REVIEW #117 The Witcher S1 (2019)

The Witcher is a Netflix original series based on the novels and the popular game of the same name. It follows Geralt The Witcher, a monster Hunter who is struggling to find his place in a world where people are often more dangerous than the monsters he is paid to kill. 

CAST & THE ACTING 

Henry Cavill leads the cast as Geralt and I believe he suits the role perfectly! His fluidity in the action sequences in particular make for great TV and although he is portraying a character deemed to be ‘emotionless’ he does well to gradually reveal the emotional conflict residing within him. It was also a casting that made complete sense because Cavill is a gamer himself and he is a self confessed fan of the game and that genre. This means he has a full understanding of the character and could do him justice for The Witcher fanbase. Anya Chalotra plays Yennifer and I think she is certainly one of the stand out performances. The character goes on such a journey, both physically and emotionally and it seems Chalotra handled each stage brilliantly. The comedy came through Joey Batey who played Dandelion, his on screen chemistry with Henry Cavill created a really good partnership that delivered some really funny scenes. Finally I would like to mention Freya Allen who plays Ciri, for most of her scenes she was the centre figure and for a young actress I think she handled that really well.

PLOT & THE STORYLINE 

The Witcher’s storyline is perfect for fans of the fantasy genre, so I really enjoyed it. It created a world that you could immerse yourself into and created characters that you could route for. I also appreciated how there was a strong focus on the character development. Geralt is constantly accused of being emotionless and for the most part that works for him, but eventually we see him become more vulnerable and that runs in line with Yennifer and her journey, where there’s moments I didn’t know if she would become a villain or a hero. The way the series is constructed, playing with different timelines also worked well, it provided context whilst also establishing a core storyline but didn’t do it in the typical flashback style, which I liked. There is a lot to take in, there are so many different groups, species, kings that sometimes you can lose track, watching it again for the second time definitely helped that. If you mix that with the different timelines then I guess some audiences could get confused, so you have to give it your full attention in order to really appreciate the complexity of it. It’s set up perfectly for the second season and I can’t wait to see what’s next for these characters.

CINEMATOGRAPHY & SPECIAL EFFECTS 

The cinematography is great, I believe it’s set around the 1200’s and obviously it’s a fantasy world, but it does brilliantly at creating an authentic setting for that time period. The special effects are a little questionable at times, some of the monsters and the dragon for example didn’t look too realistic but it was a first season so I would imagine the CGI would only get better as more seasons are released and larger budgets are assigned. The action sequences are filmed so elegantly, one that stands out is the first episode where we see the local town folk try and kill The Witcher in the village. The camera work was so fluid and natural, it was very graphic with plenty of violence and gore and it was probably one of the most iconic scenes in the first season. One thing that surprised me was how good the musical score was, they done well to make it fit the genre so well. So apart from some questionable CGI the visuals were very good and the score was too. 

OVERALL (8.5/10)

This is the type of series I enjoy the most, The Witcher established strong characters and created a world that had so much to explore. The storyline had me hooked from start to finish and the the way they handled the different timelines so creatively really impressed me. It’s not perfect, there is some questionable CGI, mainly with some of the creatures but the cinematography as a whole created some beautiful visuals and settings. There is a lot to take in and if you’re not into the fantasy genre then it’s probably not for you. There is so much character development that has built up plenty of excitement for season 2, I can’t wait to see what happens next. I’ve done this review so that those who haven’t watched it yet, have 10 days until the second season is released. So get watching! 

Thanks for reading.

Callan