The Witcher (2019– ) User Reviews

Henry Cavill carried the whole show

[tacotruk · 8/10 · 20 December 2019]

Now in no way is this show as bad as people thought it would nor is it as good as some of the other reviewers here think it is either. First of, Henry Cavill as Geralt is the best part of this show 100%. No doubt about that. The show is worth watching just for his portrayal. He really cares about the character and it shows. Pros: -Henry Cavill as Geralt. Can't say this enough. -The fight Choreography is just insane. GOT could have really used some of the insane fight sequences from the witcher series. -The Really amazing moments between Jaskier(Dandelion) and Geralt. They did Jaskier perfectly in my opinion. -Roach Cons: -Really bad casting choices like Triss,Foltest and the Driads. Also they butchered an entire portion from the books which was one of my favorite parts from the Last Wish actually. -Nilfgaard Armour. Like who in the right mind actually thought that it looked even remotely good. I wanted to skip the parts where they came up in the screens. -Very unfriendly to people not familiar with the books or games. This is a fan-service. Not entirely a con but you get the point. -DESTINY THIS DESTINY THAT. GOD STFU. I know destiny is a main focal point in the books but it was over done even there. I just got so tired of that word after watching for a while.

All in all its worth the watch if you're a fan of the Witcher games/books. I can't praise Henry enough for his performance though. Seriously.

Enjoyable but....

[tovart30 · 7/10 · 23 December 2019]

The one real issue i have with the show is that it doesn't do a great job of distinguishing between current and flashback scenes.

Henry Cavill carries the show

[Supermanfan-13 · 8/10 · 11 April 2023]

I didn't really know what to expect from The Witcher having never read the books or played the games but I'm a big Henry Cavill fan and saw all the high ratings so I thought I'd give it a chance and I'm glad I did because I liked it a lot, even more than I thought I would! It seems that most of the negative reviews are from people who are either comparing it to the games or books (which you shouldn't, just take it for what it is) or from bots from competing streaming services that rate everything Netflix does low. They say things like "another Netflix bomb" or something like that even though Netflix has had more Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy, etc. Nominations than any other company on the planet. Henry Cavill is such a great actor and was absolutely brilliant as the lead, as was the rest of the cast!

10 for Cavill as Geralt and 6 for everything else, so 8

[johnnybravoctk · 8/10 · 14 November 2022]

I'll watch Henry as Geralt for the 3rd season but then that's it for me. I've never seen the main star not given what he wants to stay before. I mean Tom Cruise became the Executive Producer of MI and Top Gun, same for Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool. They should have just made Henry ahead of the project and let him make the decisions instead of losing him. Because I severely doubt the show will make it with Liam unless they go a younger version of Geralt I guess, then maybe it could hang for a season, but that's about it. Which is a shame because the production design wasn't bad. The casting choices were way too woke for my Slavic tastes but most did an adequate enough acting job perhaps. So basically Henry carried the entire thing.

10/10 for Henry Cavill, 6/10 for everything else

[codyambeault · 8/10 · 16 January 2023]

Pretty much only kept watching for Cavill and Jaskier. They both did an amazing job, especially Cavill as the Witcher, his scenes and acting were perfect. Its too bad he was surprisingly only in about third of the scenes. Found myself bored with scenes without him and just wanting to skip ahead. Many of the other characters lacked charm and interesting sub plots and felt they had too much attention paid to them and that they were overall lacklustre. Would have liked more attention paid to Cavill and monster hunting. Really disappointed that Henry will not continue with the show since he single-handedly made it worthwhile to watch. Here's hoping the new actor can do the role justice.

I was a fan of the game The Witcher: Wild Hunt.

[elsafrost-31076 · 9/10 · 1 July 2023]

The initial two seasons were passable, with some promise. However, the third season proves to be a complete squandering of time. It fails to evoke any genuine emotions, not even passion between Yennefer and Geralt. The plot twists are lame, failing to provide any unsuspecting turns that would keep viewers on the edge of their seats. The script itself is poorly constructed, devoid of creativity and imagination. Without prior knowledge of the book's story, this adaptation becomes nearly unwatchable. The overwhelming abundance of bewildering names, territories, kingdoms, and characters only adds to the confusion. Is this the new direction entertainment is taking? I sincerely hope this is not a prevailing trend. What we truly yearn for is the immersion effect, eagerly awaiting the next episode, and being wholly captivated by the unfolding narrative. We long for the days of Game of Thrones' first six seasons, where every episode was a gripping masterpiece. I have added an additional 2 stars solely for the exceptional talent of the actors; they are truly outstanding. However, even their brilliant performances could not overshadow the pervasive flaws of the plot.

Cavill is Wonderful, but Writers Simply Suck

[Venge · 6/10 · 3 February 2023]

Netflix has once again released a series that has incredible potential, but has been undermined by horrible writing and extremely weak casting choices. Henry Cavill was an inspired choice as Geralt of Rivia, and obviously brings a lot of knowledge and fondness to the role. He gives the series a luster that is unfortunately quickly dimmed by the horribly dimwitted writing. Eels??? What is with the Eels??? Note: that didn't need a spoiler alert. If you've seen the series, you'll know what I am talking about, and if you haven't, you will know when you witness that silly travesty.

The sets are lush and well done, the costumes are good, and the music fits well with the setting. The exception to the music is when Dandelion goes from Medival to something akin to "Pop Harp". Grating doesn't even begin to describe it. I did like the action scenes, as Henry Cavill is very believable as a athletic monster slayer.

So overall, I give a 9 to Cavill and the great atmosphere of the series. The supporting cast are sporadic and generally weak, and rate no more than a 5 or 6. The writing, and in particular the scenes added to the script that were never in the original books, was extremely weak, and garnered no more than a 2 or at the most 3. I gave the show a 6. Mildly entertaining, but falls far short of the original books and the three Witcher games.

The Witcher: Blood, Dark, Magic, etc.

[ahmetkozan · 9/10 · 20 December 2019]

Production has an incredibly important place to shoot a series or film. Sometimes even a very minimalist story can reach an incredibly successful point after the right production stages. The Witcher series is far from minimalist. The Witcher is one of the best Middle-earth works in the world. Production quality is essential if you want to handle such a topic successfully.

The world that The Witcher goes through is a world with its own rules, races, characters, creatures, beliefs, even if it does not seem too strange to those familiar with fantastic narratives. In particular, the first two chapters carry the risk of being too confusing while reflecting the details of this world to the audience. After the chapters where it is difficult to fully understand which character serves whom and why, the story becomes more beautiful as the other characters gradually increase in the narrative. There are two main characters in the narrative except Geralt. One of them is Ciri, who was advised to find Geralt when her lands were taken over by the enemies. The other is Yennefer, a kind of witch whose aim is to gain as much power as possible. While the goal of these two characters is evident, the fact that Geralt at the center of the narrative does not have a significant motivation due to the character's characteristics causes the story to be thrown from one place to another. However, the story deepens as the characteristics of this character become evident and the dynamics of the world in which events take place gradually emerge. It is the primary factor that gives the dark tone of The Witcher's world that people use their power and material resources to seize land. The dark narrative that expresses the evil within man is supported by the visual language of the series. The visual language, dominated by darkness and shadows, brings The Witcher closer to a gothic horror narrative from time to time when combined with the characteristics of the characters it contains. This dark atmosphere also gains a realistic tone with the violence of the series. The Witcher, one of Netflix's most courageous works to date, relentlessly conveys the mess of the world it tells. It creates a consistent and dark atmosphere thanks to well-captured battle and combat scenes and technical details such as image management and music usage. 9/10

I see why Henry Cavill left

[BlockLike · 6/10 · 1 July 2023]

What can I say... Seasons 1 & 2 were excellent.

Solid writing with enough following to the source material.

Really good cast and acting.

Topped with some decent special effects and set design resulted in a very enjoyable dark fantasy adventure.

Then, along came season 3.

Oh dear... oh dear oh dear oh dear.

It feels as if they're trying to achieve the same as the first two seasons but with half the budget and deplorable writing.

Every scene feels cheapened and like a soap opera.

What on earth happened?

No wonder Henry Cavill left. This is nowhere near the caliber if the first two seasons and an epic disappointment.

The forth season will undoubtedly be doomed to failuref this is anything to go by.

Seasons 1 & 2 = 8/10 Season 3 = 5/10.

How to squander a big opportunity in just five easy steps!

[svederen · 3/10 · 3 July 2023]

As discerning readers of Andrzej Sapkowski's novels and players of CD Project Red's games will know, The Witcher universe is a rich and sprawling tapestry of interesting characters, deeply emotional plot lines, fantastic creatures and settings, and a uniquely Eastern-Eurpean-flavored take on the fantasy genre. It is an understatement to say that The Witcher-verse is a gold mine for an ambitious live-action show producer.

That also means it takes a special kind of talent to squander this potential in the way Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and her Sapkowski-hating writers managed to do. Following their five easy steps you too can become a failed show-runner, despised by fans across the world!

Step 1: Hire a popular lead actor that is very familiar with the source material. Then promise this actor and all the fans of the source material that you're working on a faithful adaptation of the stories they know and love, all while knowing that you intend to do no such thing. This step is important, because if you don't hype up fans of the original content, they won't be as massively disappointed when you inevitably fail to deliver. It is also important because your lead actor will feel that he has been suckered into a project under false pretenses, and when he tries to correct your flawed writing, you can then accuse him of being toxic towards the women in the workplace (They really did this. To Henry Cavill of all people).

Step 2: Hire writers that actively dislike the source material that your show is based on. This will ensure that your promise of a faithful adaptation cannot possibly be kept. It will also make them more likely to project their own views onto the stories, as required in step 4. (Again, they really did this).

Step 3: Whenever you deviate from the source material, do so in ways that don't add anything new or interesting to the story. Your mantra should be: "Replace the good with the bad". Related to this point, make sure that your deviations are also completely unnessecary - this will help the viewer feel confused about your "contributions" to the story.

Step 4: Shoe-horn as much of your own private politics into the show as possible. People hate being told what to think, so you must do so at every turn. The more your viewers are thinking about real-world politics and current events, the less they're concerned with immersing themselves into the world you're creating. If you can make it really obvious and jarring, they might not even be able to concentrate on the story at all! Win-Win-Win!

Step 5: Never listen to criticism, no matter how well reasoned or constructive it is. When disappointed fans criticize your first season, make sure you have a character breakt he 4th wall in the second season to directly berate and belittle those disappointed fans. When your now thoroughly disaffected lead actor tries to carry the show back on track, stand in his way and make is as difficult as possible for him. This way he will eventually give up and quit.

If you follow these five easy steps, you too can ruin a show, even if you have talented actors, directors, technical staff and tons of money at your disposal!

Winds howling

[markogruicic · 10/10 · 20 December 2019]

Amazing first season, Henry is Geralt no doubt about it

It's way better than i expected.

[sahibpt · 9/10 · 20 December 2019]

Henry cavill nailed the role perfectly. The fight scenes, the music, the cinematography, the whole atmosphere is beyond amazing. Netflix did it again

First of all its not game of thrones, its a totally different universe

[sangmesh27 · 9/10 · 22 December 2019]

The acting skills, direction, production quality of the show is top notch, henry cavill is superb, first being a avid fan of witcher books and games i was a bit skepticle on seeing the trailers etc, but oh my!!!!, The show is just plainly good. Some people comparing the show to GOT, because they dont have any knowledge about the witcher universe and comparing mainly on the basis of swords and clothes they see. A fan of witcher will truly love and enjoy the show. Henry cavill is the real witcher...... Lol

Final good season ahead, and then it's downhill...

[thepolishgirl · 10/10 · 15 November 2022]

I expect the 3rd (and final season of The Witcher that I'll ever watch) to be a good one - chiefly so because of Henry Cavill. To have an actor with his resources and his love for the source material WANT to play Geralt is trully a God-send. I've already downloaded the Henry Cavill face extensions for all my Witcher games; in my mind's eye he will always be Geralt. It is absolutely mind-boggling that having him, having the other cast members, the producers made the decision to slaughter the goose that lays golden eggs. I suspect this will top the blunder of Firefly in terms of fans and revenue lost. With all the love I have for Liam - he is simply not Geralt, and no amount of make up, white wigs or leathery body armour can change that. R. I. P., best fantasy ever brought to life. It's been a good run. One day, in a decade or few, perhaps a new hero will rise, loving the original story as Henry does, hopefully having at least a fraction of Henry's looks and dedication to this character, and we'll give it another go. Hopefully I'll live to see that day.

Truely Entertaining

[alec3280 · 9/10 · 20 December 2019]

What more could you ask for? Henry Cavill really loves this character and it absolutely shows. He gives it his all as Geralt and tries his best with the dialogue to make it his own. As for Yennifer and Ciri, they did a pretty good job! I can't wait to see what this does for their careers.

The fighting scenes are outstanding, brutal and well choreographed. The cinematography is pretty great as well, nothing really stands out but the world they've created is beautiful at best.

If you enjoy fantasy series like Game of Thrones or you enjoyed the books or the games than I think this will be a pleasant surprise for all who are watching.

Wheel of Time shoulda taken notes

[akkzcend · 10/10 · 16 December 2021]

After suffering through the first 6 episodes of Wheel Of Time series, Season 2 of The Witcher reminded me what good fantasy looks like. This show captures the essence of the characters and storyline, and the cinematography is resounding. I was fully drawn into the first episode of the new season and got lost in the worldcrafting. Unlike WoT that makes me wonder what odd art exhibit I stumbled into. The Witcher casting really brings the stories alive and doesn't leave a bit of doubt in your mind, just wanting to know/see more.

Season 3 is Awful

[hnpjzvrx · 5/10 · 10 July 2023]

As a fan of the books & games, I thought the first season was decent. It's an adaptation of a multi-book short story collection with an overarching narrative. Without prior knowledge of the series, I may have required multiple views to understand the timeline and events. It has a similar feel to the stories, though, and I enjoyed it.

Season 2 had a great first episode and an okay finale, but meandered in the middle episodes. The substance of many adapted stories were altered. Parts that were main story in the book felt like filler and lacked necessary plot & character development. I'll never understand why adaptations leave out parts that are important to understanding the main plot and characters, yet add meaningless fluff & soap opera drama. Some characters that don't say ten words in the books are main POV characters now.

Season 3 was awful. Before even looking at the train wreck of the content, I wonder why NF released half the season, when the second half will be aired three weeks? Why not wait and release the entire series, or release one episode each week? Anyway, regardless of the stupid release schedule, the first half of season 3 is abysmal. The main actors who brought the characters to life in season 1 don't seem to want to be there at all anymore. The script writers are no longer even trying to follow the Witcher stories, they're just off in the weeds doing their own thing. The drop in quality this season is precipitous. I'm sorry to say it, but Netflix's The Witcher is no longer worth watching.

Toss a coin to your witcher

[tudorpsih · 9/10 · 21 December 2019]

This has the potential to be a great show. So far I'm impressed. Season 1 feels a little disjointed, but knowing the source material, it's understandable. Henry Cavill is Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra clicked as Yennifer and Freya Allan has the potential to grow into her character. Some of the design of the monsters is questionable, but overall I very much enjoyed it.

Bring on Season Two!!!

[shannon-horan-180-750546 · 10/10 · 22 December 2019]

I loved this more than GOT! Another 10 seasons please!!! And then take over the film rights for Assassins Creed.

Decent,but inconsistent

[kathrinmaass · 8/10 · 21 December 2019]

OK, first of all to all the 1-star-raters: Seriously? Have you ever watched a bad movie? Watch Sharknado, then you know what an 1-star-movie ist.....even if you hate the adaptation, you have to take into account camera, editing, acting - everything. This is simply not a 1-star-movie. I do understand why some enthusiastic people give it a 10-star.rating, but again: seriously? There are some weaknesses in the series and what bothers me most is the inconsistency of quality. There are some really great scenes where everything fits: acting, camera, cinematogrphy, costumes, lighting....they are woth a 10. But then there are scene that really look like they have been taken from a cheap monster B-movie. The scene with the elven king in the caves....I thing most cosplayer would have gotten the better. There are some scenes that are just over the top tacky, especially when it comes to magic (the mages tower, Brokillon Forest). I have never read the books, only played witcher 3, so there was not much of a dissapointment hardcore fans felt. I think it was an above average show, but with flaws.

CRITICS ARE DEAD WRONG

[crtorresart · 10/10 · 23 December 2019]

What exactly is the point of a professional critic? Clearly it's not to help viewers decide what to watch because the audience for this show absolutely loves it. Television critics are so wildly out of touch with what the public wants - the Witcher nails it, fills the dark fantasy hole left by Game of Thrones without being anything like it, and is a story masterfully told. Maybe if a single critic actually bothered to watch the entire series they would have picked up on the gifted storytelling and not felt so lost. Also, probably the only game adaptation that's been successful, ever. I know it's a book as well, but that's besides the point. Players of the game will be in heaven. Must watch. I'm hooked. Keep it coming!

Gold does NOT rust!

[Engerek01 · 6/10 · 6 July 2023]

Strangely enough, this goof describes the downfall of the series perfectly.

Season 1: 10 Stars, simply amazing, beyond expectations.

Season 2: 8 Stars. Very good with many lovely story telling.

Season 3: ... What the hell was that?

In one of the latest episodes of season 3, Yennefer says "Look at all these Gold, left here to rust".

Yennefer is a powerful sorcerer, that has lived for centuries and has extensive knowledge in alchemy. She would most definitely know that Gold does not rust. That's what makes it so special.

And that summarize the quality of the 3rd season and how once an amazing show with beautiful story, wide characters and extended knowledge has now become a total waste of time.

Cavill is awesome!

[tpdsgt-90326 · 10/10 · 6 November 2022]

Love the show! Henry Cavill really sells Geralt character. All actors seem to blend together well. What makes a show great is the chemistry between the actors/characters, not the writing. Changing any character will disrupt the chemistry. Just heard Cavill will be replaced? I'm sure who ever replaces him will be a good actor but it will change the chemistry. I can't think of any show that did not suffer from changing the main actor. I'm sure there are a few but the odds are that the show will suffer. If the show suffers it will affect ratings, which will increase the chances it will get cancelled. This would be very disappointing. Because of this, I WILL NOT WATCH IF HE IS REPLACED!!!!! Why do they always feel they need to sabotage and ruin a great show! REMEMBER, THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT.

Imperfect, but promising 1st season, disappointing 2nd season

[Slawomir-Gwiazda · 6/10 · 11 January 2022]

Watched both seasons when they came out.

Liked the first season, unlike lots of people also liked the added Yennefer content. Didnt mind the chronological jumps but I understand that it might be somewhat confusing for some people. However in my opinion the solution to this was not to switch to a linear story, but to make the chronology and the flashbacks more accesible.

Sadly I have to agree, with the backlash to the second season, especially the backlash from the book fans. The writing team abandoned its source material, and replaced it with a very shallow, very generic fantasy plot already seen in dozen of fantasy series. Some characters are way off, also in regard to the way they were established in season 1. There is no promised "grey morality" or moral questions, its very bluntly communicated, who and what is to be considered "good and evil". Its also quite boring.

It seems at this point, netflix bought the brand name "The witcher", but decided to make its own thing to fit the casual audience, with flashy visuals.

Marvel light.

Its sad. The dark, harsh, cruel and unforgiving fantasy world of the witcher, with its rich characters with different motivations, interesting moral questions and plot inspired by eastern european folklore and actual eastern european history had the potential to be special, even as a sandpapered hollywood version.

A lost oppurtinity.

Horrendous 3rd season

[yevhenyia · 3/10 · 27 July 2023]

I thought they at least had a descency to say goodbuy to Henry's Geralt properly or include some cool action scenes in the last episode. Nope. Instead, they included some unnecessary annoying characters, unneeded scenes, and huge plot gaps. Tissaia's character is completely wasted. She supposed to be a strong and powerful figure. Instead, she is depicted as a weak teenage girl weeping for some dude. Yennefer was built as an ever-powerful witch in the first season and her character is completely wasted as well. Suddenly the elves are so powerful, while they resembled some homeless tribe during the first two seasons. Ciri is... I don't know what she is. Overall, the only good thing about this TV show was Cavill and his representation of a witcher. Since he is no longer in it, I will not watch it.

Also, Hissrich ruined all female characters in this show by horrible writing and poor casting choices.