Millions of fans, eight episodes, two swords and one Witcher – review of the series “The Witcher”

Geralt, Yen and Ciri set out on their way

In the series, we follow in the footsteps of three heroes: Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg and Cirilla – the Lion Cub of Cintra. Their fates are intertwined, and sometimes even connected. We observe the title witcher during his journey across the Continent, during which he fights monsters, tries to avoid unnecessary conflicts with people and deals with one particularly intrusive bard, while trying not to get involved in the politics and affairs of the rulers. We have a chance to see the long and painful journey that the sorceress with violet eyes has traveled to become one of the most powerful mages in the world. We also follow the fate of a little princess who was forced to flee her home after the Nilfgaardian army stormed Cintra.

It is worth noting, however, that even if the series accurately portrays selected stories from two collections, it is not an entirely faithful adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s prose. Lauren Schmidt Hissrich admits in interviews that she had to make a few concessions, especially when writing Yennefer and Ciri plots that are truncated or just don’t appear in the Last Wish and the Sword of Destiny .

Disturbed chronology, great actors and Polish dubbing

The series has a very fascinating structure that Lauren Schmidt Hissrich saw in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk . Showrunner decided to divide the plot into three perspectives, focusing on the three most important characters: Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri, and spread them over time. The points of reference, or rather people facilitating the understanding of the chronology of events, are rulers like Calanthe or Foltest – it is them, their changing age and deeds are exchanged by different figures in different timelines. For many viewers it is precisely the non-linearity and rather enigmatic age differences, in particular of the royal family of Cintra, that were an insurmountable obstacle while watching.

The cast is definitely one of the strongest points of production. From the first episode, even for a moment, I had no doubt that Henry Cavill as Geralt’s impersonator would be great. He is very credible in his role, and his conservative and extremely minimalist play, largely based on facial expressions and grunts, blends perfectly with the character of the protagonist presented by Sapkowski. Also the character of Yennefer performed by Anya Chalotra got a new life, and the actress very skillfully presented her metamorphosis. Freya Allan is shown as Cirilla, and Joey Batey shines as Dandelion. And of course, it is impossible to forget about the Polish accent in the form of Maciej Musiał, who played Laszlo – a knight in the service of Queen Calanthe. Interestingly for most of these actors, The Witcherthis is the largest production they have had a chance to work on. It brings a breath of fresh air and gives you a chance for a quick career development, given the high popularity of the series.

The Witcher is a phenomenon on a global scale when it comes to the Polish language versions available on the Neflix platform, as it is available not only with subtitles and voiceover, but also with dubbing, where the only real Polish White Wolf plays the role of Geralt – Michał Żebrowski. Interestingly, you can also hear him as a teacher. It is also worth mentioning that Polish subtitles were created based on the source material, i.e. Sapkowski’s books, and not only by translating issues that were often previously translated from our language into English.

Critics divided, fans happy

A few weeks before the premiere, the first positive (though unofficial, as the embargo on reviews was dropping on December 20) voiced by critics began to appear on the Internet. However, when the show hit the platform, reviews on opinion-forming portals were rather average, if not even bad. However, fans seem to be generally satisfied with the adaptation. This dissonance can be best seen by going to The Witcher’s page on Rotten Tomatoes, where the difference between viewers and critics’ ratings is around forty percent. Even by browsing the posts posted by website users, one can notice universal satisfaction with the production. Many people emphasize that, although far from ideal, the series has great potential.

It is also very difficult to avoid comparisons to Game of Thrones , which come from all sides, both from viewers and professional reviewers, which the creators are trying to reflect. Even Tomek Bagiński himself, when asked by a journalist about the similarities between these productions, emphatically emphasized that they should not be put together.

The Witcher has divided public opinion quite effectively, especially in Poland, where fans are either delighted or disappointed. On this spectrum, I can in good conscience put myself somewhere in the middle. Despite several mishaps, the beginning of the Witcher’s adventures on the screen is satisfying and may be the starting point for the epic series that will accompany us for the next few years. So far the second season has been confirmed, production starts early next year and I, like many other people, are already looking forward to it.