The Witcher Season 1 Review: Henry Cavill's Netflix Series Could Be The New Game Of Thrones

Available on: Netflix
Duration: Season 1/Episodes 8
Language: English

Story: The Witcher on Netflix's streaming service is based on the best-selling series of the same name by, Andrzej Sapkowski. The epic fantasy talks mainly about fate, family and destiny. Netflix defines the story as, the tale of Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter struggling to find his place in the world as he falls for a powerful sorceress and meets a young princess, which leads him to a secret worth fighting for.

Review: After HBO's fantasy series Game of Thrones went on to break numerous records, Netflix now has brought to their streaming service an equally epic fantasy story based on the book series, The Witcher. Starring Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Freya Allan as Princess Ciri, the series-season one follows different timelines to set the story and the character in place. While Geralt of Rivia is supposed to be a strong and heartless beast, he is a kind swordsman with the principles of a hero. Yennefer, the sorceress after having a troubled childhood gives up everything for power only to still feel a hole in her life. The last lead of the show is Princess Ciri of Cintra, a young prodigy who is bound to the Geralt of Rivia by destiny. In a world of elves, dwarfs and magic, the three find themselves in each others path time and again, separated only to meet again and fulfil their fate.

The Netflix original show has many things worth praising but the pilot isn't one of them, however, the show gets better with each episode unravelling the story. During the pilot, we are introduced to several characters and plot points which start to make sense after to reach halfway through season one. The Witcher plans so head in the story that the initial events will confuse you. At the start we meet Geralt, amid a battle with a monster, showing off his powers. After killing the beast, he returns to the town to earn some c for the coin for monster's body but is unwelcomed the townspeople, and gets called a monster himself. Throughout the first three episodes, we see kingdoms rise and fall, sorcerers ascend and die, some of the main characters are also killed off and a story is created that runs its course over the season one.

Based in a dark world we meet many dark characters and some grey, the protagonist himself is a character that would kill for money and at times as an act of kindness. There are no lines drawn as to who is good or bad, which makes it harder to keep track of all the pivotal characters. The screenplay of the show plays around with old English and modern mannerism. It is rather refreshing to hear character talk and dress like the 1200s and at the same time feel relatable to today's time. At first, it is hard to grasp but it quickly adds to the show's charm. We also have a bard, Jaskier who adds a bit of colour to the grim world by signing heroic tales of the Witcher making him famous in no time.

Watching Henry Cavill as the Witcher is not easy on the eyes at first, but is very close to the Witcher from the games. He has this habit of saying 'hmmm' very often, which works as a bit of fan service for the gamers but also adds a layer to his character, 'A man of few words'. Anya Chalotra and Freya Allan get their own time to shine throughout the season, we don't just see them act gracefully but also do some heavy-duty scenes like fights and magic. The world-building in the show is unusual and slow (also a bit different from the books) but for season one it is enough and enjoyable.

Overall, the show plays well with every single character's arc and gives a satisfactory end, but that is if you choose to watch all 8 episodes. It is a slow burn which makes the end even more pleasing, leaving you wanting for more.

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