THE WITCHER (Netflix 2019)
***Spoiler FREE Review***
I have never read the novels.
I have never played the video games.
I have limited to no familiarity with Polish folklore or myth.
And yet, I really enjoyed this series. But I almost gave up on it early on.
The first two episodes were a real slog to get through. Too much verbal exposition delivered by multiple characters all with very different thick accents, making it difficult to follow the plot; while at the same time dumping the viewer into the deep end of the Dark Fantasy pool without any sort of education about the rules of this sword and axe world; three seemingly unconnected storylines that fill you with more questions than answers.... there is a lot to process in those first two hours, and it is not helped by some awkward pacing and editing.
But then hour three happens. And everything clicks. The bigger picture emerges and the rollercoaster ride begins!
Henry Cavill is excellent. He thoroughly embraces the role and rules the screen.
This a hard "R" rated series for violence and sex. But it has more of Conan mixed with Lord of the Rings vibe than Game of Thrones.
The sword fight choerography is well done. I have read many fans say it is very much in the spirit of the video games.
The budget is decent, with the CGI ranging from fantastic to serviceable. The cinematography is suitably dim and dark, with splashes of vibrance.
There is surprisedly a lot of dark humour in the series, which is needed, as the story can get quite heavy and melodramatic at times.
The series is only 8 episodes long and much is left unanswered.... the rules of this dark universe are still not clear to me and the villains of the epic are sorely underdeveloped.
But it is very entertaining. My wife LOVED it and gave it a perfect score on Netflix of 5/5.
Myself, after I got over the first 2 hour hump, I was fully engaged and had a fun watch but at the same time felt many narrative beats were rushed through and not fleshed out enough.
Luckily, Netflix has already renewed the series for season two, and I eagerly look forward to learning more about the Witcher and his world of monsters and magic.
3.5 out of 5 for me.