Cover Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher (Netflix)
Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher (Netflix)
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What’s happening in the Witcherverse and why did this miniseries get the worst audience score for a Netflix original?
The Witcher started as a short story collection that evolved into a lengthy fantasy saga. The captivating lore of its universe birthed adaptations quicker than a plague. From comic books, films, and television shows, to role-playing and video games, The Witcher had multiple spinoffs—and many successful ones at that—you won’t be able to keep track of easily unless you’re an avid fan of the title, of course.
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In the recent production of Andrzej Sapkowski’s masterpiece of a book novel, we now have The Witcher: Blood Origin, a prequel to Netflix’s The Witcher series. Released on the same streaming platform on the day of Christmas, Blood Origin has four episodes with roughly around 40-50 minutes each. The miniseries tells us the tales of seven Elven outcasts in conquest with a formidable empire a thousand years before the Witcher world: the history preceding Geralt of Rivia’s existence.
Aptly intriguing as the plot is, Blood Origin has unfortunately received a number of criticisms revolving around the live-action spinoff as somewhere along the lines of being an impending failed franchise, a Witcher instalment without a purpose, and not giving justice to Sapkowski’s narrative. But even before it began, the commotion can be circled back to the recasting subject months before the Blood Origin premiere, when Netflix announced that Henry Cavill is out of the picture and won’t be returning for the fourth and coming seasons of The Witcher series.
See also: 5 Times Henry Cavill Made us Swoon in Suits
It was one thing to envision a Witcher spinoff with no Geralt, Yennefer and Cirilla in the storyline. But it’s another to visualize a Witcher show where Henry Cavill is not playing Geralt of Rivia. If you think Cavill is best suited as Superman in the Man of Steel, it is plausible that you haven’t started watching The Witcher series. The British actor may have had his face tattooed in your mind as Clark Kent, but Cavill’s performance as the White Wolf was universally exceptional.
Cavill took the famous witcher’s character and made it his own. The actor admitted that beyond the role, he personally loved the books and game franchise; describing how it was an honour to play the part. His passion for The Witcher served as the original series’ success was undeniable on a global scale which is why it is a shocking tragedy for Cavill to let go of Geralt’s reigns. On top of that, a lot of hate and disappointment for the latest spinoff was called for due to these three reasons:
It seems like a filler
Many have commented that Blood Origin is used to ease the transition from Henry Cavill to Liam Hemsworth, with the latter to fill in Cavill’s boots in future seasons. Albeit the story is focused on the origin of the first witcher and what occurred before the phenomenon, the absence of the witcher couldn’t count for its whole concept which is the gist of this franchise. Additional comments that included Michelle Yeoh just seemed like a publicity stunt and that she deserved better.
There's not enough substance
The majority took Blood Origin as something pointless. A critique mentioned that the series felt like Netflix threw in a bunch of female, action, and drama to hold the piece together. The plot in itself was lacking and lost the essence of the Witcher world and how its lore came to be. In an audience review, a lad named Marcelo A claimed, “In a generic fantasy setting with several box-ticking characters, a show with no soul rises from a place it should never have risen.” With Joey Batey as the bard Jaskier’s appearance, it’s a relief to at least see a familiar face though.
Above Joey Batey as Jaskier the Bard, The Witcher (Katalin Vermes/Netflix)
Joey Batey as Jaskier the Bard, The Witcher (Katalin Vermes/Netflix)
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Production was just...
Many questioned why Blood Origin only has four episodes to fit in a supposedly 1200-year chronicle. And some were debating that it has steered too far from Sapkowski’s storytelling. Novel fans took this hard, especially in our present time where people watch movies and series made after books and make sure to applaud if they’ve done justice to the story—or criticize otherwise. A backlash over Netflix about merely monetizing a fantasy masterpiece is definitely all over the internet.
But whether it boils down to Henry Cavill’s absence, the audience having high hopes since The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, or The Witcher name is just too high of a standard to live up to, it is said by a ton of Witcher fans that Netflix deserves the discrimination by not taking into consideration their viewer’s expectations.
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Kristina's passion to write came from her love for books. If her nose isn't buried in one nor her fingers are tapping away on a keyboard working on a write-up, you'll find her having a feast at a new restaurant or savouring coffee in the nearest shop listening to rock music. Also interested in computer games and all things Japan, she spends her free time playing Dota 2, watching anime, as well as reading manga.
