through their experiences, have reasonable motives, and even the romance was more believable and powerful. The comedy was also much better, even though that's more subjective. I'm looking forward to season 4 of The Dragon Prince way more than season 2 of The Witcher.
Slow character development, really difficult to keep track of what’s going on, poor storytelling format, great soundtrack, the only characatets I felt invested in were Gerald and Jasmine, because of his witty remarks! Something is missing and I can’t quite put my hand on it. The latter episodes were a bit more interesting but then again the timeline was very difficult to follow.
As it was mentioned before countless times, first season is so bad for someone who's not familiar with books or games, I just couldn't make myself start watching second season
It's so bad I don't know where to start...
The timeline is kinda confusing at first but you can figure it out later on, it could have been portrayed so much better but that's the least of this show's problems.
It presumes that viewers have read the books or played the games and so many things are left unexplained about the magic and history of this world and the way it all works.
I like these type of shows/movies and had high hopes for this one but now I don't think i'll bother watching season 2...
I would prefer it if Ciri wouldn't exist in the Witcher universe. The character breaks the whole immersion for me and everytime I see her, I take the show and story less serious. Besides that, it's a really good show.
S2 felt boring and i lost interest.
Excellent season 1.
I am really looking forward to seeing Kaer Morhan and Vesemir in the next season.
Wow! Just... wow! An undisputedly breathtaking performance from Henry Cavil, bringing the Witcher character to life in a way never seen before. This comes as no surprise if you read about Henry’s dedication to the character.
Aside from Henry’s performance, which is hard to brush aside, the show itself is just magnificent. A complex story delivered in a non-linear timeline, slowly becoming more linear as the show develops.
Every character is on point, and this show does justice to the books and the games. Go ahead and watch it. Perhaps it will become the favorite TV show for you, as it did for me.
Only watched the first season. It never felt like there was a big overarching story that I like in my fantasy shows. Never had the interest to go back to the second season, especially not when I heard that Cavill left the show.
What a waste of my time and the great fund to this series!! I didn't like the go and back between the past and present.. i didn't love any of the characters.
I hope this season is just making the way for greater seasons to come although I don't think so
Didn't read, didn't play and my thoughts are exactly the same as in this @lainfan's comment - https://trakt.tv/comments/268354
I love this series of the best that I watch.
The Witcher is own of those shows where you either dig it or you don't. I lean towards the latter.
It's not that I say it's an awful show. No, the production value for a TV show is actually well above average. Yet, I got nothing out of it. Having never played the games or read a book I dropped into a world I knew nothing about. The plot starts without any explanation or background, and while I try to figure out this world, new elements are added and I can't make sense of who is who ?
Then there is the different timelines which present a problem because people don't age accordingly. Which I could explain to myself by assuming a year in this world is different from a real one. It's a fantasy tale after all. But I also wonder if it was really nessessary to present the story like this instead of just linear.
As I mentioned production itself is very good. Henry Cavill carries this thing on his shoulders with a lot of help from Anya Chalotra.
I'm not a fanatsy fan in particular so maybe this just isn't something for me. This being only the first chapter in the tale, it is also entirely possible many things will make sense later on.
Right now, after finishing the first season, I am asking myself if I do want to know.
Throwing you in at the deep end with a confusing timeline and lack of focus, The Witcher suffers because of this but also has a range of great characters that keep it interesting throughout.
Mediocre on all the fronts.
great potentiel, but NETFLIX the does content not great tv show there a re a lot that dont make sense the cadrage the sound effect the cgi ( for fair domparaison go back to 2004). It s great if u have shit to do and u dont look the screen if no it can be really painful to watch. Henry cavill act great on only good point.
♪ Toss a coin to yer witcher—
It's a pity that they didn't take advantage of it being a TV series to add a few more details to the world building and the characters' arcs. The storytelling was rocky, not very convincing. Although I didn't mind the timeline jumps, they could've been done better. The pacing felt a lil off and each character’s arcs were distinctly different in tone, significantly undermined the sense of cohesiveness.
Not horrible but definitely has plenty of room for improvement.
That said, bring on Season 2 because I'd still be interested to check it out.
Review by LineageBlockedParent2019-12-25T19:46:03Z
I'm impressed. Not just at the show as a whole but also at Netflix. The production value is exceptionally good for Netflix. Most of their shows practically look the same, and in some cases, feel the same. This one doesn't. Hopefully, it'll stay that way, and to take it a step further, be even better in the second season. Judging from the general response, I'd imagine that will be the case, but one can still be hopeful. The main complaint I've been seeing from a fair amount of people is the way the narrative was handled: the three separate timelines, the subtle time-jumps between previous scenes and the next, as far as chronologically is concerned, that sort of thing. I understand it but think that people are taking it out of proportion and being too harsh on it, which ends up evolving into not just hating that aspect, as well as dulling the entire show as a whole for said people. Here's my advice: don't delve into the immersion too seriously and deeply. You'll end up making the show seem worse to you than it really is. That issue aside, everything else was very good. The characters...well, the main three, at least, were great and entertaining. The incidental music and soundtrack throughout the show were very immersive. The fight scenes were good, some (much) better than others but all were good. Overall, this was a very enthralling, enjoyable experience. You should really give it a shot. I predict 9 out of 10 people will be pleased that they did.