I think it's had some effect added to it too. Almost sounds completely redubbed/ADR'd. I find it off putting to say the least.
Me & the Mrs are hooked on this show. Give it a few episodes and it really starts getting good. Its a bit confusing with the timelines at first, but its weaving together nicely.
If you drop a A-list celebrity into the titular role of a forgettable C-list fantasy sword & monster show does it become a B show? •Henry ‘Man of Steel’ Cavil actually wanted to star in this. Despite 80% of his lines being “Hmm.” And “F***.” (And that’s ‘F***’ with a period. Not an exclamation point.) •Season One covers roughly thirty years of in-show time. The audience is left guessing at what goes where because the costume department assumes characters will never ever change their clothes. Or get a haircut. It’s very confusing when dead people suddenly attend weddings and middle aged sex offenders show up as kids. Maybe season 2 will be chronological. •If you like Monster-of-the-week shows like Grimm you’ll find stuff to like in this. Only not every episode has a monster for the monster slayer to slay(?!) •G-l-a-c-i-a-l P-a-c-i-n-g •Lots of Hollywood ‘soon & twirl’ sword fights. Like a prequel Star Wars movie. And there aren’t even many of them. I remember three in eight episodes. AND •Lots of historically inaccurate medieval battles. So if you liked Xena: Warrior Princess or Legend of the Seeker you’ll probably like this. Monsters and boobs but not much else.
Then you’ll probably like it. The monster’s look gross, there’s a comedic sidekick. If you’re expecting Game of Thrones scope of storytelling you’re not going to have a good time. If your concern is acting, story arc, and character development then the actual main character is Yennefer/Anya Chalotra. Henry Cavil says “Hmm.” A lot.
13th Century Poland. The book authors and publishers are Polish, many of the Characters have Polish names, Polish castles are the basis for many of the sets, Jaskier/Buttercup sings revisions of classic Polish songs.
Is that true or did the author create a fictional Earth much like Tolkien did with Middle Earth or like Martin did with the world containing Westeros?
That is my take. It reeks of adolescent names, thin plot devices, and never-ending fantasy twists, but it is fun for its own sake.
The world of The Witcher is Polish in the way Camelot is British The Witcher Books and Their Place in Poland's Culture | EXPATSPOLAND
as a fan of the witcher, the show is fun but feels pretty cheap. 3/4 of the way through, i've warmed up to cavill. he's doing a good job. wish the rest of the cast was higher tier.
The story is following three timelines: A. Ciri the princess is the most recent storyline B. Geralt’s starts about 30 years before A because he meets Foltest and Adda as children. Their child become the Striga monster he later hunts. And Foltest is middle aged. C. Yennefer’s story starts “a couple lifetimes” before A. But sorcerers don’t age so that doesn’t make anything less confusing. To make all of this even more confusing the filmmakers have chose to make all the characters never change their costumes or hairstyles. And they also could put subtitles on the screen saying what year/location it is but that would be too easy.
Think this show is decent with strong potential but just let down by a pretty crappy pilot episode and some clunky integration of timelines in the following few episodes. If you can make it till the midpoint you'll probably like it more. IMO they should have put some sort of title cards before the timelines with dates on them for the neophytes like myself. I think next season will be served better by having one timeline with varying perspectives. I also think the show is at its best when it leans a little into camp, I'd love to see more of that.
Another positive article about the show. I’ve now watched the series twice and I’m obsessed with the video game. Why ‘The Witcher’ Is the Ideal Netflix Binge-Watch Show
I'm a fan of both the books and the games, so I was in it for the long haul. Had I not experienced the former two, I don't think I would've stuck around for the latter. The production value: some of the sets and cgi look horrible. Some of the sets and cgi are truly fantastic. The casting: I didn't think Henry could pull it off...I was wrong. He's a fine Geralt. And by fine, I mean he's great. Who'd have thunk it'd be Yennefer and Triss who were so horribly miscast? They could...strike that...should pull a Dick York/Sargant with Yenn and it'd be for the better. Triss? Get outta here. All the SJW casting placement is tiresome. The accents are laughably (sadly?) all over the place. The timeline...what the hell were they thinking? It's confusing to someone who knows what's up...can't imagine trying to figure it out blindly. Could really do w/out the nudity. It's completely unnecessary. What a mess. But, it's The Witcher. Full of interesting arcs, monsters, world mechanics, and characters. They should get people from CD Projekt Red to direct and produce season 2.
I finally got a chance to watch some of this and thought it was excellent. Surprised that some didn't like it. I imagine if you come into it without any knowledge of the universe it might be a slog, but for anyone who loved the games, it's like returning to a special place.
