Photo Source: Netflix
The Witcher was released on Netflix on December 20 of last year with a total of eight episodes. The protagonist of this show is none other than Henry Cavill, who is known for playing Superman in the latest DC Universe movies.
The Witcher cast includes other talented actors and actresses like Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, Freya Allan as Ciri, Myanna Buring as Tissaia and Joey Batey as Dandelion, to name a few. Twenty-one-year-old Anya Chalotra has appeared, as a minor character, in shows like Wanderlust, The ABC murders and Robin of Sherwood. The eighteen-year-old Freya Allan has appeared in the movie Bluebird and is set to come out in the British miniseries The Third Day and Gunpowder Milkshake in 2020. Joey Batey has appeared in three other films, which are the Riot Club, The White Queen and Film Stars don’t die in Liverpool. Myanna Buring is a Swedish actress that has appeared in many movies and television shows like Twilight, The Descent, and The Omen.
If you plan on watching this show, be aware that it contains: blood, gore, intense violence, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, and use of alcohol, among other things. Unless you are eighteen, Netflix will not show even show it in your suggestion list. Also, keep in mind that this show is based on a supernatural species hunter, so death at his hands is.. pretty freaking common and usual for the show. Don’t tell your mothers.
What most people do not know is that The Witcher is based on popular novels and short stories written by the Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, known as the Witcher Saga. The Witcher is said to be only 60% accurate to the novels, which was purposely done so that it isn’t so predictable. Clever, if you ask me.
Cavill’s character, Geralt of Rivia, is the handsome protagonist that unwillingly became the witcher (more on that later) as a child and was since then forced to hunt down threatening supernatural species, more often than not getting himself tangled up in some kind of life-threatening trouble.
From the very first episode, he already has some kind of reputation in which people in the villages fear and admire him, and although he attempts to seem nonchalant and not care, it is obvious that even witchers have feelings. Think of Shrek in the first movie, where the terrifying ogre longed to find someone who wouldn’t judge and fear him and unwillingly got a talking donkey to be his best friend- Dandelion, in Geralt’s case. Toss a coin to your witcher, anyone?
As Geralt of Rivia begins his journey alongside his new friend, the two other protagonists, Yennefer and Ciri, have their own journeys and battles to fight. Ciri’s kingdom is attacked at the beginning of the series, and so she is forced to flee on her own and leave her grandmother behind in order to find her destiny- who, to the confusion of nearly everyone, is somehow Geralt of Rivia. Meanwhile, Yennefer is struggling with becoming the most powerful witch to walk the earth and getting people to look past her strange deformities.
Overall, The Witcher has had great reviews since the day it was first released, like an 8.4/10 rating on IMDb and a 665 on Rotten Tomatoes. Netflix has even confirmed that The Witcher was the second most popular show in 2019, second place only to Stranger Things and even more popular than Umbrella Academy. I personally enjoyed watching the show, and not only because of Henry Cavill… although he was a great choice for Geralt of Rivia. I strongly recommend this show to those who enjoy watching fictional shows set on medieval periods, and don’t mind R-rated content.
By Evelin Perez Cruz (Staff Writer)