KoolHndLuke Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 I really liked it! Having played the games and read some of the books, I wasn't sure if I would or not. The casting is very good imo with Henry Cavill playing a very convincing Geralt, Anya Chalotra as the beautiful and complicated Yenn, Freya Allan as young Ciri, and almost every other character as well. I was a little disappointed with the casting of a few (Triss for one), but still overall a very good job I think. My fave so far is Anya since she is so delightful to watch and seems to be very natural in her part as Yenn. The locations chosen to shoot also looked spot on to me with both the games and what little I remember of the few books I read. The music is good and while it isn't one of the best features of the show, it doesn't detract from it either. The sword fight scenes are very original and beautifully choreographed- I definitely saw moves in the series so far that I haven't seen in anything else and it is fantastically brutal. The magic is somewhat underwhelming so far though and that is a definite minus for me as I expect to see these powerful mages and beasts really lighting up the screen. Overall I think the show had a good opening season and it already has a strong following I've read. So, you've played the games and maybe read the books. Have you watched any of the series? If you haven't then I would highly recommend giving this series at least a look. Happy Holidays! ?? 3 Link to comment
grundor67 Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 I too really enjoyed this! Being a fan of the games as well as the books, it was nice to see the attention to detail. Henry Cavill was perfect for the role of Geralt; he even has his speech patterns down....Hmmm. (hear that a lot in the games) I like how they handled Yenn's story arc as well. Obviously Anya was "all in" for this role and was quite convincing. I think this series has a bright future. I'm already looking forward to the next season! 2 Link to comment
KoolHndLuke Posted December 21, 2019 Author Share Posted December 21, 2019 4 minutes ago, grundor67 said: I too really enjoyed this! Being a fan of the games as well as the books, it was nice to see the attention to detail. Henry Cavill was perfect for the role of Geralt; he even has his speech patterns down....Hmmm. (hear that a lot in the games) I like how they handled Yenn's story arc as well. Obviously Anya was "all in" for this role and was quite convincing. I think this series has a bright future. I'm already looking forward to the next season! She is electric in the role, isn't she?!! And the friction and passion between she and Geralt is captured brilliantly. I am anxious to see Ciri's story mature as well. Like I said, very good casting and directing. Link to comment
winny257 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 2 hours ago, KoolHndLuke said: Spoiler I really liked it! Having played the games and read some of the books, I wasn't sure if I would or not. The casting is very good imo with Henry Cavill playing a very convincing Geralt, Anya Chalotra as the beautiful and complicated Yenn, Freya Allan as young Ciri, and almost every other character as well. I was a little disappointed with the casting of a few (Triss for one), but still overall a very good job I think. My fave so far is Anya since she is so delightful to watch and seems to be very natural in her part as Yenn. The locations chosen to shoot also looked spot on to me with both the games and what little I remember of the few books I read. The music is good and while it isn't one of the best features of the show, it doesn't detract from it either. The sword fight scenes are very original and beautifully choreographed- I definitely saw moves in the series so far that I haven't seen in anything else and it is fantastically brutal. The magic is somewhat underwhelming so far though and that is a definite minus for me as I expect to see these powerful mages and beasts really lighting up the screen. Overall I think the show had a good opening season and it already has a strong following I've read. So, you've played the games and maybe read the books. Have you watched any of the series? If you haven't then I would highly recommend giving this series at least a look. Happy Holidays! ?? did you know that there is already a real Geralt, for me the best and above all a Pole, because The Witcher is Polish. here the complete film, but unfortunately German. 3 Link to comment
Antrox Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Compares very closely to GoT. But in all honestly this show was probably the best fantasy series i've seen so far next to GoT. The critics are shitting on this show because they don't know jack shit about lore or anything to do with The Witcher series. Fortunately, if you're pretty much well informed of the lore you'll know exactly whats going on. Lastly im not going to say any spoilers as i've already finished the first season. What i will say though is it sets up the second season very well at the end, in a way it kind of makes you want more. 2 Link to comment
karlpaws Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 I saw the series on Netflix a few days ago but I haven't gotten around to playing the games yet. Would any of you think it would detract from the games or could a complete novice enjoy them in any order? (Watched/read plenty of fantasy so I shouldn't have any trouble picking up on who's what but more so... spoilers?) Is it set before/after/during the games or is it just a big screen version of the existing story with necessary format changes? 1 Link to comment
Antrox Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 3 minutes ago, karlpaws said: I saw the series on Netflix a few days ago but I haven't gotten around to playing the games yet. Would any of you think it would detract from the games or could a complete novice enjoy them in any order? (Watched/read plenty of fantasy so I shouldn't have any trouble picking up on who's what but more so... spoilers?) Is it set before/after/during the games or is it just a big screen version of the existing story with necessary format changes? Its pretty much set at the beginning of everything (Before geralt met ciri, before yen became an extremely powerful and beautiful mage). It basically sets up the series from the beginning. But again its good to know some bit of lore or else you might not get whats going on. Link to comment
KoolHndLuke Posted December 22, 2019 Author Share Posted December 22, 2019 3 hours ago, Antrox said: Compares very closely to GoT. But in all honestly this show was probably the best fantasy series i've seen so far next to GoT. The critics are shitting on this show because they don't know jack shit about lore or anything to do with The Witcher series. Fortunately, if you're pretty much well informed of the lore you'll know exactly whats going on. Lastly im not going to say any spoilers as i've already finished the first season. What i will say though is it sets up the second season very well at the end, in a way it kind of makes you want more. The writer doing the screen adaptation, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, explains that because the books were a collection of short stories, it is kind of hard to keep it in a neat, chronological order like GoT. What critics don't like (and left me a little confused at times) was the way the story jumps around in the time line. It seemed more like a dream sequence of events I think, and that might leave people not familiar with the books or games very confused about what's going on- like critics. But, I never paid any attention to what critics say anyway. 1 Link to comment
Antrox Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 38 minutes ago, KoolHndLuke said: The writer doing the screen adaptation, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, explains that because the books were a collection of short stories, it is kind of hard to keep it in a neat, chronological order like GoT. What critics don't like (and left me a little confused at times) was the way the story jumps around in the time line. It seemed more like a dream sequence of events I think, and that might leave people not familiar with the books or games very confused about what's going on- like critics. But, I never paid any attention to what critics say anyway. They're the same type of people who absolutely destroyed the ratings of Godzilla: King Of Monsters because of the plot, even though it was probably one of the best movies i saw this year. At this point i trust the audience score more then the critic score. It would also be the same case with The Joker movie. 1 Link to comment
fejeena Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 There were 2 short story books. Storys are in chronological order. ( one or two stories with Ciri ) Then a short novel , 1 book. And then the main novel in 5 books. ( The whole Ciri story and "death" of Geralt. Geralt and Yenn leave the world ) And Magic in the Books was often not spectacular. Except for a demon summoning / taming that lasted a whole night and almost completely destroyed a house. And the Mage "war" in the MageGuild. And no stupid glowing, aura, sparkling you just see the result of a spell ( fire, storm, hail,..) 1 Link to comment
karlpaws Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 41 minutes ago, KoolHndLuke said: that might leave people not familiar with the books or games very confused about what's going on- like critics. That might be a problem for me, but I'll probably give it a shot anyway. ... 8 minutes ago, Antrox said: They're the same type of people who absolutely destroyed the ratings of Godzilla: King Of Monsters because of the plot, even though it was probably one of the best movies i saw this year. At this point i trust the audience score more then the critic score. It would also be the same case with The Joker movie. Over the years I've found you have to pay attention to movie critics and find out what they are judging (just like product reviews on shopping sites, is the person complaining because it legitimately doesn't work, or are they idiots who can't read directions?). Some critics are all art and craft and like movies like The Irishman because of the technical aspects. The presentation is well put together and nicely edited. It flows, or the lighting is just right or yadda yadda. Those movies get awards and accolades and often barely break even because they're dull, boring or just not fun. Those critics also seem to always pan movies with a longer story or backstory in comics or books. The higher knowledge requirement might mean the movie isn't for everyone but that's ok as long as you know that going in (and choose to anyway). If someone watched Serenity without seeing Firefly they probably wouldn't like it quite as much. 2 Link to comment
KoolHndLuke Posted December 22, 2019 Author Share Posted December 22, 2019 1 hour ago, fejeena said: There were 2 short story books. Storys are in chronological order. ( one or two stories with Ciri ) Then a short novel , 1 book. And then the main novel in 5 books. ( The whole Ciri story and "death" of Geralt. Geralt and Yenn leave the world ) And Magic in the Books was often not spectacular. Except for a demon summoning / taming that lasted a whole night and almost completely destroyed a house. And the Mage "war" in the MageGuild. And no stupid glowing, aura, sparkling you just see the result of a spell ( fire, storm, hail,..) I kinda thought that they were in chronological order (mine were from a library many years ago), so I guess the writer(s?) are taking a little creative licence with the books? She did say that she/they changed one particular story around somewhat and a few others a little. And yeah, I'm just being a little fussy about the magic. But, I wish they would delve into it a little deeper since I love the varying ideas behind magical theory. Like one is supposed to be about places where mages can tap magical energy- they are sort of like a conduit. I remember Yenn telling Ciri about it in one of the books and yet we see none of the mages talking about or finding any such thing. Link to comment
TangoG Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 I'm enjoying it so far, still on part 4 . It helps to have either played the game or /and read the books. The grotty atmosphere is spot on & the monsters well portrayed. I especially like the elves, so good to see them treated as they should be. 1 Link to comment
FauxFurry Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 On the one hand, Henry Cavill wasn't necessarily the best casting choice for Geralt. On the other, I'd rather that he be Geralt than Superman if he could only play that role on the Supergirl TV series. I wouldn't wish that on any actor. 2 Link to comment
KoolHndLuke Posted December 22, 2019 Author Share Posted December 22, 2019 15 minutes ago, TangoG said: I'm enjoying it so far, still on part 4 . It helps to have either played the game or /and read the books. The grotty atmosphere is spot on & the monsters well portrayed. I especially like the elves, so good to see them treated as they should be. Agreed. They have done a commendable job of capturing the essence of the world portrayed in the books and games I think. They're also not overdoing it with the politically correct inclusiveness either. As someone else pointed out in a review, they got the right actors for the roles for the most part. 11 minutes ago, FauxFurry said: On the one hand, Henry Cavill wasn't necessarily the best casting choice for Geralt. On the other, I'd rather that he be Geralt than Superman if he could only play that role on the Supergirl TV series. I wouldn't wish that on any actor. Well, I did say that his character is believable. But he ain't on fire or anything. Gotta work within a budget I suppose. 1 Link to comment
Antrox Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 1 hour ago, FauxFurry said: On the one hand, Henry Cavill wasn't necessarily the best casting choice for Geralt. On the other, I'd rather that he be Geralt than Superman if he could only play that role on the Supergirl TV series. I wouldn't wish that on any actor. 1 hour ago, KoolHndLuke said: Agreed. They have done a commendable job of capturing the essence of the world portrayed in the books and games I think. They're also not overdoing it with the politically correct inclusiveness either. As someone else pointed out in a review, they got the right actors for the roles for the most part. Well, I did say that his character is believable. But he ain't on fire or anything. Gotta work within a budget I suppose. Personally I think Henry is perfect for the role of Geralt. He was very committed to playing him also which makes him an even better geralt then I thought he would be. 1 Link to comment
KoolHndLuke Posted December 22, 2019 Author Share Posted December 22, 2019 53 minutes ago, Antrox said: Personally I think Henry is perfect for the role of Geralt. He was very committed to playing him also which makes him an even better geralt then I thought he would be. He is just such a popular character that it would have been impossible for anyone to fill the role and satisfy everyone. Henry is rather good I think and it definitely helps that he's played the games, read the books, and is very enthusiastic and wants to be even better in the role. Both of the other actors in the interview I watched didn't have a clue about the Witcher books or games prior to being cast. I'll just say that the more I watched him, the more comfortable I became with him as Geralt. There's just a few subtle nuances with Geralt that I don't think he has captured yet. And again, I'm probably just nitpicking. Link to comment
Resdayn Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Seems the series good maybe, I might check it out eventually. Link to comment
ztuck Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Went in with an open mind and a lot of hope, since most screen adaptations of just about anything for the last few years have been utter garbage. But I must say I was surprised, I loved every second of it! Just binged the whole season in one go and it felt spot on. Only issue is the casting for Triss merigold, not bad acting but she's not a redhead ^^. 3 Link to comment
winny257 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 5 hours ago, ztuck said: Only issue is the casting for Triss merigold, not bad acting but she's not a redhead ^^. exactly! if they already make a film series from a game "story", then should the actor also with the characters in the game to match. all, at least a lot know the Witcher game series and the Characters therein. when I saw this I have lost the desire to Netflix! Spoiler that is Triss for me! 4 Link to comment
KoolHndLuke Posted December 22, 2019 Author Share Posted December 22, 2019 2 hours ago, winny257 said: exactly! if they already make a film series from a game "story", then should the actor also with the characters in the game to match. all, at least a lot know the Witcher game series and the Characters therein. when I saw this I have lost the desire to Netflix! Reveal hidden contents that is Triss for me! If you look at Anna Shaffer there is a decent likeness to Triss and I did seem to notice that her hair has a reddish tint in some scenes. I just think they need to make her look younger. Sorry Anna. Link to comment
Mexicola88 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 I watched 7/8 of season 1 so far and liked it. I only played the first Witcher a bit, same with the second, but played through the third. Some actors kinda feel cheap tho, i don't know, the effects are good and all, but the last tiny thing that makes it perfect is missing somehow. Imagine watching GoT and there is a small tiny thing missing, like the dragons or something. It feels like somethins is missing. Well that is probably because of the big shoes, GoT is representing, in this analogy. They just had a huge budget at the end, and we knew all actors etc. it's just something else than, just watching a complete new series. But i got a good feeling about the series in general, in the german version, Geralt is spoken by the same voice actor like in the game, and that is just great and really really helps. Link to comment
KoolHndLuke Posted December 22, 2019 Author Share Posted December 22, 2019 3 minutes ago, Mexicola88 said: It feels like somethins is missing. Probably the bigger budget that they want. Link to comment
Celedhring Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Anya as Yennefer was nothing short of amazing. She's perfect as that character. As for Henry Cavill, I initially wasnt sold on him as Geralt and thought Mads Mikkelson should have been Geralt. But Cavill's performance won me over. Sure the episodes jumps to different points of the story timeline but it follows the books rather than the games. It does require the viewer to have some background knowledge of the Witcher world. Oh, and Jodhi May as Queen Calanthe was great - she played Maggy the Frog in GOT. One other actress the one who played Tissiaeies de Vries was spot on too. Biggest disappointment has to be Triss Merigold. 2 Link to comment
KoolHndLuke Posted December 22, 2019 Author Share Posted December 22, 2019 13 minutes ago, Celedhring said: One other actress the one who played Tissiaeies de Vries was spot on too. MyAnna Buring. She was perfect. I wonder if these people know what they've gotten into? Link to comment
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