The Witcher: “Witcher” Hunt by Netflix

First of all, I want to clarify that I love the Witcher universe so much. The universe contains mystic creatures, different types of swords that are used in different situations, warriors, witches, and so on. One who plays the Witcher games can easily feel how mystic atmosphere it has. Missions are unbelievable, the aura is very good, and the stories are very impressive. It is like approximately a ninety hour-long nice film. I know that there are lots of people who play this game for hundreds of hours. So, it means that they find good reasons to play this game. For me, the reasons are being well-prepared, not to rush, and understanding what people really like and dislike — which means understanding the customer needs and desires to fulfill their needs — . At the end of the day, people decide whether the final product is good or bad. Most of the gamers and people who know the Witcher universe by reading the books say that the game is very good — almost perfect — and some believe it is excellent. According to my experience, the game is unbelievable. The stories and the variety of dialogues were amazing. I spent so much time with that game, and I was sad when it was finished. After completing the game, I started to watch the series. From now on, I am going to talk about the reasons why I really did not like Netflix’s Witcher series.

Firstly, if you expect a Witcher series that is very similar to games, you do not have to watch the series because you are going to be disappointed. The series typically tries to tell everything, but at the end of the day, for me, it gives nothing. So, I will examine the topics by dividing them into headings. Here is my review for Netflix’s Witcher series:

Characters: I did not like almost all the characters because the way they performed their roles look unprofessional. I did not like the character selection, compare to the game. Most of the characters’ facial expressions are below expectations. They perform their roles like amateurs. Sometimes I just skip the scenes because I cannot stand to see ridiculous and repulsive stares. The story and the relationship between characters are not realistic. I cannot see sincere friendship or brotherhood.

Environment: The environment and places look like I am watching an expensive theater (I gave this example not because I criticize the theaters, but when you go to a theater, your first priorities are not very realistic decorations but acting and scenario). Most of them did not look realistic. Especially in Season 4, it is not a good idea to use unprofessional green screen or that type of amateur or “cheap” technology. The Witcher brand does not deserve to be treated like this. There are lots of people who play the Witcher game for its epic landscape. In the series, it is sad that we see such unprofessional and extremely artificial places.

Story: The story is not extremely bad, but it tries to tell everything. They should have started small. There was no need to rush the main story, which is Wild Hunt. All the seasons, all the characters say “Where is Ciri?”, “Ciri is here.”, “Where are you, Ciri?”, “I am here, Geralt”, “Find Ciri!”, “I found Ciri”, “ I am not gonna leave you Ciri!”. After hours and hours, seasons and seaons, you still hear the same dialogues. It made me bored. I did not read the books — I will — Maybe this can be in the books, too. However, even though these dialogues are in the books, I am sure that they are not boring because most probably author found a way to express these feelings in a beautiful and impressive way. Besides, the series extremely shows the politics and relationship between kingdoms. In my opinion, it contributes to the story. However, when they deeply explain the politics in most of the episodes, it does not make me excited because they could not find a great way to explain the political structure of the kingdoms.

Battle and Dueling: When Geralt fights, it looks very good. It is clear that Cavill worked so hard for the Geralt role. While watching the fights, you can see how the sword is used in a professional way. Of course there are some bad effects and animations, but let’s not see them (!). The one missing point is the lack of fight scenes. It feels like I am not watching a Witcher series but a series that shows the Witcher universe and how Ciri finds her power. It is not an effective way of showing the Witcher universe. I should have watched lots of fights of Geralt between monsters.

Geralt: Last but not least, when it comes to talking about Geralt, there are lots of points that can be discussed. First of all, Henry Cavill did a great job. He performed the role very well with his extreme dedication to the role of Geralt. The voice and the attitude are like Geralt. However, the perfect Geralt is not Cavill. There should be someone else. I watched all the seasons in the series, and when I saw Geralt, I never felt that it was really Geralt. I feel like I watched Cavill with white, long hair. At the end of the 4th season, we are not going to see Cavill as Geralt, but it means a very big problem. As a company, you start to show the audience such a big universe, and after the fourth season, the main character is changing.

What should have been done?

There should not have been an agreement between CD Projekt Red and Netflix. The reason is Netflix does not make a big project. Most probably, it is because of the strategy implemented. They want to gain maximum profit by reducing the costs. So, the output is generally low quality. I am absolutely not comparing it with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but there should be a series that has LotR vibes with landscapes, effects, casting, music, … I know that it means too much money, but if a project is not going to impress audiences and fans, it is wiser not to start that project.

So, the story should begin with just Geralt and how he hunts monsters. I think that the first and second seasons should have just focused on that part. The reason is that killing a monster always has a story behind it in Witcher universe. “One episode-One Monster” strategy should have been used in order to make audiences excited. Besides, it could give audiences a chance to know Geralt better. Then, the story should have slowly turned its face to Wild Hunt. Also, all of the unnecessary parts and dialogues should have been removed. In the upcoming years, it can be better if a qualified team comes and shoots a new movie or film that represents Geralt and Witchers the best.