The Witcher Debuts on Netflix: Critics’ Reactions Are Mixed, but Audiences Seem to Love It

[Tsing]

Netflix may have found its Game of Thrones. Today marks the release of The Witcher, which stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, and it appears to be doing quite well with audiences: it's already racked up a 9.3 on IMDb and an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics can't seem to make up their mind about it, however, with lack of consistency, wokeness, and general boredom being recurring complaints.

This is a show with moments of drama and of gruesome violence cut through with a glancing humor that too often feels tossed-off and out-of-place in the world the show has created. The show’s dramatic sensibility is intense and indulgent, crafting action sequences whose length bulks out episodes past hourlong running times. Its comic sensibility is puerile and a bit sarcastic.

 

[Peter_Brosdahl]

Haven't watched it yet but I think when it comes to the humor part of it they'll have to find their own rhythm. From the over the top gruesomeness of GOT, to the near slapstick of Marvel, and then almost passionless disconnect of some DC projects, there's a lot to compare with these days. Sure there's tons of fantasy out there but it's still kind of a first on it's own. Yeah it's based on best selling international books but no one should ignore the impact of the games. That's a lot of interpretation to cover, not to mention Netflix's own branding, in one season. Got a feeling that the 2nd season will have a few interesting improvements.

 

[Dan_D]

Just started this so we'll see how it goes. I know nothing of the source material and I've barely played the games. It looks correct as far as I can tell, but again, I don't know much about it.

 

[SmokeRngs]

I just finished watching it and I thought it was great. I've only played the first two games and haven't read any of the books but found it quite entertaining and recommend it strongly.

I'm not sure what anyone is going on about regarding the humor. There's not very much humor at all and what there is was done well in my opinion. The majority of the humor is one of two things. The first is the annoying bard guy trying to be interesting and funny but almost always turns out as annoying; exactly the way he's supposed to be. There's some humor with it but from what I remember it's just the character being the character. The second part of the humor is Geralt. He never tries to be funny but it's his dialogue which is funny; mostly when he's insulting someone. There's also his one word reply when something for him goes wrong. I will agree that much of the humor tends to be sarcastic but at least according to the games it's supposed to be that way.

I don't know about wokeness except for the number of black people in the show. There are definitely quite a few but in most cases it doesn't take away from the story.

I don't understand the complaint about drawn out action or fighting scenes. I didn't find them to be drawn out at all and I'm willing to bet quite a few people will be more inclined to complain about not enough action and fight scenes. I thought the overall mix was really good. I was wanting something more than a gory non-stop fight show and I got that something more.

My biggest annoyance is that I have to wait more than a year for the next season to come out.

 

[Peter_Brosdahl]

We started watching it last night. Wife really likes it and wanted to binge the whole run but I'm pacing it. I think, overall, it's pretty good. I think he nails Geralt. I also like how most of the cast is unknown to us but really seem to be enjoying the parts. Really like the scenery and background too. Costumes are spot on and can easily identify the various countries. At this point my only complaint is too much handy cam action. Very blair witch like and not into it. Otherwise, it's a good start and just wished they'd done a longer season.

 

[Riccochet]

I've watched 2 episodes and still don't know what's going on.

 

[Peter_Brosdahl]

I've watched 2 episodes and still don't know what's going on.

It took a couple of play thru's of Witcher 2 for me to fully grasp all the complexities the history. They pretty much jumped right in with the series. I'm not sure how the books begin but this is pretty similar to some parts of the 2nd game.

 

[Riccochet]

It took a couple of play thru's of Witcher 2 for me to fully grasp all the complexities the history. They pretty much jumped right in with the series. I'm not sure how the books begin but this is pretty similar to some parts of the 2nd game.

I've never played the games nor read the books. And for it being on Netflix they should do a better job of laying some foundation. They're trying to reach an audience beyond the gaming community and are doing a bad job of it.

 

[Peter_Brosdahl]

I've never played the games nor read the books. And for it being on Netflix they should do a better job of laying some foundation. They're trying to reach an audience beyond the gaming community and are doing a bad job of it.

I can see what you mean. It's a tricky balance. On one hand there's the need to make it digestible. On the other it's a juggling act to separate out the many details while keeping a pace. I admit, I was shocked how quickly, and how many, different character stories the got running right away. They could take a lesson from Mandalorian in slowly building the various stories before runinng with them.