The Witcher

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Dec 20, 2019
Season #: 4, 3.5, 3, 2, 1
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2682 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,028 out of 2682
  2. Mixed: 201 out of 2682
  3. Negative: 453 out of 2682

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  1. Bubber
    Dec 21, 2019
    5
    It's not horrible, but it's a missed opportunity to make a great series due to poor adaptation and the way they felt the need to add forced diversity to the cast plus other progressive ideas that just don't fit in the Witcher universe.

    Overall disappointed.
  2. starilent
    Dec 21, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The story telling is a mess. Too hurry and chaos. The parts of Yennefer and Geralt are good, and the actor and actress perform very well in my opinion. But the timeline and most characters' relationship are not good. They tried to make you feels sad when some character die, but you might not have time to know these character. And even though I think Yen's part are good, this character isn't charming as she is in the original books and games. She's childish, cynical. The show didn't convinced me, that she is the woman who Geralt would suddenly falls in love with her.

    And I don't thing people who hasn't read the original books or played the games will fully understand what happened in the show. Because they cut a lot of important and key in formations out, like what is a witcher, where they come, why people hate them, what is Dryad, why human fears them(they looks like normal human in the show)...etc.

    The musics and battle scene are good. But the visual effects feels very cheap.

    Overall, it's not a bad show, but is not good as well.    … Expand
  3. VonSeux
    Dec 20, 2019
    4
    Don't you feel disconnected from the show when everything, even light, is post processed, and so... Fake? I do not care about book or game fidelity but this is just not good drama.
  4. DizzyStyle
    Dec 23, 2019
    6
    Actually this isn't bad but... It's Witcher. This should be EPIC. Instead they create something usual.
    - Not canonical
    - Misscasting (triss, yen and other girl roles - no comments) - Poor backgrounds (scenes/actions/graphics) - Too mush tolerance for brutal east European fantasy This film try to please everyone but instead this film just please too much tolerant and casual people.    Actually this isn't bad but... It's Witcher. This should be EPIC. Instead they create something usual.
    - Not canonical
    - Misscasting (triss, yen and other girl roles - no comments)
    - Poor backgrounds (scenes/actions/graphics)
    - Too mush tolerance for brutal east European fantasy
    This film try to please everyone but instead this film just please too much tolerant and casual people.
    Witcher is brutal, no comprise and dark fantasy. But this is just a netflix teleshow.    … Expand
  5. Orestes
    Dec 20, 2019
    5
    What I miss the most is good dialogues and good acting. Cavill as Geralt is fine, but the rest of the cast is an abomination. I cannot empathize with any of the characters, they al seem modern actors not prepared to incarnate pithy fantasy characters. The dialogues obviously do not help at all. I don't believe in this mythology that they are trying to convey, their words doesn'tWhat I miss the most is good dialogues and good acting. Cavill as Geralt is fine, but the rest of the cast is an abomination. I cannot empathize with any of the characters, they al seem modern actors not prepared to incarnate pithy fantasy characters. The dialogues obviously do not help at all. I don't believe in this mythology that they are trying to convey, their words doesn't communicate reliability or seriousness. I miss real drama in here. People tend to think that fantasy worlds cannot have dramatic plots, rich narratives and poetic backgrounds, but that was precisely what made Game of Thrones so big. The photography is nice, the setting location was a good choice (thumbs up for the Canary Islands) and even the fighting choreography is pretty decent. I give them that. Nevertheless, I will never take this tv show seriously because it lacks authenticity and credibility. The actors and actresses are not believing in their lines. It's like watching puppets (Not Herson's puppets, that's otherworldly). They are dressed and equipped with fantasy kits but they don't believe in fantasy as a legitimate genre. The show hasn't got a soul. It has beautiful facade but not a single glimpse of heart. It is really dissapointing to see once again how producers take fantasy for granted as a tradable currency. Good fantasy requires a tremendous delicacy and touch and over all good lines for the characters, to make them feel alive and important.… Expand
  6. caramba45
    Dec 21, 2019
    6
    Unfortunately, the Witcher cannot defeat the Game of Thrones. What catches the eye, the miscast of some actors, the low budget of many scenes, in the first episodes there is a very torn narration and poor work with the original source. But the last episodes are getting rid of some of these problems, I hope that further the series will change in the same direction. Very pleased with theUnfortunately, the Witcher cannot defeat the Game of Thrones. What catches the eye, the miscast of some actors, the low budget of many scenes, in the first episodes there is a very torn narration and poor work with the original source. But the last episodes are getting rid of some of these problems, I hope that further the series will change in the same direction. Very pleased with the game of all the actors, many give their best and the soundtrack is incomparable.
    But the question remains open whether this series was really needed or whether it was better to create your own stor?    … Expand
  7. KUTC
    Jun 19, 2020
    6
    I guess it's okay. As someone who have read the books, the first season seemed not as confusing as for people who just met this series, but at the same time some moments were painful to watch - a lot of adaptation imagination.
  8. enk1du
    Dec 20, 2019
    6
    I have mixed opinion about first two episodes but, man, this show is growing after with every episode, and it has very strong ending.
  9. winzentween
    Jan 25, 2022
    5
    Season 1 review: Im a huge fan of all things witcher so trust me when i say it's not terrible but sadly it's far from good. Though the cgi IS truly terrible at times, as are the shockingly cheap sets. The acting is too often confused and wooden as the script is a complete mess. All likley due to the weak direction and a total lack of quality control. Not sure who to blame but it's likelySeason 1 review: Im a huge fan of all things witcher so trust me when i say it's not terrible but sadly it's far from good. Though the cgi IS truly terrible at times, as are the shockingly cheap sets. The acting is too often confused and wooden as the script is a complete mess. All likley due to the weak direction and a total lack of quality control. Not sure who to blame but it's likely the show runner who has a track record of hit and miss projects. Sadly this is no game of thrones! It does get better as it goes along (but not by much) though it's just so much worse than the books or game or even the anime. The brand deserves so much better. The anime despite it's own problems really nails the feeling of what it is to be a witcher while this show doesn't have a clue. It's embarrassing at times how cheap and lazy the production is. I believe Henry has actually taken tips from fans for s2 because he had as much of a clue who Geralt was.. as the show runner. It's a real shame as the casting is excellent as is the source material. The show is technically based on the books but clearly the games as well even if its not officially acknowledged. The show is much like xena and hercules but not as fun. It's also inexplicably dumb at times but this might be due to the misuse of the giant budget. Also It is all filmed in a weird disconnected order to its detriment as it confuses viewers. I believe this was the show runner attempting to make the missteps in production more interesting in editing. Maybe season 2 will be better now it's so popular. I Hope so. Worth a look but keep expectations low. Like really low...as there are equal good parts as there are clunky stinking ones :.

    Also if you do love the games go watch the nightmare of the wolf anime first. It's meant to help with season 2 but it's just so much truer to the brand than much of season 1. 6/10

    Ggg    … Expand
  10. Turbodowg
    Jan 2, 2020
    5
    The Witcher is okay... it never gets close to brilliance, but it isn't terrible either. It's somewhere in between passable and average.
    It lacks the magic that made both the books and the game so brilliant, but it does have some strong points; mainly Henry Cavill. He play's Geralt to almost perfection and looks exactly like the character in the game. The series would have worked much    The Witcher is okay... it never gets close to brilliance, but it isn't terrible either. It's somewhere in between passable and average.
    It lacks the magic that made both the books and the game so brilliant, but it does have some strong points; mainly Henry Cavill. He play's Geralt to almost perfection and looks exactly like the character in the game. The series would have worked much better if the focus was on Geralt, taking on a new Witcher contracts and fighting a different monster of the week each episode.
    Instead the series attempts to introduce the viewer to a ridiculously large cast of characters over a long period of time within the eight episodes, which ultimately leaves each character feeling flat. The story feels messy and without any on screen dates, or a map it is very hard to follow when and where the story is taking place.

    The other major issue is that they made some strange choices with the casting of characters, forced diversity is squeezed into every shot to fill Netflix's bizarre and over the top diversity quotas. It just looks out of place having POC I a show based on Polish folklore. The show also focuses way to much on the female characters and side-lines Geralt.
    Triss was completely miss-cast and badly written and many of the other characters you will not care about.
    Visually The Witcher looks good, but lacks any grand vistas or scenes that made the game so spectacular. The CGI monsters are ropey and would have looked a lot better if they had been physically created.
    Apart from all the poor stuff mentioned above, I did really enjoy a number of the episodes, Betrayer Moon been amongst my favourites as it feels the most suited to a Witcher TV show.

    As a fan of the games and books I’m pleased they made the show, and hopefully if it gets a season 2 it will be improved. I’d certainly recommend it to fans to watch (for curiosity) but I can’t see any non-Witcher fans getting much enjoinment from it.    … Expand
  11. nbassano82
    Dec 24, 2019
    6
    The pacing and editing of the show are pretty bad. The multiple timelines are unforgivably confusing. Having read the books and played the games I knew what was going on but struggled to figure out why it was put together as such. A lot of it seemed really illogical. Overall the cast is fabulous and without them the show would not be watchable. I’m hoping as with the novels that after theThe pacing and editing of the show are pretty bad. The multiple timelines are unforgivably confusing. Having read the books and played the games I knew what was going on but struggled to figure out why it was put together as such. A lot of it seemed really illogical. Overall the cast is fabulous and without them the show would not be watchable. I’m hoping as with the novels that after the (fist two) things pick up and follow a more traditional narrative that makes for a much more compelling story. I’m hopeful.… Expand
  12. Kheliko
    Dec 23, 2019
    4
    Henry and Anya are great and the action is solid. That said the terrible time skips ruin any type of build up. Very little world building or lore is given. I guess they assume you should know? Ciri's story should of been put thru out the final 3 episodes instead of the entire season. 2 episodes could of easily been combined since they are almost exactly the same footage with Geralt beingHenry and Anya are great and the action is solid. That said the terrible time skips ruin any type of build up. Very little world building or lore is given. I guess they assume you should know? Ciri's story should of been put thru out the final 3 episodes instead of the entire season. 2 episodes could of easily been combined since they are almost exactly the same footage with Geralt being in one of them to show he was there. Just poor decisions when editing this togather. I do hope it manages a season 2 to give it the respect it needs.… Expand
  13. Neeedles
    Dec 23, 2019
    6
    Fight scenes are great. Henry is great as Geralt. Freya is a good Ciri, but im still not convinced Anya was the best choice for Yen, even tho her acting skills are amazing for sure. The music is absolutely great.
    The cinematography needs to improve in season 2 as well as a lot of the CGI.
    The camera work as well, and the effect where only the middle part of the screen is sharp while the    Fight scenes are great. Henry is great as Geralt. Freya is a good Ciri, but im still not convinced Anya was the best choice for Yen, even tho her acting skills are amazing for sure. The music is absolutely great.
    The cinematography needs to improve in season 2 as well as a lot of the CGI.
    The camera work as well, and the effect where only the middle part of the screen is sharp while the top and bottom are kinda blurred which is in every episode needs to go, its horrible. There are times at which the camera angle and sometimes bad CGI make the show seem amateurish.
    I cannot speak much about the writing as i've read the books and writing these stories the way they are in the show seems kinda easy and maybe even lazy.
    If you read the books you'll be dissapointed at how much this is stripped down and rushed to make room for Yen's origin story which is boring and irrelevant. Unnecessary changes to the story throughout. No room to breathe or soak in the witcher atmosphere. Too much focus on Yennefer cause she's a strong WOMAN character and don't get me wrong, her character deserves the attention just not this early in the story and not at the mercy of the short stories. Also making her the ultimate hero goes against the essence of the books where noone is really a hero.

    The show is quite decent but needs to improve in season 2 and follow the books more because even now in season 1 some things just dont make sense the way they are.(SPOILER) Like Ciri hugging Geralt who she'S never met before etc.

    Hope next season get's more episodes and doesn't have to jump all around and fleshes out the story more.    … Expand
  14. MNEMENT
    Jan 2, 2020
    6
    It's ok. But it's NOT the real witcher. I like a people with money finally see goods in this GREAT witcher story. But they step away and loose sense of the original. In books there is much more moral, good jokes, hard actions, better fights and more real characters. In this TV show characters are good or bad. It's too simple. In books all characters have good and bad sides. This make toIt's ok. But it's NOT the real witcher. I like a people with money finally see goods in this GREAT witcher story. But they step away and loose sense of the original. In books there is much more moral, good jokes, hard actions, better fights and more real characters. In this TV show characters are good or bad. It's too simple. In books all characters have good and bad sides. This make to read so interesting, because it's not so predictable as TV show. If TV show auditory should be kids, then why are so many **** on the screen. If auditory should be 16+ (18+), then why characters and problems so simple and where is a real Witcher? I hope it will come some time, but not too late! Like "Lord of the rings" in it's time.… Expand
  15. LordCrash
    Dec 28, 2019
    5
    People tend to compare the Witcher to Game of Thrones but that's probably the wrong take. The show never wants to be any serious and it never actually tries to achieve any depth or nuanced meaning that would elevate it above the usual cheesy sword and sorcery pulp fantasy. The Witcher is more like a 2019 version of Xena or Hercules. It's an anachronism that acts like Game of Thrones andPeople tend to compare the Witcher to Game of Thrones but that's probably the wrong take. The show never wants to be any serious and it never actually tries to achieve any depth or nuanced meaning that would elevate it above the usual cheesy sword and sorcery pulp fantasy. The Witcher is more like a 2019 version of Xena or Hercules. It's an anachronism that acts like Game of Thrones and other groundbreaking TV shows in the past 10 or 20 years never happened and that shows like Xena or Stargate were still the pinnacle of great TV entertainment. The show can only be seen as naive fun but not as anything with a serious message or story. It's only fitting that its budget seems to be severly limited, resulting in poor costumes, ridiculously poor attle scenes, completely unbelievable medieval weaponry and fighting and bad CGI and special effects.

    The Netflix adaption also shows no respect and has no understanding of its own source material. It lacks all the core strings of the novels, like the Slavic melancholia, its nuanced but very down to earth dialogues, its lifelike and nuanced characters, its complex political and societal elements, and most important, everything about Geralt's and Ciri's relationship and the true meaning of destiny. It only adds to the the show's mediocrity that it has a terrible "telling instead of showing" habit that results in bad dialogues and many repetitions. The show also only rarely cares to show its characters motivations. They just act because they plot needs them to act in a certain way.

    If the prospect of a shallow pulp fantasy show with the flair of the old cheesy sword&sorcery series of the 1990s and early 2000s the Witcher might be exactly your kind of thing. Or maybe you only want the characters from the games be part in a series? Have fun watching it, it won't do you any harm. Anybody looking for a deep and nuanced show that builds upon everything that happend in the genre in the past 10 years or a show that transports the core elements of its source material should maybe skip and watch something else - or just (re-)read Andrzej Sapkowski's fantastic novels.    … Expand
  16. QACritic
    Dec 23, 2019
    5
    TL;DR :Bad choices in story telling and casting make the Witcher series lose what made the Witcher books/games interesting.

    I see a lot of fans reviewing unrealistically either giving it a 10 because they ae fans and love the Witcher games/books and want this to succeed or a 0 by the fans who are pissed of that the show is kind of average virtue signaling bs that does not work with the    TL;DR :Bad choices in story telling and casting make the Witcher series lose what made the Witcher books/games interesting.

    I see a lot of fans reviewing unrealistically either giving it a 10 because they ae fans and love the Witcher games/books and want this to succeed or a 0 by the fans who are pissed of that the show is kind of average virtue signaling bs that does not work with the Witcher setting. The reality is that this show is just average TV with nothing to recommend to anyone new and disappointing for existing fans. So a rating of 5 to 7 is the best it cloud do given the production company the show runner that does not understand the source material and Slavic mentality that produced the Witcher books and what made them unique as compared to the **** of similar fantasy drivel available by native English speakers.

    The only character from this show that are good are: the actors for Geralt, Queen Calante, Mousesack, Eist.Pavetta and Tissaia everyone else is not portrayed well either due to directing/writing or bad acting (although this is not much of an issue).
    Very little left of what made the books and games interesting (read all and played all). I had low expectations due to the "diversity hires" (which make for some WTF moments) but that is the least of the problems in the show. The main problem is the story telling, you get most of the end at the beginning which could work if the series was a movie and moved way faster than it does. The bad interweaving of the different story line makes things even worse because it is just pointlessly confusing especially for people new to the series (if you are one of those please read the books they are much better). The really missed opportunity is that the first two books that this season is based on are composed of short stories that could have made good introductory season.. After that there is enough content for at least 2-3 seasons.
    Yennefer should have been a supporting character until she was needed for the story instead we got a lot of torture porn that ruined her character based on a few lines of guessing by Geralt in the books, it does not help that the actress cannot convey a character that has age and experience hiding behind a pretty face instead we have a petulant child as Yennefer.

    Comparing this to GOT is a joke since this is a 3 compared to seasons 1-4 of GOT and barely better than season 8.    … Expand
  17. AzorAhai98
    Dec 22, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A moment of silence for the slavic people. The TV Show is based on a slavic book series, yet there are more black people and Indians than slavs. The showrunners are using a beautiful slavic fantasy story for their political agenda.
    Horrible casting, costumes,music and boring storytelling. They even managed to make the battle sequences boring. Henry Cavill is the only good thing in this whole mess.    … Expand
  18. TwiTu
    Jan 1, 2020
    5
    Its watchable. But not that great.
    The virtue signalling undertone is very present and destroys this fantasy with politics from the real world. Thats that. But even if you ignore that, the casting and actors arent that great either, mostly very bad actually. The actors playing Yennefer and Geralt are the best, yet they cant really save this series from mediocrity, and even if they are    Its watchable. But not that great.
    The virtue signalling undertone is very present and destroys this fantasy with politics from the real world. Thats that. But even if you ignore that, the casting and actors arent that great either, mostly very bad actually. The actors playing Yennefer and Geralt are the best, yet they cant really save this series from mediocrity, and even if they are good actors, they were still badly cast. Geralt simply doesnt look like He-Man, like this actor does.

    The writing is bad, too. You feel as if youre dropped into a hot pot of stuff you have to know but dont know. Especially if youre not great with names this will confuse you a lot at the start.

    You never get a feeling of epicness like in the games or books. It feels childish and cheap, best comparable to Hercules or Xena. Even though it uses a lot of nudity and gore. They think (judging from the sad music) that you feel for this or that character, that this or that character dies, yet you dont feel anything for them, because the series never establishes their character well and makes the dialogues very weird and awkward, unnatural. Its worse than on The Walking Dead. The story feels extremely rushed, as if they try to explain the whole Witcher universe in just a few hours. Maybe it should have had 24 episodes instead of just 8. But I guess thats just signs of the time. Characters and their personalities arent important anymore, because we live in a very anti-social time because people are mostly sitting at home, not having much social interaction anymore - and thats me saying, who isnt really the biggest social interactive person either.

    The jokes are unfunny, mostly because you cant really build up a relationship to the characters because of the reasons I already mentioned.

    People comparing this to Game of Thrones have obviously never watched Game of Thrones. I cried like a baby many times when people died in GoT or something bad happened to them. Here I dont even flinch.
    Its like comparing a Lada to a Maybach.
    I get that some people are starved for a fantasy series after the end of GoT, but this is in no way a substitute.

    Oh yeah, and the excessive use of colored contact lenses (sometimes they wear them, sometimes they dont, sometimes they are not centered, sometimes they are) also add to the childishness of this series. It looks completely unbelievable. Directors should know that in the age of 4K resolution.    … Expand
  19. Cesium06
    Jan 1, 2020
    5
    I'm a huge fan of the Witcher. I play Gwent regularly. I've read the some of the books. I've played all of the games. However, this show is still pretty mediocre. Odd pacing. Most parts fairly unenjoyable and unnecessarily drawn out. Anytime Geralt is on the screen it's an enjoyable adventure. I found myself skipping ahead to get back to the parts with him in it.
  20. julius98
    Jan 2, 2020
    6
    Fun enough, but dragged down by some really horrendous writing and poor characterisation of Geralt.
  21. BillyBobSusanMa
    Jan 2, 2020
    6
    Henry Cavill does a great job as the Witcher, pretty good show generally, would of given it a 8 if it wasn't for the seemingly obligatory Wokey forced Diversity crap that permeates everything these days,

    seems Medieval Fantasy Europe was far more "Progressive" than 100% Black Wakanda?
  22. Hawk235
    Dec 23, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Как фанат книжной саги пришел в ужас от сценария и повествования. Смысл каждого книжного рассказа исказили почти во всем,а где не исказили приходиться додумывать самому. Ну и финальная сцена это что такое было вообще? Как можно было слить самую трогательную сцену в книге? Цири бежит обниматься к человеку,которого никогда не видела. В книге у них был мотив - они встречались в Брокилоне и привязались к друг другу. А тут добавили ту же сцену, но вырезали главное. При этом зачем-то еще вплели сюда Ренфри,что Геральт должен искать какую-то лесную деву и он поэтому побежал в лес,а Цири типо узнала его из снов и побежала обнимать незнакомца. Это равносильно,что я сейчас кого-то увижу во сне и потом встречу его в жизни и побегу к нему обниматься. просто гениальная завязка сюжета!… Expand
  23. gorg
    Dec 22, 2019
    6
    I feel that the opportunity to make a truly great tv show based on the Witcher universe is utterly wasted. The writers butchered and cut very important bits out of the beautiful short stories of The Last Wish by giving them very little time to properly unfold, in order to provide time for the backstory arcs of Ciri and Yen, which are not really that necessary (although truth be told thereI feel that the opportunity to make a truly great tv show based on the Witcher universe is utterly wasted. The writers butchered and cut very important bits out of the beautiful short stories of The Last Wish by giving them very little time to properly unfold, in order to provide time for the backstory arcs of Ciri and Yen, which are not really that necessary (although truth be told there are some interesting bits in the new additions to the story). There are also several inconsistencies regarding worldbuilding and the geography of the Continent and the timeline is kinda broken. The writing is average and cringy sometimes, the performances are decent for the most part, Cavill is good as Geralt, Chalotra didn't really convince me as Yen, and Allan is alright I guess. I can't say the show overall is bad, but for a guy that has read the books before the show, it just wasn't enough, the books are a 9/10 where the show is a 6/10. The only thing that watching the show really did for me, was reigniting the desire to go back and read the Witcher Saga for the fifth time.… Expand
  24. Poisonedblade
    Dec 21, 2019
    4
    Henry Cavill did a great job as Geralt, and the effects and music are pretty good.
    But the writers are the Butchers of Blaviken. The story skips back and forth so much, it feels like you're reading chapters of the books in random order. I doubt people new to the series can follow the story. When you do this, you ruin the character and story arcs, so the audience stops caring.
    Another    Henry Cavill did a great job as Geralt, and the effects and music are pretty good.
    But the writers are the Butchers of Blaviken. The story skips back and forth so much, it feels like you're reading chapters of the books in random order. I doubt people new to the series can follow the story. When you do this, you ruin the character and story arcs, so the audience stops caring.
    Another issue is the forced diversity. Every group of people needs 1 black person. This is historic fantasy, not the Twitter offices in SF. It becomes a distraction and you aren't going to get black people to watch the show just because a few boring side characters are black. Nobody is that racist. This is like remaking the 7 Samurai with a Mexican, Black dude, a Woman, Gay White Guy, and 3 Japanese guys. Nobody cares about race quotas and it ends up being a distraction.
    The Witcher features:
    1 black dryad. Just one.
    1 black elf . Just one.
    1 black elite guard in Cintra. Just one.
    1 black sorceress. Just one.
    If Vesemir was in this, he'd probably be played by Kevin Hart to fill the 1 black guy quota.
    Netflix should have had Geralt kill a monster per ep, and in the season story arc, fill in the progress of the Nilfgaardian Army. Also post the year when you need to skip a head. 1272 Temeria... 1273 Cintra...    … Expand
  25. aksakal
    Dec 21, 2019
    4
    I finished all games and never tried books so I'm comparing show to the game series.
    Overall I can rate the show as average. Average for Netflix, not average overall. Picture is boring. I don't rate Game Of Thrones as high as others but I have to admit that it has a really nice picture and Witcher is not even close.
    There are no Polish/Slavic culture references at all. It was a nice pick    I finished all games and never tried books so I'm comparing show to the game series.
    Overall I can rate the show as average. Average for Netflix, not average overall. Picture is boring. I don't rate Game Of Thrones as high as others but I have to admit that it has a really nice picture and Witcher is not even close.
    There are no Polish/Slavic culture references at all. It was a nice pick for the in-game atmosphere and made it a bit different from other games. Netflix removed it completely.
    I feel no witcher spirit in the show too. It's just another typical middle age Europe with some magicians and creatures just like in many other tales/fantasy books.
    Geralt doesn't match with my in-game experience. He is too shiny and occasionally emits pathos. It's definitely not what I expect. I assume that he was Hollywoodized for the main audience but it came with the price of a lost spirit. Is it a Geralt of Rivia or Conan's The Barbarian little brother?
    Storytelling is too fast for me. I like to either know the story behind the character or just meet the stranger without any backstory. The choice obviously depends. Witcher show is right in the middle. I see some backstory but it's short and fast so it's hard to draw a reasonable picture of a character in the head. Also a horde of characters appear in initial episodes so it's hard to keep track of who is who. I want to see a slower pace! Make it step by step. Don't focus on just the main story. Give us some side stories for secondary characters too.
    All these problems are bad enough to make me pay zero attention to multiple missed casts and black elves. By the way, I haven't spotted any Asian people. Why are they missing? Isn't it a racism too? Why?
    I finished 3 episodes so far and that's it. I don't see any reason to continue at this point but I have to admit that it could be way worse so I hope that Netflix can improve it in upcoming seasons.    … Expand
  26. PlacidDragon
    Dec 31, 2019
    6
    Its a season with a lot of promise of what might be at some future point, but Netflix is not there yet. At this stage, its mostly a jumbled mess. Acting is a.. ,mixed bag, CGI is also a very mixed bag. Some of what they did looks very good, other things looks like it came from a computer game in 1995 (that the very first moments of the series, the Kikimora fight has terrible CGI doesn'tIts a season with a lot of promise of what might be at some future point, but Netflix is not there yet. At this stage, its mostly a jumbled mess. Acting is a.. ,mixed bag, CGI is also a very mixed bag. Some of what they did looks very good, other things looks like it came from a computer game in 1995 (that the very first moments of the series, the Kikimora fight has terrible CGI doesn't exactly sell the series to the random watcher)..

    The fight choreography is very good, and i'll omit the story entirely to avoid spoilers :)    … Expand
  27. EFRAM
    Dec 25, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. When will any streamer, or for that matter any network at all create a show that has fantasy in reality structure and not based on a series of books which cannot ever be plowed into a reasonably watchable scripted series. Such is the case with The Witcher, an uneven oft times annoying treatment of the video game and subsequent books that came before it. A usually loquacious and amiable Henry Cavill is relegated to grunting monosyllabic answers and surly undertones. The storyline is a wandering mishmash of "you're supposed to already know the language and dialogue and dialects of the inhabitants of The Witcher milieu" tropes. I wanted to like the series, but again I was both annoyed and disturbed by the lack of great storytelling this kind of material needs. And lets not forget the Bard who makes his appearance in episode 2, to the dismay of both and Gerald of Rivia and everyone else I have canvassed. Come on Netflix, lets dispense with this adaptation of novels and video games and give some real show runner creators a chance to create something totally original and geared towards an audience that is hip, smart, and waiting for you and Amazon and Apple TV and Hulu and Peacock and everyone see to step up to the plate.(At least Amazon tried to do this with Carnival row, which I am sad to say was also a miss the mark presentation) the Wticher, for all its video game and novel appeal is a distinct disappointment.… Expand
  28. Redfrod
    Dec 20, 2019
    4
    if you are not familiar with Witcher. You haven't read books or played games, then you will like this series, but for me it's something strange and it's nothing to do with the names of the heroes here.
  29. donjcast002
    Dec 22, 2019
    6
    The only character I like on this show is Geralt of Rivia being portrayed by Henry Cavill. Jaskier (Dandelion) is alright and Yennefer is okay. The rest of the cast is meh and I must say, both Triss and Fringilla are horribly miscast. The fight scenes are entertaining, but not epic like LOTR. I wish they didn't modernize it and just stuck to what was in the books because it's hard to lookThe only character I like on this show is Geralt of Rivia being portrayed by Henry Cavill. Jaskier (Dandelion) is alright and Yennefer is okay. The rest of the cast is meh and I must say, both Triss and Fringilla are horribly miscast. The fight scenes are entertaining, but not epic like LOTR. I wish they didn't modernize it and just stuck to what was in the books because it's hard to look at some of these characters knowing they aren't supposed to be there. The last two episodes I started to get a bit bored and just wanted it to end.… Expand
  30. Olbery
    Dec 21, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The plasticine ears of elves and the red-faced features of the face of their king, who is dressed as a bum. Banquet hall in aretus with loft-style walls of broken brick and tables with crackers at the reception of all the kings of the north is also ok? And the fact that Gerart’s embarrassment simply dragged the castle all night, while she was gutting the rest in a split second, did she fall in love in any other way? And the mine in Temeria where they walked along the floor with a vacuum cleaner - otherwise it is difficult to explain that cleanliness. Black Elf. Nilphs who run scattered on heavy cavalry, and that in turn is waiting until they get closer to a distance of 20 meters are also normal? Yenifer, who fell into a couple of minutes to wait until they brought her sleeping pills and suffered infernal torment - is this justified right? The Volttest, which looks like a greasy unwashed drunk (he was even better in the Polish series) was normal too? Dryads with crossbows, and an intrusive incomprehensible glow in the forest. The dragon looks cartoonish. They killed Myshovur, who lives and lives in the book - why was this done? The battle at Sodden is generally some kind of shame - where is the epic, a hundred nilfgaards - is this the great battle at Sodden?

    P.S. I will add that Geralt, Buttercup and Cyri turned out to be very good. The color palette and the music are very good. The battle scenes look impressive and delight the general plans of nature and Cintra. I hope in the second season there will be more budget and more logic in the script.    … Expand
  31. Jenne
    Dec 20, 2019
    5
    It's not completely dumbed down and Cavill is actually great. But it looks cheap, writing is mediocre, music forgettable and the trademark Witcher vibe is just not there. It's clear the people responsible saw the show as just another job, instead of a spiritual mission like CD Projekt Red did with Witcher 3.
  32. Baluz0r
    Dec 21, 2019
    4
    Отвратительный каст актрис, только Цири хорошо вписывается (правда с возрастом косяк), Кавилл нормально вписывается, но ТРИСС, ЙЕН ПРОСТО УЖАСНЫЕ, это просто шок.
  33. mko0
    Dec 21, 2019
    4
    Show as its own medium wasn't terrible but disappointing for sure. Mostly misscast with exception of Henry Cavill who fit and i liked him as Geralt. Fighting scene and choreography was good. Cinematography was decent - enough for TV show. Scenography was acceptable but often uncreative and lazy. Music generic and lazy. CGI of monsters good with exception of dragons. Storytelling wasShow as its own medium wasn't terrible but disappointing for sure. Mostly misscast with exception of Henry Cavill who fit and i liked him as Geralt. Fighting scene and choreography was good. Cinematography was decent - enough for TV show. Scenography was acceptable but often uncreative and lazy. Music generic and lazy. CGI of monsters good with exception of dragons. Storytelling was chaotic which lead to lack of bond with characters and missed emotional impact on viewer.

    With this production team this show was destined to become disappointment. Script writer completely misunderstood the point of what first two books all are about and butchered source material. Those books are not telling about escaping Ciri for eight episodes. They are not about to show how strong and independent women is Yennefer. Those stories are about Geralt on the path and through his journeys build a world, characters and their relationship. Don't get me wrong i'm not against changing original stories or creating new ones to better fit cinematographic narration of the whole show. But what we got here is mostly chaotic non-canon bu****it that provides mostly suffering to fans of the franchise.

    As fan of books - avoid this show.
    As fan of games - decent but depends on your taste.
    As someone new to franchise - can be enjoyable but misleading about what The Witcher is about.    … Expand
  34. notor12
    Jan 6, 2020
    4
    Clearly this show was done on the cheap, like everything else Netflix puts out these days..... It definitely suffers from it.

    Henry Cavill is a decently believable Geralt but pretty much everything else going on here is just convoluted and terrible. I couldn't get through the first episode the story and dialogue and acting are just so bad all around. Henry Cavill is seriously the    Clearly this show was done on the cheap, like everything else Netflix puts out these days..... It definitely suffers from it.

    Henry Cavill is a decently believable Geralt but pretty much everything else going on here is just convoluted and terrible. I couldn't get through the first episode the story and dialogue and acting are just so bad all around. Henry Cavill is seriously the only tolerable actor in the whole thing everyone else is just so bad you'll want them to stop talking. Nobody is remotely likeable aside from Geralt and there is very little character development.

    What a shame. The Witcher universe has a lot of potential for a television series but this definitely isn't it. I know people say it gets better further in to the season than i got but sorry if you cant make your first episode at least tolerable you are doing this all wrong and im not wasting hours hoping youll figure it out later on. First impressions matter and the first episode is the most important one if you wont invest in it your audience wont either.    … Expand
  35. Nobilis1984
    Dec 21, 2019
    4
    So I don't really know what you wanted here.
    It's optically good and the consequences are all not bad.
    But why do the supporting roles get so little screen time? The supporting character from the first episode is very interesting but is eaten up in 20 minutes. Really great job.
    The three main characters are too much in focus.
    Therefore, this series is also only mediocre.
  36. Tikomoro
    Dec 20, 2019
    6
    Скомканный сюжет (и я совсем не имею в виду иную трактовку книги, пусть), слабая операторская работа, дешёвые и не проработанные декорации, плохая и вызывающая вопросы игра актеров, дешёвая компьютерная анимация. Заявления, что это произведение затмит Игру престолов - так и остались заявлениями.
    Декорации напоминаю игру на пк Драгон Эйдж Инквизиция - такие же пустые и стерильные    Скомканный сюжет (и я совсем не имею в виду иную трактовку книги, пусть), слабая операторская работа, дешёвые и не проработанные декорации, плохая и вызывающая вопросы игра актеров, дешёвая компьютерная анимация. Заявления, что это произведение затмит Игру престолов - так и остались заявлениями.
    Декорации напоминаю игру на пк Драгон Эйдж Инквизиция - такие же пустые и стерильные декорации. Замки и дороги как будто построены за минуту до съёмок, нет ощущения жизни. Не пыли, ни грязи. Чистейшие ткани после возни в грязи. Камерное исполнение. Доспехи нильфов? Опасения о том, что это не фейк оправдались - они отвратительны.
    Включите первый эпизод игры престолов - сколько там впечатляющих кадров? Даже только планы стены многого стоят. Постоянно двигающиеся и сменяемые кадры персонажей. Что же в ведьмаке? Ничего. Ни одного запоминающегося кадра.
    Актерская игра как будто не сериал, а некие театр. Наигранные эмоции, переигрывание, просто без эмоциональность.
    Графика явно бросается в глаза. Монстры явно видны на «зелёном фоне».
    Вообщем. Очень слабый сериал. Многие опасения о внешности актеров оправдались. Эмоций и вау эффекта нет.
    Поставил 6 только лишь из-за попытки снять сериал. Иен и Геральт вроде удались. Хотя последний вызывает вопросы в первых сериях - ну чисто супермен. Порадовали сцены боев - очень крутые!    … Expand
  37. Lordwerneo
    Dec 22, 2019
    5
    No doubt, if Netflix were those who screen the Chernobyl tragedy, it would be full of asians and blacks. Same with witcher, did they even try to read the book?

    The special effects look good, the location is chosen more or less well, but the series deviates from the plot, there is no dating, the cast is horrible, the ideology of the characters is wrong, it's a failure!
  38. Username15max
    Dec 22, 2019
    6
    The overall quality varies heavily from episode to episode.
    Some are decently close to what I remember from the books.
    Others are straight up generic "hollywoodized" fantasy. Riddled with boring storytelling and character tropes you've seen hundreds of times in the most basic adventure flicks. The language for example, which at times is outright indistinguishable from modern day English.    The overall quality varies heavily from episode to episode.
    Some are decently close to what I remember from the books.
    Others are straight up generic "hollywoodized" fantasy. Riddled with boring storytelling and character tropes you've seen hundreds of times in the most basic adventure flicks. The language for example, which at times is outright indistinguishable from modern day English.
    Casting choices on the other hand are better than expected.
    As it was pretty obvious to everyone following the pre-release promotions and advertisement Henry Cavill carries the series all the way, giving an outstanding performance.
    The only other main character coming even close to this level of authenticity is Joey Batey's Jaskier.
    Anya Chalotra makes for a fine Yennefer most of the time but is also somewhat inconsistent in her portrayal. Especially her young age and lack of experience make her a questionable pick for a complicated and nuanced character such as Yennefer and she often pales in comparison to Cavil's Geralt when they share a scene. Freya Allan is ok but also notably not too balanced in her acting repertoire. Emma Appleton (Renfri), Lars Mikkelsen (Stregobor), Jodhi May (Queen Calanthe) are the more well rounded supporting character. Mimi Ndiweni (Fringilla) is also among the more notable side characters but has to struggle with stupid character building resulting in an implausible antagonist.
    The rest of the reoccuring cast is mediocre at best and in a few cases even below avarge.
    Netflix's need to fulfill diversity quotas does them no favors on this front and occiasonally backfires spectacularly.
    The imagery, costume design, make up, special effects and so on range from "awful 90s TV-show" to stunning. The biggest problem stems from those two extremes colliding in the same scene. When Nilfgaardians in terrible foam armor resembling dollar store halloween costumes swinging wavy swords clash with decently equipped knights it looks simply ridiculous and all but annihilates any suspension of disbelief.
    Fight scenes with Geralt are great. The ones without him are standardized sword swinging with a favorable camera movement to make up for many of the actors lack of training.
    The soundtrack is impressive and fits very well.
    Over all it's a generic western Fantasy show with little to no changes to an old formula only saved from mediocrity by the stellar performances of Cavill and Batey. If you are not too familiar with the books and looking for short lived entertainment you might aswell enjoy this one.    … Expand
  39. Vitaminxa
    Dec 22, 2019
    4
    Very disappointing. Dialogue is very unnatural and cringey at points. Timelines aren’t easy to follow if you aren’t familiar with the source matieral. Casting was only so-so. Poor production value really detracted from everything. Overall it’s a poor reflection of the Witcher series. Wish they did a better job when they had wonderful source material.
  40. ali_khunaizi
    Dec 22, 2019
    5
    it's good... surely worth its production and I believe it will get better and better in the future seasons, keeping in mind that it was a tough introductory season, what next is the best.
    unless they ignored what the audiences are saying.
  41. RHIT
    Dec 23, 2019
    5
    Requires a second season to make sense but Henry Cavil was born to play Geralt.
  42. Deadly
    Dec 23, 2019
    6
    I'm giving it a six because Henry Clavill carries it despite the diversity hires and the show itself is decent.
  43. ortigr
    Dec 23, 2019
    4
    В целом, все не так плохо, как казалось по трейлерам. Но, и ничего хорошего тоже нет.
    Если сериал воспринимать не как официальную экранизацию книг пана Сапковского, а как кинофильм по мотивам, так сказать, фанфик, то да, Ведьмак даже смотрибелен.
    Но никак иначе. И дело не в том, что в средневековом сетинге куча негров и азиатов, в конце-то концов, это не наш мир, там было сопряжение    В целом, все не так плохо, как казалось по трейлерам. Но, и ничего хорошего тоже нет.
    Если сериал воспринимать не как официальную экранизацию книг пана Сапковского, а как кинофильм по мотивам, так сказать, фанфик, то да, Ведьмак даже смотрибелен.
    Но никак иначе. И дело не в том, что в средневековом сетинге куча негров и азиатов, в конце-то концов, это не наш мир, там было сопряжение сфер, так что вполне себе оправданно что пришла мешанина из разных рас и народов.
    Дело все в том, что все эти актеры, которые создают массовку населяющую мир Ведьмака - банально не красивые, ну и еще плохо играют....
    Вот ей богу, я таких страшных и не красивых эльфов давно не видел.
    Им нужно в Властелине колец орков без грима играть, а не эльфов в Ведьмаке...
    Тоже касается Йенифер и Трис - они просто страшные и не красивые, особенно Трис.
    Вот что, сложно было что ли найти красивую рыжую бабу?!
    Зачем было брать на роль страшную мулатку????
    А Йенифер, так, вообще стала какой-то там цыганкой, малолетней.
    Хотя, что им мешало взять за образец образ Йенифер из компьютерной игры Ведьмак 3. Ведь там она шикарна!
    Единственный с кем нет проблем, так это Геральд.
    Как не странно, но Генри Кавилл и смотрится вполне естественно и играет более чем сносно!
    Для меня, это практически 100% попадание в образ!
    Правда, с глазами все плохо. Желтые линзы из магазина все для праздника - сильно портят образ.
    Но это относиться уже к другой проблеме, которая заключается в том, что Нетфликс дали откровенно мало денег на экранизацию Ведьмака.
    Дешевизна, а также фанера и вата лезут из каждого кадра.
    Но, самой, самой, главной проблемой сериала Ведьмак является его сюжет.
    Точнее адаптация книжного мира под мир сериала.
    Мир сериала безжалостен для тех кто не знаком с Геральдом из Ривии.
    Никто не озаботился сделать вводную серию, чтобы познакомить неискушенного зрителя с миром Ведьмака, рассказать ему основы и ввести в курс дела.
    Нет, сериал берет с места в карьер, пуская несколько магистральных сюжетных линий в разных временных плоскостях.
    Это, опять же, принижает сериал до уровня фанфика, когда одни фанаты делают для других, и плевать они хотели на людей со стороны.
    Мне-то все понятно, но я читал весь цикл и играл в Ведьмака 3, а вот новичок быстро запутается и заскучает.
    Второй существенной проблемой сериала, относящейся к сюжетной сфере, является попытка авторов сделать сериал - гендерно-толерантным.
    Так на каждую минуту Геральта приходится 2 минуты Йенифер и других женских персонажей...    … Expand
  44. RiaskoFF
    Dec 20, 2019
    5
    Very boring. Was watching it on the second screen while clearing old raids in World Of Warcraft and still almost died of boredom (at least i looted what i want from Black wing Lair). The only nice thing about the series is Henry Cavill.
    Maybe I'm just not a witcher-fan-boy, but thats definitely not my cup of tea.
  45. arunscript
    Dec 21, 2019
    6
    It's amazing how fanboys will rate this as a 10/10 which it clearly isn't. I mean... think about it. Is this in the same league as the first 4 seasons of GoT? Or Breaking Bad? Or The Wire? Or the many other truly outstanding TV series'. Ignore the lazy, shallow fanboyism on display here. This is good, mindless fun. I am rating this 6/10 on its own merit and 7/10 because I am a avid gamerIt's amazing how fanboys will rate this as a 10/10 which it clearly isn't. I mean... think about it. Is this in the same league as the first 4 seasons of GoT? Or Breaking Bad? Or The Wire? Or the many other truly outstanding TV series'. Ignore the lazy, shallow fanboyism on display here. This is good, mindless fun. I am rating this 6/10 on its own merit and 7/10 because I am a avid gamer and the Witcher 3 was one of the best games I ever played.… Expand
  46. K47
    Dec 20, 2019
    4
    Series is trying to be the next Game of Thrones, which is pointless because Witcher books are completely different story and also fails as a GoT rip off. Messy storyline, empty scenography, lack of atmosphere, I didn't like it.
  47. smentek
    Dec 21, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Acting is good but nothing spectacular. Including Cavill as Geralt. But he convinced me, and I think I will see him in more positive light later in show Freya Allan is actually very good.
    It looks to me like most of the comments here giving 10.0 is artificial. Nothing justify that high score! Not if you are fan of books/game and it is even less likely if you new to it. The show is rather bad. But if you are teen or big fan of fantasy, then you may still like it. But giving it 10? No way. I watched first episode and may continue it another day, but without enthusiasm. One of the best short stories from the books, is trimmed mercilessly in order to push some well known 'fall of the kingdom' drama cliche into episode. It could be add later on, in couple of short scenes, as retrospective. But no. We have to say it all "again" at start, to have that "grand opening" that someone envisioned. I'm really open to new ("old" I should say) ideas, but it have to work well. Instead it ends up with utter lack of tension! They had great book do adapt, and safe would be to keep plot close to it. Even if it would end up being miniseries. The problem is: Sapkowski short stories are really well written. There is not much to cut off or trim from it without destroying it utterly.
    Fighting scenes do not work either. All bogus. It lacks of speed it lacks of "reality" - that may not the best word for it, as some better CGI is also needed. But above all much more production time and effort! Also stunt doubles. Martial art masters? Would it be so difficult to hire some? We do not need Cavill doing it all by himself. Without high quality fighting choreography this show will not fly. Unfortunately money went on horses instead. But not for the music, is terrible! Violence and sex all PG-13. That I can understand. But some of the stuff i do not get at all. For instance in first episode Geralt is being told by other characters that he needs new clothes (repeatedly - It may be that they "think" he stinks, after bath in the swamp, but it ended up about cloths in dialogues. Magician door is open for everyone. Guarded only by illusion. But worst is that in last scene Geralt leaves market first, in result allowing Sorcerer to continue his intended work. What kind of men would do that?! So our main character is compromised already. Not the Geralt I like or respect.    … Expand
  48. Fascinated
    Dec 21, 2019
    6
    The voice of Gerald of Pornhub Parody. That's all what do you must know before watching.
  49. EerieDemonble
    Dec 22, 2019
    6
    The very definition of average.
    I don't hate it. But there's barely anything to love. Guess Netflix wanted their own GoT but with 1/10 of a budget/talent and it shows.
    Lead actors are ok, but supporting cast are not even trying. Miscasting is a real problem. Fight scenes choreography - good, would've been great if not for those silly spinning moves. Costume designer needs to be fired.    The very definition of average.
    I don't hate it. But there's barely anything to love. Guess Netflix wanted their own GoT but with 1/10 of a budget/talent and it shows.
    Lead actors are ok, but supporting cast are not even trying. Miscasting is a real problem.
    Fight scenes choreography - good, would've been great if not for those silly spinning moves.
    Costume designer needs to be fired. Many costumes look fake or just stupid. A dress made out of ropes...for battle...really?
    I guess nilfgaardian soldiers are allergic to shields and full plate provides less then 0 protection. *Realism intensifies*
    But still, it's "The Witcher". Source material is good, you need to try really hard to waste it. Oh, and they tried.
    I don't mind few more seasons of this. Not that many fantasy TV shows to choose from this days.    … Expand
  50. ExoticMortgage
    Dec 22, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Just SAD. Had to create an account just to rate this as one of my favorite franchises is getting destroyed by a staff with ulterior motives.

    Let's start with the positives:
    - Henry Cavill gives a good shot at portraying Geralt, good voice acting, simple dialogue, sarcasm a bit here and there.
    - Combat scenes (apart from the first Nilfgaardian battle) are good and thought out.
    - Some CGI of monsters and practical effects are also very good.
    - Some of the landscape that was not CGI is beautiful too.
    - Music feels authentic.

    And that is it.

    Now the negatives:
    - The plot is a mess. Everything is getting thrown all around with confusing timelines and lore is being force fed to user like it was a Foie Gras duck. The creators don't give time to explain all of this. The mini stories (curse ones) of each episode are too fast paced and you don't get the feeling of any story developing at all. It just moves forward like a machine.
    - The dialogues are bad. You don't feel any chemistry between characters. The lines are being dropped once again in a lazy fashion. Ciri met an elf that saved her from Nilfgardian patrol, he doesn't speak. He later saves her again from a camp; later in Brokilon realizes she is a royal descendant. Then he starts to drop truthbombs about how her grandmother had slain his relatives. All this with no feeling or soul whatsoever. Their conflict is forced upon us. It had no chance of developing naturally because everything is too fast paced. There is no character revelation. Not a single character has a compelling story arc.
    - Miscasting - Physical appearances are way off. Yen has to be a feared mage yet she looks almost like a kid with puppy eyes. Triss and Fringilla ? More like Friss and Tringilla - the nonexistent characters of Witcher universe that the writer did not include.
    - Diversity. I think it was time creators obsessed with gender and race inclusivity started to make their own projects and stopped piggyriding on established canons. Totally ruins the immersion. I wouldn't want to watch John Q with Brad Pitt portraying him. Creator Lauren Hirssich spent her time arguing on Twitter why it is a good thing and why skin color doesn't matter because books don't focus on it. Well there is a lot of 'pale face' mentions attributed to characters that now somehow have become black in the show.
    - Lazy CGI. You have parts where everything is great and then there are just inexcusable scenes.

    In general you have a feeling that The Witcher TV series has been made by creators who don't love the source material or don't understand it and just pretend to be on the bandwagon. Good writing and sticking to great storytelling has been exchanged for dull jokes, appealing to minorities and pressing social norms.
    Game of Thrones had set a good bar of character development and storytelling (not talking about the total massacre of characters from s6 and upwards). Why not learn from it?    … Expand
  51. Basiheu
    Dec 22, 2019
    4
    I was really looking forward to this one so I'm disappointed. It's "cute" but very amateur. Like Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Amateur writing, amateur direction, amateur props, costuming, and cgi. I had to do a double take with a creature and some costumes, I cannot believe these were designed and approved by adults. Unbelievable. Writing, well, there are anachronisms everywhere andI was really looking forward to this one so I'm disappointed. It's "cute" but very amateur. Like Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Amateur writing, amateur direction, amateur props, costuming, and cgi. I had to do a double take with a creature and some costumes, I cannot believe these were designed and approved by adults. Unbelievable. Writing, well, there are anachronisms everywhere and certain scenes meant to elicit emotion from the viewer should come with an audience prompt. Henry Cavill's Geralt is the same as the game's Geralt: wooden and morose. But at least he's accurate and hasn't gone off on some crazy tumblr fanfic improv like the writer has.… Expand
  52. MadMax09392
    Dec 20, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I am a huge fan of the books and honestly this adaptation is not as bad as I feared it would be, average is the best way to describe it with some bad some good and a few excellent things.

    First the pacing of the story is all over the place and with the different timelines people will be Lost (pun intended)

    The acting is uneven there are some great performances some very bad ones and the same is true for the special effects and costume design but it does have some amazing moments the striga story is very well done and the practical effects on this monster are great.

    It's watchable and entertaining while not being anything special hoping they improve on things for the next seasons.    … Expand
  53. mrmonster
    Dec 20, 2019
    6
    Unfortunately, great production design and amazing fight scenes cannot make up for the show's flat performances and dull dialogue.
  54. indy650
    Dec 21, 2019
    4
    This series totally fails. The fight scenes are good and some of the CGI is good. They skip around like crazy and skip over tons of parts of the stories they are trying to portray to the point they barely make sense. I did my research and knew this show was going to suck but it is still disappointing as The Witcher is my favorite fantasy world.
  55. Paul_M_Dema
    Dec 20, 2019
    4
    It's painful to see the lose of such great story. No eastern Slavic environment, feeling, All diversity thing is so random and nonsensical. Battle scenes are pathetic and typical hollywood **** that does not care about simple armor and weapon logic.What a waste of time
    Few point for Gerald being the one of few thing good in that series
  56. AngryShark92
    Jul 6, 2020
    4
    + Henry Cavill is surprisingly good
    + Subtle nods to the source material
    + Good soundtrack + CGI is passable - The diversity casting really ruins the immersion - Convoluted storyline - Pacing is all over the place - Some of the casting choices are very weak in terms of competence - The time jumping is a bit jarring, especially for newcomers - Does not follow books or games close    + Henry Cavill is surprisingly good
    + Subtle nods to the source material
    + Good soundtrack
    + CGI is passable

    - The diversity casting really ruins the immersion
    - Convoluted storyline
    - Pacing is all over the place
    - Some of the casting choices are very weak in terms of competence
    - The time jumping is a bit jarring, especially for newcomers
    - Does not follow books or games close enough
    - Fails to prioritize the adventures of Geralt and his monster encounters

    Oh boy, I have watched through this for the 3rd time with the books and the games fresh in my mind and it has drastically changed my opinion. I originally gave this an 8, and I feel like that was way too generous.

    I will commend everything that was done well first. Henry Cavill, while some others may not like him, I thought he did a pretty good job at playing Geralt. He seems to portray the game version of Geralt, more than the book version, which will only make sense to those who have consumed both. His range of emotions are not too impressive, but his tone, stature, and look, certainly resemble his in-game version well. I also enjoyed some of the soundtrack and score, as well as some of the monster CGI considering the limited budget a pilot season would have.

    Now into the bad...

    This politically correct, diversity hiring nonsense really has to stop. It hurts this show so much for the fans who actually care deeply for the books and the games. None of these characters outside of the few Zerrikanian or Ofieri characters should be anything but caucasian. It is the same disappointment when Hollywood whitewashes Asian movies, or if we decided Bollywood films should only feature Latinos... it makes no sense, it's not racist, it's just calling out the disrespect to the source material and time period when it deserves it.

    This leads into forcing the actual fans into breaking immersion from what they already know from the books and games. Triss, Fringilla, and the Brokilon elves are the biggest culprits when it comes to this. If you played the games, this is especially jarring for Triss and Fringilla who are now black women. If you've seen Triss or Fringilla in the games, this will look incredibly silly and poorly casted. Triss, a caucasian female, with pale white skin, (book/game respectively) chestnut/fiery red hair, blue/green eyes is now a light-skinned black woman with brown hair and eyes... Fringilla, a caucasian female, with pale white skin, green eyes, and black hair is now a black woman... it is just a complete joke and betrayal to the source material.

    Yen, makes no sense at all, the actress is clearly of Indian descent, and looks way too young and submissive to play someone like Yen. I don't blame Anya for this as it is an incredibly tough role to cast and play, and she certainly looks like she is giving it her best, but none of these characters are casted well.

    There are a few other minor characters here and there like Vilgefortz and Danek who also suffer the same diversity-washing nonsense, but they are not given too much screentime anyways. The only good casting choices seemed to be Geralt, Ciri, Jaskier, and uhh Roach.

    Alongside all of the casting issues, the storyline is just a jumbled mess. There is way too much time jumping that is, even to me, a confusing, convoluted mess of a way to tell these stories. Stories that don't entirely line up with the books or games, which to me, seems like an absolute waste of resources. This alienates fans of the books and games, as well as potential newcomers to the series exclusively through Netflix.

    I also cannot stand how much of a missed opportunity there was with respect to Geralt and his Witcher contracts, I thought these were the best bits of the show, the games, and the books. There are so many interesting contracts that Geralt takes on early, and I was sad to see such little time spent on them. Perhaps the CGI cost too much. I hope we see some more in the second season, where I will try my hardest to ignore all the awful casting choices that have been made.

    Overall, there's potential, but this series needs a lot of work and a bigger CGI budget to keep me interested. I also hate to say it but, a new writing team will be desperately needed to salvage this series if they continue attempting to tell the story this way. The forced diversity cast really is the punch in the gut for this show as well, as it will turn off a lot of the loyal fans of the books and games... and I wonder why even do it? To pander and score points with these critics who gave this a 5? I do not know why the project lead would even consider this as the series should be aimed at the incredibly large and faithful fanbase over these hyper-progressive fanatics that will probably never watch this. Guess we'll see what Season 2 does. This is a failure of a season for me after re-watching a few times. 4/10    … Expand
  57. kingzardoz
    Dec 23, 2019
    4
    I am reviewing this from the perspective of somebody who has only played the games and never read the books. I just ordered the books in the hopes that I can wipe this show from my memory. My expectations were very low for Netflix's The Witcher. The trailers looked cheap and I can't think of the last time I saw a good netflix produced show. All the woke culture aside, this show fails atI am reviewing this from the perspective of somebody who has only played the games and never read the books. I just ordered the books in the hopes that I can wipe this show from my memory. My expectations were very low for Netflix's The Witcher. The trailers looked cheap and I can't think of the last time I saw a good netflix produced show. All the woke culture aside, this show fails at the basics. There is maybe only one good human vs human fight scene in the whole show. Any fight scene with a monster is poorly executed and lazy. The writing jumps all over the place with way too much time spent revisiting the fall of Cintra. The depiction of magic ranges from ok to terrible. I can overlook many problems but they eventually become too numerous to enjoy the show. If you read the books I can imagine this series becomes unwatchable. The only way you might get a watchable Witcher series is if it got Lord of the Rings money behind it. Unfortunately I think Hollywood would still find a way to mess it all up.… Expand
  58. clemente
    Dec 21, 2019
    6
    Decent production value, the plot, scriptwriting and dialogues are a complete letdown. Confusing mess designed to appeal the usual target of American teenagers. It was a difficult task but they managed to make the witcher material boring even for a fan like me.
  59. The_Tron
    Jan 1, 2020
    4
    I went into it expecting the worst after seeing some of the garbage from the "writers" on twitter as well as the horrible Nilfgardian armor design (dickheads and shriveled scrotum's because "lol patriarchy" according to the rumor). After watching it there was some good with the bad. Henry was a much better Geralt than I was expecting, some action sequences were pretty good. There areI went into it expecting the worst after seeing some of the garbage from the "writers" on twitter as well as the horrible Nilfgardian armor design (dickheads and shriveled scrotum's because "lol patriarchy" according to the rumor). After watching it there was some good with the bad. Henry was a much better Geralt than I was expecting, some action sequences were pretty good. There are definitely pacing issues, and it's easy to get lost if you're not paying attention. Yennefer's story is full of cringey moments and in general I just couldn't stand the character. A lot of the casting choices screams of identity politics more than being faithful to the books. And yes that horrible Nilfgardian armor design. Every time it's on screen I can't stop rolling my eyes and cringing like I just ate a lemon. And this is supposed to be a menacing force? It just seems so out of place and doesn't even align with other factions armor which all are more historically representative.

    Overall it's got it's moments but I felt it was painful to slog through.    … Expand
  60. AWESOM-0
    Jan 1, 2020
    6
    Promising, but kinda stalled and fell apart in the middle. There are some good parts but the flow didn’t seem natural and it definitely tried too hard. I went in wanting to like it, thus the 6, but honestly, maybe more of a 5.
  61. oldtimer_za
    Dec 20, 2019
    5
    Pros:
    - some genuinely cool fight scenes.
    - great backdrops and environments. - Interesting ideas and world. Meh: - Some wooden acting. - some cheap costumes. - boring filler scenes instead of important ones. Cons: - Super cringey dialogue (especially Yennefer's). - Over acting and forced reactions. - Confusing layering of events timelines.(Only until 4 or 5 episodes in does    Pros:
    - some genuinely cool fight scenes.
    - great backdrops and environments.
    - Interesting ideas and world.

    Meh:
    - Some wooden acting.
    - some cheap costumes.
    - boring filler scenes instead of important ones.

    Cons:
    - Super cringey dialogue (especially Yennefer's).
    - Over acting and forced reactions.
    - Confusing layering of events timelines.(Only until 4 or 5 episodes in does it all click).

    An entertaining watch but it's closer to BBC's Merlin than it is to HBO's Game of thrones.    … Expand
  62. TheWaffle
    Dec 23, 2019
    5
    Words I never thought I'd say: Henry Cavill is the best part of this show. There is a fight scene towards the end of episode one that got me real stoked for this show, but that turned out to be a flash of brilliance, and not a sign of things to come. And when the bad guys start shooting arrows at a literal castle wall, I realized that there was not much thought going into this show. TheWords I never thought I'd say: Henry Cavill is the best part of this show. There is a fight scene towards the end of episode one that got me real stoked for this show, but that turned out to be a flash of brilliance, and not a sign of things to come. And when the bad guys start shooting arrows at a literal castle wall, I realized that there was not much thought going into this show. The Witcher is fine, but forgettable.… Expand
  63. igor_radchenko
    Dec 22, 2019
    6
    It's got some marvellously fun moments but they're too far and in between to serve as a satisfying distraction from the bland acting, stale dialogue and uninspired direction. Definitely watchable but despite the 10mil per episode budget it feels unpolished and amateurish.
  64. AlexBaer
    Dec 22, 2019
    4
    The production is amazing, the acting is... varied. Very. But above all, the script writing absolutely dismal. What could have been a fantastic series is in reality very, very difficult to get through. It feels as if they're trying to fit in so much in so little time that nothing is properly explained, resulting in confusion, plot armour even beyond the GOTC final episodes, and incrediblyThe production is amazing, the acting is... varied. Very. But above all, the script writing absolutely dismal. What could have been a fantastic series is in reality very, very difficult to get through. It feels as if they're trying to fit in so much in so little time that nothing is properly explained, resulting in confusion, plot armour even beyond the GOTC final episodes, and incredibly cheesy scenes trying to make plots work. Very disappointed for what could have been. The production really is very good, though. Maybe I'll take a stab at the books.… Expand
  65. OlivierPiel
    Dec 23, 2019
    6
    American critics really have no integrity. They rate Game of Thrones season 5,6 or 7 so highly but pan a Netflix show that is definitely not worse.
    it is even superior to GoT in certain aspects: the fighting scenes, the tone (not as ponderous and "self-serious") and the pace (not so many fillers).
    And compared to so many pretentious "prestige"shows with a "message", it is entertainment    American critics really have no integrity. They rate Game of Thrones season 5,6 or 7 so highly but pan a Netflix show that is definitely not worse.
    it is even superior to GoT in certain aspects: the fighting scenes, the tone (not as ponderous and "self-serious") and the pace (not so many fillers).
    And compared to so many pretentious "prestige"shows with a "message", it is entertainment that is not half-dumb.

    Of course, it has its drawback such as the kowtowing to PC culture first of all. Its world building is also too complex, its traveling through time confusing and too gratuitous in sex scenes and violence. The dialogue is definitely not "refined" and some of the plot doesn't make sense.

    Still, it's a good fun, even for someone like me who never played the game. Not as infuriating as GoT    … Expand
  66. Felindie
    Jan 23, 2020
    6
    It was entertaining, but the storyline and plot were uninteresting, the characters were ok.
  67. Hills
    Jan 11, 2020
    5
    1. Henry Cavill isn't well suited for that taciturn role
    2. There wasn't a specific direction of the plot
    3. No Captivating scenes asides the action
  68. georgio
    Dec 23, 2019
    5
    When I watched the first episode I was hooked. Henry Cavill as Geralt was superb and the show had the dark theme to it that the Witcher deserves. However it all somehow goes downhill from episode 4. The plot dashes from one place and time to another in rapid sequences. Character development seem to be rushed for the sake of moving the story. The acting of some of the new characters isWhen I watched the first episode I was hooked. Henry Cavill as Geralt was superb and the show had the dark theme to it that the Witcher deserves. However it all somehow goes downhill from episode 4. The plot dashes from one place and time to another in rapid sequences. Character development seem to be rushed for the sake of moving the story. The acting of some of the new characters is questionable as is the decision about what to focus on. By the end of episode 5 I had to force myself to watch it to the end. It just does not click.

    I think the show would function much better as monster of the week story. In a way that let's say Supernatural or even Mandalorian does it.    … Expand
  69. TheDakMax2
    Dec 22, 2019
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Нарешті додивився сезон. Хотілося б сказати, що серіал перевершив низькі очікування та вийшов доволі добрим попри усі сумнівні рішення - однак ні. Остання серія перекреслює все. Така інтерпретація Содденського подвигу Трісс є наругою над каноном і фанатською спільнотою.

    Сцена з кущиком і смолоскипом стала останнім елементом пазлу, розпочатого дивним кастингом на згадану роль. Здається мені, тут маємо справу з особистою нелюбов'ю і нерозумінням персонажа з боку Шмідт-Гісріх.

    Персонажа, задуманого як конкурента/альтернативу головній героїні, позбавили суті: її вивели з любовного трикутника, забрали красу й зоряний час, котрий водночас був й особистою трагедією.

    Очевидно, для Гісріх серіал "Відьмак" насправді є серіалом "Єнніфер". Тому тут є місце для трикутника з Істреддом, але нема для трикутника з Трісс. Бо пані обирає.

    Кожен автор творить про себе й у дусі епохи. Старий польський цинік у сірі 90-ті написав "Відьмака". Дивно було очікувати від сучасної американки не історії про Сильну вольову.

    Оцінюю на 6,5/10.    … Expand
  70. Amleida
    Dec 24, 2019
    6
    The Witcher TV show is actually quite entertaining, but as someone who’s read all but one of the books, I find it really hard to ignore the politically driven changes that’s been made by the creator of the show. It’s not even the actual political agenda that annoys me the most, it’s how immersion breaking some of the changes or book interpretations are. Off the top of my head, one of theThe Witcher TV show is actually quite entertaining, but as someone who’s read all but one of the books, I find it really hard to ignore the politically driven changes that’s been made by the creator of the show. It’s not even the actual political agenda that annoys me the most, it’s how immersion breaking some of the changes or book interpretations are. Off the top of my head, one of the most powerful characters in the books is reduced to some weakling who can do a cool party trick, but ultimately goes tumbling down a hill and gets knocked unconscious. Oh, and for that role, they casted an average height, indian guy - although, he’s specifically described as «a fair skinned, particularly tall and handsome guy» in the books. Why? The books are based on Slavic and Northern European mythology, not some modern day, racial inclusion nonsense! Henry Cavill’s interpretation of Geralt is, in my opinion, as close to perfect as you can expect, and there are other, very good acting performances by the other characters in this first season of the show - but despite it’s fairly high entertainment value, I personally think it’s flaws and odd decisions on the part of the creator, prevents this TV series from being so much more.… Expand
  71. papamishka
    Dec 23, 2019
    6
    It's just ordinary.
    Basically a 1990s fantasy show with better production values, boobs and less fun.
    The books deserve better.
  72. zerafian
    Dec 22, 2019
    6
    The main issue I felt, was they took the first episode and wrote it in a way that it was only meant for people that have some knowledge of the existing story. They rushed a ton of the story within the first episode and kinda felt like the movies "van helsing" or "the brothers grim". Not terrible but not good. And lets be real, This show is suppose to be at least a 9/10, not a MEH.
  73. McCorius
    Dec 26, 2019
    5
    I was very excited for this show. I love the Witcher Video Games but haven’t read the books. It would be so easy to turn this into a great show and it may still become one. However, the strange way they lay out the plot jumping in time and place is confusing. Whenever Gerald is on screen it works but other times I found myself struggling to care about what’s happening. Now that allI was very excited for this show. I love the Witcher Video Games but haven’t read the books. It would be so easy to turn this into a great show and it may still become one. However, the strange way they lay out the plot jumping in time and place is confusing. Whenever Gerald is on screen it works but other times I found myself struggling to care about what’s happening. Now that all the characters are laid out it could still settle into a decent show. For now it’s just kinda meh.… Expand
  74. Igor_Pleshkov
    Dec 25, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Сериал заслуживает 10, но -1 за Трисс Меригольд, -1 за излишнюю толерантность, -1 за броню нильфгарда и Карыга лучника, -1 за музыку я бы мог перечислить ещё много минусов, но не буду. Некоторые моменты получились очень хорошо: Тиссая Де Врие прекрасна именно так я представлял её, Геральт хоть это и сепермэн-геральт неплох, Лютик тоже получился хорошо(кроме песен).Я читал все 7 книг прошел ведьмак 2 и 3 и я не против отступления от канонов. Автор имеет право добавлять что-то от себя немного переделывать сюжет для себя и своего видения, но авторы уж очень перестарались. фильм прекрасен, но его некоторые детали не дают восхищаться им. Жду 2 сезон и надеюсь они исправят многие недочёты хоть героев уже не поменять. Советую прочитать книги они намного интереснее… Expand
  75. dhat0204
    Dec 22, 2019
    6
    "Fans aren't TOXIC, they are PASSIONATE." - Henry Cavill.
    Henry Cavill is the actor who plays the role of Geralt of Rivia. To my knowledge he too is a big fan of the Books written by Andrzej Sapkowski and the Video Games made by CDProject Red. I'm not one to usually write reviews. But I think that this series will need someone who will see it with an open mind. I've read almost all of the    "Fans aren't TOXIC, they are PASSIONATE." - Henry Cavill.
    Henry Cavill is the actor who plays the role of Geralt of Rivia. To my knowledge he too is a big fan of the Books written by Andrzej Sapkowski and the Video Games made by CDProject Red. I'm not one to usually write reviews. But I think that this series will need someone who will see it with an open mind. I've read almost all of the books except for one, that book being Season of Storms, and played the 3rd video game three times over. Needless to say, I am a fan.

    That being said, for newcomers expecting this Netflix Series to best Game of Thrones.... It has potential but that may be stretching it a bit. But even as a fan of the Witcher book series even more so than that of A Song of Ice and Fire (GoT book Series) I couldn't help but compare it to Game of Thrones first season. But it is NOT GoT! If you have begun to watch it and haven't liked it so far in comparing it to an initially beloved and eventually divisive show (GoT), maybe this brief synopsis of my interpretation and OPINION will help to alleviate that feeling and give you a more refreshing look on the show.

    The Characters in this series are compelling. I have always enjoyed Geralt's travels on the path, Yennefer's development from a hunch back into the impressively powerful sorceress, and delving into the mysticism of Ciri's bloodline. The moral ambiguity of each story told and the choice, or lack there of, that is made by the characters is riveting. The world-building done by Sapkowski was very well crafted, so it is my hope that continuing forward the show pulls from its abundant amount of source material.

    People will complain about anything they can. Whether it be the sometimes awkward CGI, Cavill's wig, "Forced Feminism" (which I have seen in other posts), or any manner of things. But all-in-all I've never cared much for the sometimes shotty CGI or other mishaps, that'll happen in shows. I find more interest in the stories that are told. And on the "Forced Feminism" I myself don't indulge in the ideologies of either Feminism or MRA, maybe a little of both as kind of a non-partisan take on it all. There was an onslaught of Feminist remarks made within almost every scene. Does this really take away from the story? Yes. Was it needed? No. Personally I just try desperately to ignore it. But it keeps pushing proto-feminism down your throat rather than to actually give you a compelling story. I enjoy Strong female characters and Yennefer's and Ciri's stories are truly fascinating. In the books, for the most part, we were always kind of told those stories in the background with Geralt's travels and thoughts in the foreground. I like that the show acknowledges each characters stories and how it ties together in unison, pulling each story together rather than making them feel like separate entities within the same universe. But this is second to the feminist agenda of the scriptwriters. And the story itself suffers despite the great idea of melding these stories together.

    There has been a lot of focus on the people that have surrounded Geralt's life. Namely Yennefer and Ciri. And it appears to be building towards their intertwined destiny, to have incredible influence on one another and become a "family" of sorts. And each of their stories is GREAT, don't get me wrong. I'm not sure how many seasons Netflix plans on making for this show, but if its less than 4, then the pacing seems a little...off? I've watched every episode and Its like its too fast in some places, while all together too slow in others. Again, I believe this to be the fault of the screenwriters forcing an agenda on an otherwise compelling and captivating story that did not need it. And neither did its fans.

    If you are someone who is comparing it to Game of Thrones, I can understand how hard it can be not to. I was disappointed in GoT final season and have developed a critical and comparing sight myself for any show that has entered my eye holes since then. Needless to say, I think the Witcher fills that fantasy niche that my heart was looking for after the devastating blow that was Season 8 of GoT. Now as to whether The Witcher will satiate my want for an absolute masterpiece of a series... more needs to be seen in future seasons, but this season so far is simply WATCHABLE. Its interesting although not entirely true to the source material, that's all it needs to be at this moment. But there is far too much focus on promoting ideals than there is on alignment to the actual story.

    From the first season onwards, changes must be made. People giving it a 0 may merely be too critical, or as Cavill said they are simply VERY PASSIONATE about a series they love. I hope that those people will be able to set aside the shows flaws and try as I have to indulge into the truly epic tale that Netflix is trying to tell. And given the source material it has the potential to be one, IF THE POLITICAL AGENDA IS SET ASIDE!    … Expand
  76. RandRobert
    Dec 22, 2019
    4
    I really liked Geralt and Buttercup, but everything else is just a shame, this is the witcher for the smallest, without the political intrigue and racism of the original. Well, negros and Indians are not clear where they are present on the white mainland
  77. metys
    Dec 22, 2019
    6
    I'm a big fan of Witcher novels and I'm very disappointment. Overall quality is ok, fight scenes are great, ...but the story is very shallow (a lot of very important things is missing), very chaotic (difficult to understand for people, who didn't read the books).
  78. Angry_Renox
    Dec 23, 2019
    6
    После просмотра сериала ощущения можно описать так: Второй сезон гляну, но ждать уже не буду. Выйдет и выйдет.
    Не понимаю, как писался сценарий. Такое чувство, будто сценаристы прочли всего две книги и ничего не поняли или читали через строку.
    Во всех сюжетах, которые показали в сериале была бездарно упущена вся мораль и суть самого сюжета рассказа. Создается впечатление, будто сценарий    После просмотра сериала ощущения можно описать так: Второй сезон гляну, но ждать уже не буду. Выйдет и выйдет.
    Не понимаю, как писался сценарий. Такое чувство, будто сценаристы прочли всего две книги и ничего не поняли или читали через строку.
    Во всех сюжетах, которые показали в сериале была бездарно упущена вся мораль и суть самого сюжета рассказа. Создается впечатление, будто сценарий писал человек, который краем уха слышал чей-то пересказ сюжета и ничего не понял, но некоторые детали запомнил.
    Нам почти не раскрыли ни одного персонажа. Потратили кучу экранного времени на Йеннифер и ее превозмогание, хотя сюжетно это вообще не нужно. Что это дало? Зачем это? В книгах на это уделили пол абзаца. Сценаристы выкинули уйму важных моментов, упустили всю суть первых двух книг. То, что Геральт, который так долго отказывался от своего предназначения, не верил в него и поворачивался к нему спиной. Даже когда оно само его нашло в Брокилоне и он до последнего пытался от него убежать, все таки находит эту маленькую девочку, которая несмотря на все злоключения и войну в это самое предназначение верила и шла к нему.
    Как можно было так бездарно испортить сцену встречи Геральта и Цири в конце? Какие чувства у зрителя должна вызвать встреча почти взрослой девушки и незнакомого ей мужика?
    Очень жаль, что мир Ведьмака показали как простецкое фэнтези о сильных и независимых женщинах, а не как тяжелую драму в которой автор умело раскрывал и высмеивал многие пороки человека и человечества в целом, но в то же время указывал на достоинства.
    Многие моменты в сериале указывают на то, что сценаристы сами себе устроили проблемы из-за бездумных изменений и я очень сомневаюсь, что у них получится все это разгребти в дальнейшем.

    Если абстрагироваться от книг, то сериал где-то на 6 балов. Да и то из-за боевых сцен, которые вышли очень хорошими.
    К просмотру рекомендую только тем, кто незнаком с первоисточником.    … Expand
  79. Everything
    Dec 23, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It could be so good but the stories are rushed, some of the best part have been cut or changed to be worse.
    The sorceresses have been misused as not one of them exudes the confidence and class ascribed to their respective characters in the books. They act more like 19 year olds in their first convincing cosplay than 100 year old mages and Yen bothers me the most. The facial expressions she makes and the manner in which she delivers insults feels bitter and immature, not powerful, confident, and snobbish. This could just be bad writing but one way or another it needs fixed. This is after her transformation, the acting before is good. Some other parts from Yens story will either leave gaping holes in the plot or require extensive revision of it.
    Some characters have been done well though, Geralt and Jaskir are great, Ciri is good as well though there is room for improvement in all 3.
    For the smaller fights the choreography is great but the larger battles are not good and in Sodden Hill's case really is a massive let down compared to what it should be.
    The ending along with the stories have been changed in ways that have lost a lot of the emotional impact that the books had.
    The writing needs a lot of work, sometimes its good and sometimes its bad, sometimes i felt like the writers didn't know what they were making and a few times you can tell what was from the books and what was made up by the writers as it became a lot watered down.
    With Nilfgaard and Fringilla there are a lot of changes and i dont think anyone of them is for the best. There are more points but this is quite long now so overall whilst enjoyable for some parts there are a lot of things that need changing and made better. 5/10    … Expand
  80. Bruterake
    Nov 22, 2020
    6
    É ok, os efeitos especiais minha nossa podres mano. Tem umas parte meio jogada mais o principal é carismático e arrasta a série nas costas para o 6 de 10.
  81. geewah
    Jan 14, 2021
    6
    Was unsure of what to expect from this, but as someone who has played the games, there is a rich and diverse world to work with.
    It's a shame we got a bit of a sprawling mess across to many timelines. Sometimes a more linear approach is the best.
  82. IJustRoastedU
    Jun 15, 2022
    4
    Omg! The first episode was pretty good but everything else just was terrible to watch! This should have a 4/10
  83. busiek
    Jul 3, 2023
    5
    I watched first season - it was... meh, but Henry Cavill was very good as Gerald. "I'll give them a chance!".

Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Most Discussed TV Season of 2019
77
#77 Most Shared TV Season of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
53

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 17
  3. Negative: 3 out of 17
  1. The Independent
    Reviewed by: Nick Hilton
    Jan 3, 2020
    40
    The Witcher is a messy tangle of plotlines in a world underdeveloped to the point of obscurity.
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  2. The Telegraph
    Reviewed by: Ed Power
    Jan 3, 2020
    60
    As a mindless fantasy rollercoaster, Geralt’s journey is five stars all the way to tea-time. Sadly, for those who like brains with their brawn, it may be more of a slog.
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  3. Time
    Reviewed by: Judy Berman
    Dec 20, 2019
    30
    It takes a while for viewers to learn how these characters are connected, via an exasperating Westworld-esque narrative knot that takes much of the season to unfurl. ... The Witcher heightens our confusion by fumbling details that would have helped it set a cohesive tone. Dialogue vacillates, from line to line, between theatrical fantasy-speak and modern colloquialisms (“Dragons are, in fact, a thing!”).
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