Good fantasy is not a fantasy in Netflix’s The Witcher. Powered by a strong performance by Henry Cavill and captivating world-building, it’s hard not to get swept away in a world of witches and monster hunters. It’s good enough that The Witcher review placed the show alongside Breaking Bad, Avatar The Last Airbender and Big Mouth on the list of best shows on netflix. For those who want to change their streaming platform, check our post on the best streaming services.
Why We Like It – The Witcher Review
Using video games as source material can be tricky for a TV series, but The Witcher nails it by creating a magical world around a great cast. Henry Cavill stars as the title character Witcher, who is a rare monster hunter who has lived for hundreds of years. The fantasy adventure gets even better from there.
- Strong performances from a good cast
- Great for fans of the video game
- Captivating fantasy world
- Timeline is confusing at times
- Some forgettable surrounding characters
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Performance
Henry Cavill delivers one of the best performances of his career as The Witcher. His stoic nature as an actor lends itself well to the character, who is also reserved. Anya Chalotra provides a strong counterpart as Yennefer, a troubled girl sold at a young age to be trained as a witch. Chalotra exhibits the most range and character development of any of the leads on the show.
Yet, for a show centered mainly on the storyline of three main characters, it includes a large cast of characters that can at times get lost in the crowd or muddle the timeline of events. Even so, there are some fun performances in there.
Design
The story of the show unfolds along with the timelines of three different characters: The Witcher, Yennefer, and a young royal girl named Ciri. The first episode introduces The Witcher and Ciri and develops them across the next five episodes. The show’s structure plays with the timelines of the characters, which can at times become confusing, but the plot becomes clearer as the timelines merge.
Ultimately, the intrigue behind the characters and well-planned cliffhangers make up for any confusing points or messy storytelling in the TV show.
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Value
This is not a one-and-done series. Due to the popularity of the first season, Netflix has already confirmed a second season, and it wouldn’t be shocking if a third came after that. If that’s not enough, fans can turn to the original book series, which began as short stories and developed into novels. A popular game series was developed from that material, so there’s plenty of cannon behind the show. You can follow us for the latest developments of new Witcher video game releases and reviews of upcoming seasons of the show.
The Witcher Review Wrap Up
Any Witcher review needs to mention the at-times confusing timelines and inclusion of some forgettable characters (do we need to remember them for later?). Overall, though, viewers are hard put not to get swept up in the fantasy of The Witcher’s world and Henry Cavill’s charismatic performance. If you’re a fan of elves, dark magic, and dragons (oh, my!), then The Witcher will definitely satisfy your itch. And, while the storytelling can be imperfect at times, you’ll be wanting more after each episode and, indeed, at the conclusion of the first season.
