{"id":105928,"date":"2019-12-20T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-20T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2019\/12\/boob-filled_borefest_or_game_of_thrones_successor_reviews_for_netflixs_witcher_series_are_in"},"modified":"2019-12-20T13:30:00","modified_gmt":"2019-12-20T13:30:00","slug":"boob-filled-borefest-or-game-of-thrones-successor-reviews-for-netflixs-witcher-series-are-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/12\/20\/boob-filled-borefest-or-game-of-thrones-successor-reviews-for-netflixs-witcher-series-are-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Boob-Filled Borefest Or Game Of Thrones Successor? Reviews For Netflix’s Witcher Series Are In"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Witcher<\/a>\u00a9 Netflix<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Netflix’s adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher<\/strong> fantasy series makes its debut today, and the critics have already issued their verdict on what many are anticipating as the next Game of Thrones.<\/p>\n

Starring Henry Cavill as the iconic anti-hero Geralt, the series is largely made up of new stories and isn’t directly based on the books or the popular video games (although some of the plot points mirror elements seen in both). Such is the weight behind the project that it has already been renewed for a second season \u2013 but is the first any good?<\/p>\n

Yes, says The Verge<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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The Witcher<\/em> could\u2019ve very easily turned out wrong. It\u2019s not hard to misinterpret what it is that actually makes the series interesting, but the TV adaptation gets it. The Witcher<\/em> is funny, intense, and uncomfortable, and it balances out those disparate emotions almost perfectly. Yes, it stars Henry Cavill in a bad white wig, but you\u2019ll forget about all of that as soon as he starts talking.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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GQ Magazine<\/a> is in agreement:<\/p>\n

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I started The Witcher<\/em> unsure. Being such a huge fan of the games, the pilot left me cautious as to whether this season could stick the landing on a tough adaptation. By the end of the fifth episode, it really finds its footing and its identity \u2013 camp, pulpy, not all that serious and decidedly not Thrones<\/em>. Is it as good as the games? No, it isn\u2019t, but few things are. Regardless, I still can\u2019t wait to see what its final three episodes have in store.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Empire<\/a> gave the series four out of five stars, saying:<\/p>\n

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Thanks to a trio of bestselling video games, many will already be familiar with The Witcher\u2019s lore, providing a much-needed leg-up. It\u2019s the uninitiated who may end up bailing early \u2014 likely somewhere between two girls being turned into eels and the appearance of a hedgehog knight. But to give up would be to deny yourself a real treat. As with Geralt\u2019s swamp beast tussle, there are riches in store for those with perseverance, and The Witcher<\/em>\u2019s is a battle well worth seeing through to the end.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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GamesRadar<\/a> feels that the series’ opener fails to capture the magic of Game of Thrones, but it’s still worth a watch:<\/p>\n

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The opening episode of The Witcher, then, is a mixed bag. It reaches out to be called \u201cthe next Game of Thrones\u201d, but falls short. Cavill\u2019s Geralt fails to make a lasting impression, while the overarching questions being posed aren\u2019t engaging just yet. However, with such bloody battles, and the promise of an epic journey, I\u2019m certainly intrigued to see where this goes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\"Witcher<\/a>\u00a9 Netflix<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Variety<\/a> seems to think that those who don’t already have an investment in the Witcher series might struggle to see the appeal:<\/p>\n

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As a \u201cWitcher\u201d watcher but not a reader, I felt the universe at times both overly broad (in its resistance of the single hero) and a bit narrow. Unlike \u201cThrones,\u201d it resists allegorical or metaphorical readings, at least at first, and is firmly about what it\u2019s about \u2014 magic and myth. That itself is less a flaw than simply design, but it does suggest that the appeal of this series may be limited to those already under its spell.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The Guardian<\/a> is slightly less enthusiastic, seemingly having lots of trouble with the haircuts:<\/p>\n

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My own pledge, made when The Witcher and I had to part company, is that I shall from hereon dedicate myself to becoming rich and powerful enough to commission my own epic swords\u2019n\u2019sorcerers fantasy in which everyone has a short back and sides. I can\u2019t bear any longer the sight of actors strolling around in aesthetically displeasing stringy wigs, which are surely the height of impracticability for any warrior, supernatural or otherwise, and make everyone look like a sub-Fabio who managed a term at Lamda before dropping out in unspecified disgrace.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Independent<\/a> was even harder on the series:<\/p>\n

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Like Game of Thrones<\/em> or Outlander<\/em>, The Witcher<\/em> is serving two masters \u2013 an audience transferring loyalties from other fantasy TV shows, and an audience already deeply committed to the Witcher<\/em> lore. The latter group \u2013 as we are seeing from Star Wars<\/em> fans \u2013 is a more vociferously critical caucus, and in pandering to them, The Witcher<\/em> is a messy tangle of plotlines in a world underdeveloped to the point of obscurity. The experience is not unlike playing a video game, where deaths, diversions and reboots leave you constantly unsure of your exact position in the narrative. Sadly, for The Witcher<\/em>, and House Netflix, their offering lacks even that modicum of fun.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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It falls to Entertainment Weekly<\/a> to deliver the most scathing review, however:<\/p>\n

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This is the first TV show I\u2019ve ever seen that would actually be better with commercial breaks. The goofy syndicated fantasy of yesteryear had to have a brisk pace, building every 12 minutes to an act-breaking cliffhanger. The Witcher<\/em> fully embraces the endless-movie layout of the worst Blank Check streaming TV. At the end of the series premiere, someone tells Allen\u2019s Princess Ciri that Geralt is her destiny. In episode 5, people are still telling her that Geralt is her destiny. I assume they will meet in the season finale. Alas, my destiny is to never watch this borefest ever again.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Have you had chance to watch the series yet? Share your thoughts with a post below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a9 Netflix Netflix’s adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher fantasy series makes its debut today, and the critics have already issued their verdict on what many are anticipating as the next Game of Thrones. Starring Henry Cavill as the iconic anti-hero Geralt, the series is largely made up of new stories and isn’t directly based on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105928"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105928\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}