The Witcher is the new king of the fantasy genre.
It would be near impossible not to compare Netflix’s The Witcher series to Game of Thrones. This isn’t because they’re from the same genre but simply because The Witcher has to have learnt from all of Game of Throne’s mistakes. The Witcher arrives onto Netflix and on to our TV’s with a huge amount of intrigue, wonder and the type of action that you always wanted from Game of Thrones. The Witcher is the best fantasy series of this year.
In case you haven’t read the books or played the games, The Witcher follows the story of Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) who is a Witcher which is a mutant who hunts monsters. Geralt is struggling to find his place in the world as he ends up hunting more people than monsters. The series also follows a young princess named Ciri (Freya Allan) who is on the run from never-ending danger as she searches for Geralt after her home was attacked by Nilfgaard. Meanwhile, Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) is bought by a an order of mages and begins her training to become a mage.
There is a lot more to unravel in the story but that is best experienced for oneself as they watch. The Witcher does a great job of introducing the viewer to these characters and showing the world enough without having to actually show you a map of the entire world (unlike the great intro titles of Game of Thrones). The series’ first success is ensuring that the viewer isn’t barraged with too much information to process or too many character arcs from the start The worst part of Game of Thrones was trying to explain it to someone, even after the first season.
The first five episodes that I got to watch simply followed three character arcs and no more. Each episode has its shared time equally or in favour of one character in particular, never does the series spend too much time on a single character. Game of Thrones fell under the issue of having too many characters to deal with, with the viewer ending up hoping that character A would meet character B at some point. This issue of expecting storylines and arcs to connect and crossover and being disappointed if they don’t isn’t relevant in The Witcher, at least not yet. Ultimately over time the issue may arise, however the show feels unlikely to do that as it feels smarter. Game of Thrones had characters separate from the start only to be never come back together or come back in 7 seasons, causing some issues with fans.
It is the start of the series, Game of Thrones was hardly developed after just the first season, however, there are already signs of The Witcher learning from those mistakes made. It is exciting when characters meet but the series should be more about the actual story, plot and the world around the characters and not just how they’re connected to each other. The Witcher clearly has a lot of story to unpack and I’m happy with it taking its time if it remains as enjoyable as it currently is, no episode is wasted so far.
The Witcher being a Netflix series also means it comes with an automatic high budget which certainly shows throughout the first five episodes. There is no shortage of effects, locations, designs and spectacle to be found in this series. This is best shown off by the enthralling action sequences in the show. The sound design and cinematography are at a level that a majority of TV series will never get too. It truly outshines the fight scenes found in Game of Thrones and makes it more enjoyable to watch because nothing is hidden away by the camera. The Witcher feels more cinematic than made for TV or streaming. The cameras used for the show are the newer generation of cameras that were used for other Netflix shows like The Crown and Stranger Things.
The sound design is incredible as swords swinging and clashing in the air is as pleasing as lightsaber sounds effects in Star Wars. Each swing sounds like its brutal yet accurate as you hear the blade cut through the air towards the enemy. The mixture of fast-paced and slow-motion for action scenes creates The Witcher’s own stylistic take on sword fighting that is unseen in any other fantasy TV show. Henry Cavill’s preparation for the role of Geralt is clearly shown and paid off as Geralt commands action sequences.
Adding onto the overall design and feel of the show, The Witcher’s production design is at an extremely high level. There is enough variety between towns, people, costumes, weapons and styles that you want to explore every place yourself. The world of The Witcher is accompanied by a beautiful, strong and passionate score that blasts at the right moments and is calmly and correctly in the background in smaller moments. The theme for the show is already a track I listen to on repeat as it’s unique to the show and doesn’t feel like it’s trying to feel like any other score, an awesome folky medieval vibe to it.
Henry Cavill as Geralt is a match made in heaven, he is on your screen looking like an immovable object and putting in the hard yards for it as well. The character of Geralt, human yet different and funny yet menacing, is clearly a role made for Cavill as he puts in one of his best performances ever. Mostly positive things can be said for the rest of the cast as well, Chalotra as Yennefer is another great choice as her acting helps to clearly show the emotions and strengths that Yennefer possesses. A shout out must also be said for Joey Batey and his character Jaskier, a bard who brings a comedic aspect to the series which tops the whole lot off. Some may find Jaskier annoying at first but over the first few episodes he adds a quality of relaxation that Game of Thrones missed, a joke here or there is perfectly fine, everything doesn’t have to be so serious and dark.
The new era of the fantasy genre on our TV screens has begun, Game of Thrones was the real starting point and something has to fill the void it has left behind. The Witcher is here to fill that void but also add more fantasy to our viewing lives. My favourite moments in the first five episodes aren’t of The Witcher simply slaying beasts but are in fact the detail showing Geralt preparing for battle. The Witcher is more best known nowadays for the games and it surprised me at first to find Geralt taking potions before he starts a big fight. In other shows we, the viewer, are just left to know that a character like Geralt is big and strong and they can slay any beast until the episode where they can’t, but The Witcher likes to remind us that no one in the show is safe. This is something that Game of Thrones did by constantly killing off your favourite characters but for The Witcher, it is shown through world-building and storytelling elements that will actually help newcomers to the fantasy genre to better understand the types of worlds that shows like The Witcher are based in.
I could sit and write and compare The Witcher to Game of Thrones all day long but that would be unfair to The Witcher. The Witcher has taken me by surprise, I’ve tried to play the games but could never get into them so I was cautious going into this series. Now I found myself wanting more of that world in my life. Hardcore Witcher fans will love this adaptation of their beloved franchise and newcomers will surely love this epic fantasy series as well. The Witcher has not just successfully filled the space Game of Thrones has left but rather it has created something that could end up being even better. The Witcher is the fantasy genre at it’s best.