Netflix tossed the Witcher a coin from the valley of plenty and it was enjoyable.
On December 20th, 2019, Netflix released “The Witcher” series. It was based on the popular video game released through Atari, which was based on a Polish novel by author Andrzej Spakowski. Well, I think you get the picture.
The series stars Henry Cavill grumbling his way through his dialogue in a gruff, somber tone. Even though he seems to be hated and feared in most places he goes, he is quickly employed to rid the area of monsters. He collects his bounties, then quickly leaves on his horse Roach (who seems to emote his lines as well as Cavill throughout the show).
The series runs with a loose storyline centered around Geralt of Rivia (Cavill, the Witcher) and his destiny, which is to save Ciri (Freya Allan), a child of great power awarded to him by the Law of Surprise. But to get there, we travel through the past to view his journey as a Witcher and the creation and journey of the mage Yennefer (Anya Chaltora) for whom he falls. All the while, darker forces are trying to capture Ciri for their own plans.
The production quality and swordplay of this show make it worth watching, as do the special effects. If you are having a party, why not make it a drinking game – every time Cavill says “Hmmm” or drops the “F”-bomb, take a drink. Though it is likely you will be seeing the end of the show through blurry eyes.
The Witcher has also given birth to many a meme on social media and the ear-worming tune “Throw a Coin to your Witcher” sung by the bumbling comic relief and storyline foil bard, Jaskier played by Joey Batey. Every time you see Jaskier, you cringe just a little bit because you know he will do something annoyingly stupid. Amazingly, Geralt just puts up with him, perhaps as he seems to be his only friend, though most the time it seems Geralt would rather just beat him to death with his lute.
The show sticks with the traditional look for the Witcher, spawned by the video game of the same name. Dressed in black, long white hair tied back behind his head, and the large Witcher sword from the game across his back. They also included scenes that show him lounging in the tub which were tributes to the original game. For the fans of Cavill’s form, there are many scenes of him shirtless as well.
An interesting side note to this is Henry Cavill insisted on performing his own stunts. He didn’t want fans to think he was only able to do the acting bits and wanted to make sure that Geralt looked like Geralt throughout the action.
I have watched all 8 episodes and I have to say again I enjoyed it. It was a good mix of humor, action, and had some nice character development, though the storyline is a bit loose.
With all that said, I give The Witcher 4 out of 5 Stars. This has been another edition of Reptile’s Random Reviews.
