The Witcher (Netflix series) - Henry Cavill [Archive]

kidgloves

23-Jul-2019, 10:03 PM

I know nothing about the books or games but damn that trailer looks good! I’m looking forward to going into this series without expectations!

With a lore rich and deep, It'll fill the gap left by GOT. The timing is brilliant.
Geralt is such a flawed character as well.
I've got over 1000 hours into The Witcher 3 and it is without doubt the best game i've played in 40 years of gaming. A true masterpiece. Cavill is telling the truth when he says he was obsessed with the game. You can tell. He won't need to do any research. He's there already as an actor.

Moon Knight

24-Jul-2019, 03:33 AM

With a lore rich and deep, It'll fill the gap left by GOT. The timing is brilliant.
Geralt is such a flawed character as well.
I've got over 1000 hours into The Witcher 3 and it is without doubt the best game i've played in 40 years of gaming. A true masterpiece. Cavill is telling the truth when he says he was obsessed with the game. You can tell. He won't need to do any research. He's there already as an actor.

Better than MGS and Ocarina of Time?????

kidgloves

24-Jul-2019, 02:50 PM

Better than MGS and Ocarina of Time?????

Absolutely imho.
I rate Link to the past over Ocarina for reference

bassman

24-Jul-2019, 03:30 PM

Link to the Past was great and what kicked off that world, but Ocarina was the pinnacle of that series for me! There’s no telling how many times I played through that game and it’s one of the main reasons, if not THE reason I still keep my N64.

Anyway, I heard out of Comic-Con that the show is based off the books more than the game, so hopefully it can still live up to expectations for ya!

Moon Knight

25-Jul-2019, 04:26 AM

Those early Zelda games really are works of art and timeless.

kidgloves

27-Jul-2019, 11:59 PM

https://youtu.be/cLZms_s8SEc

Casting is spot on to the games considering there was a bit of an uproar in the community when they were all announced.
The Yennefer actress particularly comes across exactly as she is in the game.

kidgloves

04-Nov-2019, 08:43 PM

Home run. :D

https://youtu.be/ndl1W4ltcmg

kidgloves

11-Dec-2019, 10:43 PM

https://youtu.be/8LiD3i9DS_c

https://youtu.be/AZDPuYeQQNM

https://youtu.be/KQPxD-GbF2c

EvilNed

12-Dec-2019, 11:34 AM

kidgloves

13-Dec-2019, 04:49 PM

I did not watch GoT, and I haven't seen any trailers. But I did play the first Witcher game briefly and the world it's set in really appeals to me. I'll probably catch this, despite my general aversion to fantasy.

It should appeal to most people here. I hope enough give it a chance. Cavill seems obsessed with the role

- - - Updated - - -

https://youtu.be/uUST_IQYp-o

EvilNed

13-Dec-2019, 10:32 PM

It should appeal to most people here. I hope enough give it a chance. Cavill seems obsessed with the role

I remember now that he was a World of Warcraft-player. He probably played The Witcher too

kidgloves

20-Dec-2019, 10:38 PM

This has exceeded my expectations which were very high.
It's brilliant. Cavill is Geralt.
The lore has been trimmed down so it doesn't overwhelm the new viewer and is relatively easy to follow.
CGI looks great.
I urge everyone to give it a try.
4 of 8 episodes done in one sitting.
2nd season confirmed.

MinionZombie

21-Dec-2019, 11:09 AM

I've not read any of The Witcher, nor played any of the games, but have been paying attention to this show a little bit and have been hearing lots of good things (even my Dad started watching it and he's enjoying it) - so I might give it a spin sometime soon.

EvilNed

30-Dec-2019, 10:15 AM

I'm not a fantasy person, or a TV-series person.

But I remember playing the first The Witcher game back when it was released and was blown away by how that game managed to convey the dark realities of a medieval world. It was grim and felt so well rounded and fleshed out.

Saw the first two episodes yesterday and have to say I love it. Never thought Henry Cavill would be a good Geralt, but turns out he is! Man he NAILS it. Even the voice is spot on. I love the setting as well. The villages, the costumes and how it doesn't shy away from violence - but without ever sacrificing that rather dark, eerie feeling of dread and mysticism that covers the world. Just like in the games.

Some small parts of it feel a bit stupid - like the battle in the first episode is very cookie cutter - a plain open field and just two armies charging at each other and it just evolves into a frenzy of hack-and-slash. Battles weren't at all like that, and why not have it set in a forest or some other interesting locale? You get the point. It was so "simple", like they just copy pasted a battle from Braveheart without doing anything with it. There are some instances of that throughout where you can tell that - well this is just TV after all.
Another nitpick was that in the second episode Geralt's narrative was the obvious C-plot, whereas the wizard girl was the obvious A-plot - and the princess on the run was the B-plot. Excuse me, but I want my Witcher to be front and center... ;)

Yeah. I am totally down for this.

Neil

30-Dec-2019, 10:40 AM

Enjoying it quite a bit so far (three episodes in). Finding The Witcher's character a little thin/dull, but I guess that will hopefully grow with time...

EvilNed

30-Dec-2019, 11:25 AM

Enjoying it quite a bit so far (three episodes in). Finding The Witcher's character a little thin/dull, but I guess that will hopefully grow with time...

Isn't he a classic loner stereotype, aka the man with no name?

Neil

30-Dec-2019, 12:04 PM

Isn't he a classic loner stereotype, aka the man with no name?
I know, but even "The Man With No Name" kicked out a few wry smiles and cool lines... Hopefully Geralt will no more of this as time goes on :)

kidgloves

01-Jan-2020, 04:29 PM

Good to see people enjoying it. The critics hate it, viewers love it which to me just shows how irrelevant they are becoming. I was sad when the season ended knowing how long we will have to wait. Its apparently been renewed for 2 more seasons and was a big, big success for Netflix.
My fandom for this if off the charts at the moment. Despite finishing The Witcher 3 on Xbone and all the DLC 3 times, i've just bought the switch version and started another playthrough. The switch version is a technical marvel, squeezing everything into it under 32gb. Its stunning to look at as well just like the PC and more powerful console versions. If you're into RPG's The Witcher 3 is a no brainer. Its also free if you have xbox game pass. I've bought it twice now in different formats which is my standard approach to support things I love.

Neil

01-Jan-2020, 06:48 PM

Some episodes/scenes come across a tad clunky, but generally there's a good feel to it...

Neil

04-Jan-2020, 06:22 PM

Well having finished it, some of the episodes and writing were a bit rocky IMHO. BUT, I look forward to season 2 & 3 :)

kidgloves

04-Jan-2020, 11:43 PM

Well having finished it, some of the episodes and writing were a bit rocky IMHO. BUT, I look forward to season 2 & 3 :)

Excellent. I liked the way the story was structured. Apparently it was too confusing for some professional critics hence the poor scores.
Im head over for the actress who plays Yennefer :hyper::o:D

BTW its looks amazing in UHD

MinionZombie

05-Jan-2020, 05:18 PM

Excellent. I liked the way the story was structured. Apparently it was too confusing for some professional critics hence the poor scores.
Im head over for the actress who plays Yennefer :hyper::o:D

There was one critic who watched episode one and then skipped ahead to episode five before complaining in their review that they didn't understand what was going on. :mad: Numpty calls himself a professional critic.

There was similar bullshit with "Love, Death, and Robots" with certain critics slamming it having only watched no more than 6 out of the 18 shorts in that series! Pathetic.

EvilNed

06-Jan-2020, 01:09 AM

I thought unraveling the timeline was part of the fun.

Neil

06-Jan-2020, 07:50 PM

I thought unraveling the timeline was part of the fun.

Yes! When you do that first... "Ohhhh!!!!!!!!!" during the series! :)

MinionZombie

19-Mar-2020, 06:33 PM

I've just got around to watching this now. Currently 5 episodes deep.

Thus far it's taken a bit of getting into, with the three separate stories (although now two of them have dovetailed) and frequently changing cast, but I'm gradually finding my way. I should note that I've never read any of the books or played any of the games, so I'm a total newbie to the material.

So ... 3 more episodes to go and I'll be caught up.

Neil

19-Mar-2020, 09:46 PM

MinionZombie

22-Mar-2020, 06:28 PM

Finished the season last night. I quite enjoyed it - got more and more into it as the episodes ticked by.

It didn't grab me as much as Game of Thrones did, but there's room for that to happen yet.

Episode 8 was pretty epic, even with hardly any Geralt in it.

...

Oh, and this made me giggle:

exgoaU3Fr5E

Neil

30-Oct-2021, 01:57 PM

Yes!

TJFVV2L8GKs

EvilNed

01-Nov-2021, 09:55 PM

Yeah, I'm ready. Happy to see it getting a release in late december. I have a party on the 17th and on the 18th I'm gonna be hung over and see the whole damn season.

EDIT: I'm even gonna go ahead and write that down in my calendar. Nice.

Neil

01-Nov-2021, 10:22 PM

kidgloves

19-Dec-2021, 07:44 PM

Just absolutely smashed season 2 in one go.

AWESOME.

That is All. Enjoy ��

- - - Updated - - -

Prequel series

mawzQRu1Kc4

Neil

20-Dec-2021, 11:23 AM

Just absolutely smashed season 2 in one go.
Dannng!

MinionZombie

20-Dec-2021, 11:24 AM

I've got just one episode left of season two (and then the making of to watch as well).

I'm not familiar with the source material or games, so I'm purely going on the show itself. I found Game of Thrones much more accessible (again, wasn't familiar with any of the source material) because I felt I had a better understanding of who everyone was, who was in allegience with who (and why), and what everyone wanted (and why) ... ... whereas with The Witcher I am finding myself a bit perplexed and lost at numerous points, getting a bit befuddled by this or that, so I think the show still needs work on how it tells the story. Season One was already obtuse enough with it's various timelines (I did catch the little in-joke they made about that, when the guy at the dock was slagging off the Bard's songs, haha), and while Season Two is better in those regards, I still find it a bit of a struggle at times to really know exactly what is going on and why.

That all said, Henry Cavill is fucking awesome as Geralt ... who sometimes feels a bit sidelined in his own fucking show! What's up with that? Also - so much fucking talking all the time. Yes, we absolutely need the talky bits to tell the story, but the talk/action ratio is far too out of balance. You could have 50 minutes of talk and 3 minutes of action, I mean, you wot m8? :p

It's a show I like, but I don't love it because I always feel a bit 'kept at a distance' by the style of storytelling. It's not about dumbing things down, it's just about tidying things up a little bit and balancing out the talk/action ratio a bit better. I do like that they've given Geralt a bit more of a sardonic sense of humour (which IIRC is how the character should be anyway ... I recall HC saying that in an interview recently).

Neil

16-Jan-2022, 10:09 AM

Generally enjoyed it, but it ended with a little bit of a wimper IMHO.

Shame the series was short IMHO...

MinionZombie

16-Jan-2022, 12:39 PM

Generally enjoyed it, but it ended with a little bit of a wimper IMHO.

Shame the series was short IMHO...

At least the last episode had some decent action in it that went on for longer than two minutes!

So ... much ... fucking ... TALKING in this show.

Yes, it's absolutely necessary for storytelling and I'll be the first to say that you can't just have action all the time as that simply isn't a story, it's just shit crashing about the place for no reason, but the story/action balance in The Witcher is so far off.

It felt like there was a lack of propulsion in this season, for me at least. Did all that much really happen over-the-piece? Ironically, for a show that spends so much time staring at people talking, I continually struggled to understand what was happening and why, not to mention who most of the characters were beyond the main three. Certain elements of the show lack distinction (e.g. the settings). Game of Thrones had a much more complex story and larger cast of characters with a wide array of locations - but I always knew who everyone was, what they wanted, why they wanted it, how they were setting out to achieve those goals, and where they were doing it.

The Witcher really needs to redress the story/action balance, utilise Geralt much more, and tell its story more clearly and concisely with increased momentum.

Neil

16-Jan-2022, 02:29 PM

At least the last episode had some decent action in it that went on for longer than two minutes!

So ... much ... fucking ... TALKING in this show.

Yes, it's absolutely necessary for storytelling and I'll be the first to say that you can't just have action all the time as that simply isn't a story, it's just shit crashing about the place for no reason, but the story/action balance in The Witcher is so far off.

It felt like there was a lack of propulsion in this season, for me at least. Did all that much really happen over-the-piece? Ironically, for a show that spends so much time staring at people talking, I continually struggled to understand what was happening and why, not to mention who most of the characters were beyond the main three. Certain elements of the show lack distinction (e.g. the settings). Game of Thrones had a much more complex story and larger cast of characters with a wide array of locations - but I always knew who everyone was, what they wanted, why they wanted it, how they were setting out to achieve those goals, and where they were doing it.

The Witcher really needs to redress the story/action balance, utilise Geralt much more, and tell its story more clearly and concisely with increased momentum.

Yeh, was a tad talk heavy :)

Hopefully season 3 learns and improves...

MinionZombie

16-Jan-2022, 03:12 PM

Yeh, was a tad talk heavy :)

Hopefully season 3 learns and improves...

I'd hoped for that from season 1, but alas.

Mind you, the structure of season 2 was definitely better - so there was more clarity there. However, the joke about some of the Bard's songs being too complicated (i.e. in reference to the confusing structure of season one) just generally came off as a bit smug, so we could do without that.

Speaking of the Bard - why do they have him talking as if he's living in 2021? His dialogue is so often meta and snarky in that 'point out the thing that's literally happening' way that's so common. It sticks out like a sore thumb compared to everyone else in the show, and so every time the Bard acts 'too modern' it's like crunching gears. I don't know why they insist on doing that, he can be the main comic relief without resorting to tonally and stylistically out-of-place dialogue. Geralt's funnier in this season, too, which does actually work and gives his character a bit more room to breathe and it's handled better - even just a look, a gesture, and a gravelly half-sighed "fuck", when well-placed, simply works.

Neil

16-Jan-2022, 03:25 PM

I'd hoped for that from season 1, but alas.

Mind you, the structure of season 2 was definitely better - so there was more clarity there. However, the joke about some of the Bard's songs being too complicated (i.e. in reference to the confusing structure of season one) just generally came off as a bit smug, so we could do without that.

Speaking of the Bard - why do they have him talking as if he's living in 2021? His dialogue is so often meta and snarky in that 'point out the thing that's literally happening' way that's so common. It sticks out like a sore thumb compared to everyone else in the show, and so every time the Bard acts 'too modern' it's like crunching gears. I don't know why they insist on doing that, he can be the main comic relief without resorting to tonally and stylistically out-of-place dialogue. Geralt's funnier in this season, too, which does actually work and gives his character a bit more room to breathe and it's handled better - even just a look, a gesture, and a gravelly half-sighed "fuck", when well-placed, simply works.

Yeh, his dialog was a touch Ryan Reynolds far too often!

Neil

17-May-2023, 12:51 PM

Season 3...

EUlC8ue8NFI

MinionZombie

10-Jul-2023, 03:08 PM

Anyone watching this?

I've ditched-out. Not even the great Henry Cavill could keep me watching despite the onslaught of utter meh-ness (and downright shitness at times) of the show in general. I was already strugging a bit on-and-off with the first two seasons, and season 3 really gets off to a thoroughly mediocre start ... quite literally, too. How would I not start season three of this grand fantasy epic show about a burly monster hunter? Well, I wouldn't do what the makers of this show did - a half-assed, quickly-cobbled-together punch-up round the back of some shoddy old barn you could find anywhere. It's the most underwhelming way to begin your season and really boggles the mind.

Of course, the main problems with the show persist as well. For example - I still have no idea where any of the locations are in relation to each other (something that Game of Thrones absolutely mastered), as everywhere looks pretty similar to everywhere else most of the time, with every population looking pretty darn similar to every other population. Then there's the dialogue of supporting characters ... e.g. the sometimes-Scottish/sometimes-Irish beardy-fighty dwarf guy who is constantly swearing and being vulgar for vulgarity's sake ... irksome ... but nowhere near as irksome (or downright infuriating) as the bloody bard bloke who still talks, in a realm of sword-wielding armies on horse back laying siege to castles and fending off magic spells, as if he'd stumbled onto set from 2023 ... ... oh wait, that's exactly how they've written that insufferable character. Idiotic. :rolleyes:

Cavill has been severely under-served by the material and after two seasons of being on-the-cusp with it already, I just can't be bothered to finish off his time on the show unfortunately. I didn't bother with that prequel mini-series either, which seems to have been universally slammed by critics and viewers alike.

It's funny, really ... these shows trying to be the next GoT (e.g. Rings of Power, The Witcher etc), and all fucking it up, and then along comes House of the Dragon and whips out its big old dragon-riding todger onto the table and shuts everyone up. :lol:

Neil

10-Jul-2023, 04:41 PM

I've made it though the 5 episodes but it felt lack-lustre... I'll give then next 5 episodes a go when they're released in a few weaks...

EvilNed

13-Jul-2023, 12:17 AM

I watched half of season 2 but then couldn't be bothered. It's way too slow moving and to be honest, anything that's not about Henry Cavill fighting monsters is just not interesting. I wish the show had been that and nothing else. But it's way, way too much of all the political intrigue between elves and kingdoms and whatever. I couldn't even understand it. The show was too complicated for me to understand.

kidgloves

13-Jul-2023, 08:31 PM

MinionZombie

14-Jul-2023, 11:20 AM

Lasted 2 episodes of season 3 before i bailed and you could class me as a superfan of The Witcher. Its been ruined by mediocre writing from hacks that is becoming the norm in tv series these days. I totally see why Cavill left and there were signs he was unhappy way back in season 2 production interviews when he kept saying he would stay as long as the authors vision was respected. I think he was preparing to exit then.
Real real shame.

There's also interviews where you can hear him talking about how Geralt's central role was diminished in favour of Yennifer and Ciri, and how they (but really just him) were having to 'find' a new way for Geralt to fit into this new approach.

Apparently in later books the focus does shift away from Geralt, or so I've heard, but the material they've been covering isn't like that ... so it's just bizarre that you'd take your titular character and sideline them. However, that's been getting done quite a lot lately, especially over at Disney ... ... it's baffling the powers that be can't figure out why it's a bad thing to do. :stunned:

It's telling, too, that the highlight of Season 2 was Geralt's farewell to Roach - a speech that was written by Cavill himself - because, apparently, what had originally been shat out by the writers was taking the piss. Surely, having respect for the material you're adapating is, you know, a crucial requirement.

Sure, you have to make adaptations from one format to another, but an awful lot of that comes down to structuring (and then, admittedly, the knock-on effects of said restructuring that can have major consequences for how the narrative plays out in the source text) ... but coming into it from day one looking to make huge changes? Come on. I've never read the books or played the games, but that doesn't make it okay to have these major changes - even as a newbie to the franchise I would hope that what I'm getting is a faithful and respectful adaptation of the source text.

It's also strange that they chose to do season one the way they did. It wasn't exactly easy to watch as a newcomer but, again, it was Cavill's sheer charisma on-screen and his dedication to the character that kept me watching despite the baffling storytelling of season one.

Neil

14-Jul-2023, 07:48 PM

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MinionZombie

14-Jul-2023, 11:36 PM

Now that's an interesting one about viewership, and how apparently Netflix strongly consider (or just outright do) cancelling a show if it loses 50% of it's viewership by the end of the season (seems slightly harsh, maybe ... in the first season at least?) ... ... so with Witcher down by that amount in season three, well, there shouldn't really be a reason to keep it going if that's the strategy.

It's strange, really ... surely they can see it'd just be throwing money at a problem that cannot be fixed because of how the show has been handled by its showrunner(s) and producers? But then again, there's been so many beyond stupid decisions made in the media world for years now. Ah, those Hollywood egos at play again... :rolleyes:

Neil

15-Jul-2023, 11:17 AM

Isn't the filing of season 4 with Liam Hemsworth imminent? I assume it'll go ahead?

MinionZombie

15-Jul-2023, 01:05 PM

Isn't the filing of season 4 with Liam Hemsworth imminent? I assume it'll go ahead?

Are they at that point yet?

There's a whiff of arrogance about some of these projects, assuming they'll just get the go-ahead or indeed Netflix (or whomever else) just blundering forth with more seasons despite the evident and continued decline in viewership and all the myriad problems with the project that have been there since its inception.

It's like Amazon doggedly continuing with Rings of Power, but I suppose they've put this gigantic train into motion and it's difficult to stop now ... but you do wonder, if season two crashes with audiences as well, might that be an end of that bugger up?

Neil

22-Aug-2023, 12:34 PM

Well didn't think much of Season 3 :(

EvilNed

22-Aug-2023, 02:26 PM

Are they at that point yet?

There's a whiff of arrogance about some of these projects, assuming they'll just get the go-ahead or indeed Netflix (or whomever else) just blundering forth with more seasons despite the evident and continued decline in viewership and all the myriad problems with the project that have been there since its inception.

It's like Amazon doggedly continuing with Rings of Power, but I suppose they've put this gigantic train into motion and it's difficult to stop now ... but you do wonder, if season two crashes with audiences as well, might that be an end of that bugger up?

The main goal of Prime shows is not necessarily for people to watch them in high numbers, it's for people to keep their Prime membership. If you're a Prime member you get a bunch of other benefits. So viewership is secondary. Amazon just wants the Prime membership to feel "worth it".

I'm all in agreement when it comes to what you're saying though, I don't think these shows turned out to be as good as they could have. There's really some episodes that are great, but overall the drama just isn't strong enough to keep people hooked, I guess.

MinionZombie

23-Aug-2023, 05:28 PM

The main goal of Prime shows is not necessarily for people to watch them in high numbers, it's for people to keep their Prime membership. If you're a Prime member you get a bunch of other benefits. So viewership is secondary. Amazon just wants the Prime membership to feel "worth it".

I'm all in agreement when it comes to what you're saying though, I don't think these shows turned out to be as good as they could have. There's really some episodes that are great, but overall the drama just isn't strong enough to keep people hooked, I guess.

Rumours are that Bezos had some words with folks at Prime Video as to why RoP didn't have higher viewership despite the huge production cost. Perhaps if he'd put more sensible people in charge (i.e. the sorts who wouldn't turn away a kick-arse-sounding Conan series because of "toxic masculinity" :rolleyes: ) then you'd get something better.

They've certainly had their hits with the likes of Jack Ryan, Reacher, Invincible, The Boys, and The Marvellous Mrs Maisel - as well as some good Prime-owned films - but RoP was such an eye-watering amount of money to spend on a messed-up project (led, incredibly, by two dudes who had one sort-of credit to their name and nothing else!!!). The money spent on RoP could've been spent on multiple smaller budgeted projects with higher creative risks and variety that could've turned up something truly great to rival, say, Stranger Things. But no ... they spunked all that cash on a turkey. Indeed, considering the types of shows that usually hit for them, it's even more baffling that they didn't go ahead with a Conan series! :stunned:

- - - Updated - - -

Well didn't think much of Season 3 :(

I couldn't be bothered to go beyond 3x01 (which almost bored me to tears), but from what I've heard online about it ... yeesh ... and a rubbish lame-o ending for Geralt. :rolleyes: