Adam Knight

Rough around the edges, with truly great performances and a lot of potential. Having read the entire Witcher book series, this is a story that I absolutely love. It's near the top of my list of favorites. So I have a lot of anticipation and high expectations for this series. The strength of this series really relies on the cast and the writers. It is truly refreshing to see an IP that I love so much be adapted by a group of people who all seem to really love what they're doing and be putting so much effort into their performances. Henry Cavill is spectacular as the iconic Geralt of Rivia and expands on previous iterations of the character, making the role his own while still staying true to all the aspects that makes the character so great. The supporting characters and two other leads (Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg and Freya Allen as Princess Cirilla) all bring this fantasy world to life with very real performances that remind us that they dont have to be saving the world from an apocalyptic danger for their stories to hold true dramatic weight, and that's also a testament to the great writing this series has. The effects and editing are the series' weakest points. Much of the CGI is laughably bad and the video editing crew seemed to have fallen in love with an editing effect that creates a spherical blur around the focus of the scene which, for me, created moments of frustration and confusion as the effect is at best distracting and at worst nauseating. And the effect is applied in A LOT of the series' scenes. The practical effects, however, are spectacular. Geralt is a professional monster hunter, so seeing some of these legendary monsters brought to life was something I was very much looking forward to. One of the monsters specifically is almost entirely created by practical visual effects and it works so well. It really feels like a throwback to classic horror and makes me feel like the stakes are real. It's worth noting that the fights and battles in the series are absolutely brilliant, especially those that include Cavill, as he does all of his own stunts in the series. The way the story is structured undoubtedly makes it a difficult one to tell on screen while staying true to the source material, and for the most part, the writers and directors get it right. There are some spots here and there that create confusion, and some of the cuts between multiple stories being told in a single episode can be quite jarring, especially for newcomers to the Witcher universe. I could see this series being quite daunting as someone uninitiated with the franchise, as they are dropped into the middle of a very complex story already in progress, though anyone who sticks with the series will be rewarded with top-notch world and character building as the series develops over the first eight episodes. Overall, if you're a fan of fantasy, this show will be right up your alley, but the series definitely has a little something for everyone. Action fans will find plenty to like here in the gorgeously choreographed fight sequences, and those who enjoy character-driven drama will be thrilled to know that the characters and their interactions and dialogue is really the series' bread and butter. It certainly isn't perfect, but it has a lot to love and a lot of potential for the future as the best parts of the Witcher story are yet to be told.