The Witcher Season 1 Review: Best Netflix show since Stranger Things & Mindhunter!
Based on the best-selling novels written by Andrej Sapakowski, The Witcher follows the story of a monster hunter who goes by the name of Geralt Of Rivia. A man struggling to find his humanity in a medieval fantasy world set on a landmass known as the continent where poverty, violence, & intolerance are rampant, & people often proving to be more wicked than beasts. The series serves as not just a love letter to Andrej Sapakowski’s work, but also a gift to both the fantasy genre & fandom as a whole. Unquestionably standing as one of Netflix’s all time GREATS!
An enthralling yet heart pounding experience, filled with several memorable performances from a brilliantly talented cast that ultimately sets up for a highly enjoyable satisfying watch. The pay off by the end even makes revisiting this epic tale a second time all the more worth it! Giving us viewers a true insight into this large ensemble of characters who we see journey from a place of almost nothing in the beginning, to eventually rising as some of the most dominant figures in the entire show.
The storytelling displayed throughout the series is done masterfully giving each main protagonist Geralt, Yennefer, & Ciri, a nice well rounded arc fully explaining their origins, that in the end not only ties these three heroes together beautifully, but also helping in enhancing an already incredibly written story by Lauren Hissrich allowing viewers the time necessary to truly explore this new fascinating & exciting world never seen before on screen.
CAST:
HENRY CAVILL:
In what maybe his best role yet, Henry Cavill widely known for his previous work as Superman in 2013’s Man Of Steel plays Witcher & monster hunter Geralt of Rivia.
What is a Witcher?:
They’re monster hunters for hire who travel across the continent slaying various creatures for money. Young boys taken to specialist schools where they are mutated & trained into fully inbred warriors infused with that of superhuman abilities to help better adept in fighting the supernatural, & gaining other various advantages in tasks that maybe too much for the likes of a normal human being. By the end of the mutation, each Witcher gains a set of different physical features that result in them taking on a form that is unlike any other species known to man. Geralt for example is met with gold colored eyes, & silver white hair. Resulting in him gaining the name The White Wolf. Due to this, he’s met with hatred across the land believing to be a demon by many, & isn’t truly welcomed anywhere simply out of fear. Choosing to become something more than what people perceive him to be, Geralt does his best in protecting the innocent regardless of the outcome, while longing for a life of peace.
Having already been a fan of the franchise through the video games & books long before the casting process had even begun, Cavill who shares a tremendous amount of love, & passion for the source material, does such an outstanding job leading this amazing series! Not even having a single stunt double all throughout seven months of filming, the choreography alone Cavill has managed to pull off in this show is in & of itself mind-blowing. Indicating to us audiences just how versatile & great of an actor he truly is overall. Bringing Henry on board this project was a genius move by Hissrich, & for someone like myself who’s been an avid fan of his work for years now, it’s really awesome to see him lead another iconic franchise such as this one. A class act all the way through.
ANYA CHALOTRA:
Our next leading star Anya Chalotra who’s had small roles in Wanderlust, ABC Murders, & Sherwood, plays the beautiful sorceress Yennefer of Venerberg. Born a hunchback with a disfigured jaw, & treated like a monster her entire life, resorts to suicide after being disowned by her own family and suffering years of torment & abuse, but is later saved by sorceress Tissaia De Vries (MyAnna Buring). Recortess of Aretuza. A magical academy where young women who possess supernatural abilities, are taken to be molded into mages practicing the arts of magic.
Determined to reshape her destiny, Yennefer makes a life-threatening choice transforming her into one of the most powerful & dangerous sorcerers to have ever walk the continent. Now possessing more power than she knows what to do with, sets out on a quest to regain what she’s lost. That being.. the ability to conceive a child. Her encounter with Geralt sets in a chain of events, that inevitably changes both their lives forever.
If there’s one actor I’m willing to place a bet on is certain to win an Oscar or two in the next coming years, it’s without a doubt Anya Chalotra! Saying she’s talented is an understatement, & the ability she possesses to be able to convey the portrayal of a woman who at the brink of death becomes the anchor & hero of her story, is not only heart-warming to say the least, but also ultimately outright inspiring! Henry maybe the face of the show, but I believe it’s Anya that really deserves the most praise this season. An absolute star through & through that takes over & shines in every scene she’s in effortlessly. Perfect casting, & definitely sure to become an even bigger name in the near future. Loved her take on Yennefer!
FREYA ALLAN:
Our third & final lead is Freya Allan who plays Ciri. Princess of cinetra, & granddaughter of queen Calanthe. Sheltered from society most her life, & later turned orphan thrust into a war determining the fate of the world. She is promised to Geralt Of Rivia by the law of surprise due to his moral actions in saving her father from execution.
Mostly well known for her roles in AMC’s Into The Badlands & BBC’s War Of The Worlds, much like her co-star Anya, this will be Allan’s first big debut as well. We don’t really get to explore that much with Ciri this season, but given the father-daughter relationship her character shares with that of Geralt, we can be sure to see her play a much more pivotal part in the overall arching story moving forward. Thoroughly enjoyed every moment Freya was on screen, & judging from the fact this was the first big leading role of her career, I’d say she seriously kills it as young Ciri! Can’t wait to see what more Hissrich has in store for her once the show returns. Another terrific actress added on to an already talented crew, that I think is well on her way to becoming one of the best of her decade!
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Speaking as someone who knew very little about the lore going in, I can safely say that this has been one of the most fun & engaging binge watches I’ve had since Stranger Things, Mindhunter, & even Amazon Prime’s The Boys! While also accomplishing the task of giving newcomers like myself the chance to jump right in without having any prior knowledge beforehand, & managing to go as far as delivering action scenes that surpass even that of Game Of Thrones…
Too early to say, but judging from the already positive buzz the show has gained, it’s fair to assume it will become an even bigger hit for future years to come. Netflix has already renewed the series for a second season & with production scheduled to begin early next spring, I’m guessing we’ll see the show’s return for either late 2020 or early 2021 the latest.
If you haven’t done so yet, please go give at least the first 3 episodes a chance at least before deciding for yourself where you stand on it. Don’t go in trying to compare this to anything else. The Witcher is a show that does & should stand on its own. Not a copy or soft reboot of something that’s come before. That’s neither original nor interesting. So take that thought into account before diving in.
Lastly, huge props to Lauren Hissrich, the cast & the rest of the entire crew involved for creating this amazing project. Grade: A!
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