The Witcher (Netflix)

Synopsis

Geralt, The White Wolf, tackles monsters, mages, and all other manners of creatures fighting evil… lesser, greater, middling. It's all the same. If I have to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.

Review

The quote above is probably my favorite in any entertainment item. However, remaining neutral cannot last forever which is a theme that is explored at the end of season 3 that truly allows Geralt to explore his true potential and family.

I have played all the games multiple times, I have read the books Blood of Elves, and even watched the Witcher Blood Origins series which I see no purpose of that series that couldn't have been made into a single episode. This show is really good and does an absolutely great job of following the books in the beginning, just like Game of Thrones. See my final paragraph about the controversy with the ending of season 3.

Henry, Freya, and Anya are AMAZING in their places. There is not a place in there that you can't feel the chemistry they have with each other. The cast throughout are fantastic and I think if it were not so heavy in the fantasy genre, multiple people would have won awards. The fight scenes, especially the opening one where Geralt becomes the Butcher, are fantastic. The locations, the magic, the story (Which is more about the books) are great. If you enjoy fantast you need to watch this series.

While I don't typically do this as heavily, I want to make a point of talking about the controversy of Henry Cavill's removal from series, but probably not in the way that most expect. However, I bet there are more casual people that will agree. Henry is the perfect Geralt. Having spent so much time in this universe myself, you can see the personal play/read time he has done in the series as well as his research for the role. This investment is what caused him to be removed and that is a travesty as something that has spawned 3 games and 12 books in multiple different countries should be respected. This time investment is also something I would love to see from the writers and directors to do so they can understand the whole theme and story as well as fan expectations. I am not saying that they cannot make changes that fit the TV/Movie requirements, but it shouldn't change the overall story. The counter point I have is that from what I have read, Henry was a little aggressive in his push to follow the original narrative. That is not ok and it is also something I would probably have a hard time with. With the fourth season having a new Geralt in Liam Hemsworth, I am ok with it in theory. We will have to wait to see what happens to the story as well as his acting choice.

My Rating

I really enjoyed this series. Looked forward to all the seasons and even introduced my in-laws to the show while on a vacation together. It is an 8 without fail. There are somethings that could have made it better, mainly a little more cohesion, but I think that is really introduced by the in-fighting they had on set.

Parental Rating

Action, blood, and language is throughout. Action brings my dad in, but for sure the language will make him leave pretty quickly. While the whole point of the story is family, my mom is out. I also think there is some nudity which she would not want. They also don't really want/like fantasy so they are out. Rejected by both.