Jamonique Waite – Staff Writer
Set in an era where magic and the legend of the creatures that live under our beds exists, The Witcher, a TV series on Netflix written by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, Declan de Barra, Andrzej Sapkowski, Beau DeMayo, Jenny Klein and Haily Hall, tells the story of Geralt of Rivia, played by the impeccable Henry Cavill, who is an estranged, beleaguered, battle-hardened ‘Witcher,’ who is a biogenetically engineered warrior forever tasked with hunting down this magical realm’s numerous monsters. He then was suddenly smacked with the job of a father-figure to the exiled Princess Cirilla, played by an excellent Freya Allan. This unlikely pairing must travel the length of the continent, avoiding monsters as well as the agents of ambitious royals who will stop at nothing to eliminate the young royal.
While the description of “Harry Potter” meets “Lord of The Rings” may suffice to rally up fans, the show flows seamlessly and its setting is so smooth that it can perfectly immerse newcomers with no idea of any other prior material related to the plot. The plot is riddled with heart wrenching and new-found love, friendship and creates a sense of belonging, at some point the movies becomes more of real life despite prior knowledge that magic never existed. Normally, Netflix original movies are a hit or miss depending on what you like, but this one was knocked right out of the park.
The cinematography holds a splendid display of gut busting drama and spine-tingling thrill tied together with ever evolving features made this series what it was, perfection. Another movie would have failed because the world of The Witcher is densely compacted and setting up characters with their own backstory is something that is risky, but the TV series producers gave enough time to let each individual shine, and the casting direction absolutely nailed it.
There were some head scratching moments whereas there are some spots here and there that create confusion, and some of the cuts between multiple stories being told in a single episode can be quite jarring, especially for newcomers to the Witcher universe. I could see this series being quite daunting as someone uninitiated with the franchise, as they are dropped into the middle of a very complex story already in progress, though anyone who sticks with the series will be rewarded with top-notch world and character building as the series develops into the first eight episodes.
Overall, if you’re a fan of fantasy, drama, and thrillers this show will be right up your alley, but the series has a little something for everyone. Action fans will find plenty to like here in the gorge filled choreographed fight sequences, and those who enjoy character-driven drama will be thrilled to know that the characters and their interactions and dialogue is really the series’ bread and butter.
It certainly isn’t perfect, but it has a lot to love and a lot of potential for the future as the best parts of the Witcher story are yet to be told. With a four-star rating on Rotten Tomatoes, this emotional roller-caster of a series is sure to take you on a wild ride; keeping you at the edge of your seat as you watch the hardened heart of Geralt beats and the life of a princess changed forever.
waitej7@mail.broward.edu