‘The Witcher’ Reviews: What Critics Think Of Netflix’s ‘Game of Thrones’

The highly anticipated release of Netflix’s “The Witcher” has come with a world of mixed reviews. While some may praise the visuals and the overarching Continent that Henry Cavill and the rest of “The Witcher” cast inhabits, other critics mock both Cavill’s performance and the show’s tone.

Given its literary roots, based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s Polish dark fantasy series, in addition to “The Witcher” games, Netflix’s adaption has more than just critics to deal with, as two large bodies of fandom remain highly vigilant. As of writing, “The Witcher” Rotten Tomatoes score rests at 58% Fresh from critics, but the average audience score boasts an 89%.

Most critical reviews only screened five episodes of the eight in total. While most don’t spoil the show, they do point to specific points throughout “The Witcher” that didn’t bode well, which is why a majority of them tend to explain that the show is meant for already existing fans, as Variety’s “The Witcher” review clearly states in its conclusion.

Entertainment Weekly’s review has already been received with immense backlash over on Reddit, where users are calling into question the reviewers’ professionalism and lack of watching the show in full. Said Darren Franich in his “The Witcher” review: “Because life’s too short for Netflix drama running times, I skipped ahead to the fifth episode, which brings the Yennefer and Geralt plotlines together.” The two EW reviewers inevitably came up with an F as their “The Witcher” rating.

In his Forbes “The Witcher” review, Erik Kain likewise identifies with Variety’s own issues that unseasoned “The Witcher” fans may have a hard time grasping Netflix’s version. “Indeed, the one thing that I worry viewers might dislike about ‘The Witcher’ is that without a strong knowledge of the books, or at least a good grasp on fantasy fiction in general, this show might require hard work,” he explained.

The Hollywood Reporter may be the most critical of the Netflix original dark fantasy, claiming its “convoluted build-up” gets in the way of its fun moments. Their “The Witcher” review also criticizes the pacing, calling it “needlessly slow.”

PC Gamer’s James Davenport, on the other hand, felt differently. When answering the question about how good “The Witcher” series is, he gave it praise, calling it “one of the best shows this year.” While other sites may have bashed Cavill’s version of Geralt, Davenport seemingly awards him a standing ovation.

“Cavill as Geralt is as limber and graceful you'd want, whipping those swords around like a seasoned monster hunter,” said Davenport.

“The Witcher” is streaming now on Netflix. ​