The Witcher reviewed.

There have been a lot of theories that base the screen adaptation of The Witcher on the astounding success of Game of Thrones. Without disregarding the magnanimous Game of Thrones, I am reluctant to compare the two. Game of Thrones is Game of Thrones. The Witcher, well, is something entirely different; which derives its screen adaptation from the original source material; Andrzej Sapkowski’s many books which feel and look very magical. Magic. That’s the crux of Season 1 of The Witcher. Season 1 has 8 episodes and the 2nd season is already in the works.

First off, hats off to the casting team and the show runner Lauren Schmidt for casting the mighty man of steel Henry Cavill as the mysterious and mighty powerful Witcher. In the world where the Witcher exists, Witcher’s are neither human, neither monsters. They’re created for a sole reason; to slay monsters. And our mighty Witcher; Geralt of Rivia; does exactly that. He slays. With relative ease and aplomb. What really blew me off was the way Henry Cavill went about things in this role. His baritone, his screen presence, magnanimous stature and astute swordplay. I’ve got to say that the swordplay is furious and extremely fast; very unlike usual swordplay. Something unseen before. Henry Cavill prepared extensively for The Witcher and all the action happening on screen features him. No stunt doubles. And the way he moves is downright charming; even with all the blood. The world of The Witcher is totally different with magic being the centerpiece of all power. Magic creates and magic destroys. The cast is headlined by Geralt who is trying to find his place in the world and by 2 other central characters; both girls. There is a sorceress who has no idea about the power she holds. Her story and character arc is very interesting. The build up is a tad too slow and the details are too many to comprehend but with concentration, one will be able to follow it all. This girl is played with relative ease by newcomer Anya Chalotra. The rage she portrays using her eyes is the highlight of her character. The other girl is a princess on the run; in search of destiny and in search of Geralt.

The 1st season is a mere setup for further seasons and the story is nicely set up for the future to follow. The world is called The continent. There are several kingdoms of which Cintra and Nilfgard hold key. Nilfgard is on a prowl; its MAD king (No pun there) out to engulf the whole continent. The 1st season is about stopping Nilfgard and restoring peace on the continent. Also, the characters are introduced in this season and it is emotionally and visually very engaging.

Talking about the screenplay, I felt that I am watching a Nolan film because the timeline is totally twisted. You’d need a lot of mental will and energy to be on the same page as the show. Having said that, it is this twisted timeline that adds to the element of magic and mystery to the show. The screenplay gets a tad boring at times with the dialogue and unnecessary emotions but as is expected of fantasy dramas, dialogue is unavoidable and so here we are. Certain relations are built too fast; just because they’re meant to. Somewhere, it doesn’t fit in. But once those scenes are over, it all syncs well with the palette of the show. The technical team has done a hell of a job; especially the sound mixing and editing and the visual effects. The CGI is top notch and the world created with it’s help is surreal. The show is shot mostly in grey tones, reflecting sorrow and grief; which is aplenty. And our Geralt somehow finds himself in the middle of all this grey. The mystery surrounding Geralt and the insecurities he carries with him form a part of the show in a big way and they way it is conveyed to the viewers is spooky. Yet, we get very little of The Witcher in a show called The Witcher. There is very limited screen time for Henry Cavill and the rest of the cast forms a major part of the screenplay. Rest assured, many more seasons will follow.

The Witcher is a fantastic attempt at the fantasy Genre by Netflix and Lauren Schmidt and it definitely deserves a watch. There is so much happening in the show and the viewers are introduced to so many new words and concepts that it is impossible to include all of it here. It only makes sense to watch it. The episodes could have been a little trimmed and the screenplay could have been a little more suave. I found myself getting bored in short intervals whenever Geralt wasn’t on the screen. Having said that, the show is building up. We can conveniently discount that.

Watch it if you haven’t already. Strictly A rated. Gory to the core. Not for the faint hearted. But if you can watch Game of Thrones, this you can definitely watch. Streaming on Netflix