The Witcher - Review

The Witcher was introduced by many as the new Game of Thrones. Sorry to disappoint, but not even close.

It is an interesting story, intricate, dark, and violent. It seems to have everything, but in the end, it has so little. 

One of the lessons they failed to learn from GoT was the best way to introduce the characters and places. If you are not familiar with the books or the video games, you’ll feel like you are jumping into a fairly complex world, with no idea of what is happening.

The reviews are very controversial. Understandable. It all depends on the expectations you had. It is a mediocre show, not as bad as some expected, but definitely not that good either.

A world of magic

The Witcher presents us with a fantasy world with lots of potential. And that’s it.

The constant back-and-forth and the differences in how time passes for each character are tiring. Yet, somehow, there is something that keeps you clicking on the next episode.

I’m not a huge fan of stories that involve magic. For that reason, a fantasy story needs to have something else to make me want to watch it. In this case, it doesn’t. The fight scenes are quite amazing, but the dialogue is weak, and the production feels rushed. It is, indeed, so fast-paced that you have no time to invest in any character emotionally. 

Story and Cast

I read a lot of hard criticism of the cast. I don’t think the actors are that bad, but it feels, more than once, that they are as lost as we are. In many situations, you’ll not understand what’s going on until much later - if you have the patience to keep watching, of course.

The question in the back of your mind is, “Am I gonna like it?” Well,… sometimes.

The beginning is quite boring. Jaskier (Joey Batey), the funniest character, is who saves those first episodes. His melodies and lyrics can make you smile once or twice. 

However, the story only starts to have real interest when Geralt meets Yennifer (Anya Chalotra), my favorite character so far. She has the most compelling story, and it is the character with the most consistent growth in the plot. As a protagonist, Geralt (Henry Cavill) has very little development.

Potential for More

This first unconventional season is far from what I expected. Its convoluted structure and the lack of growth in some major characters remove the necessary depth of a good story and its characters.

In general, I didn’t like it. Nonetheless, it has some entertaining moments and interesting scenes. No doubt, it has the potential to grow and become a better show. Let’s see what the second season has for us.