The first reviews for The Witcher: Origins have been released
Miscellaneous / / April 03, 2023
It seems that the new fantasy hit did not work out.
The Witcher prequel was one of the most anticipated show this winterHowever, judging by the first reviews, the series turned out to be extremely controversial. The authors of a number of foreign publications have already looked at it and left rather negative reviews. So, on Rotten Tomatoes, Origin has only 36% fresh based on 11 reviews, and on Metacritic - 54 points four reviews.
Many writers noted that the series did a poor job of telling the story of the Conjunction of the Spheres, which is key to the series.
“If the goal of Origin is to tell us the story of the first witcher and explain what the Conjugation is, then this is only half successful. And if he does well with the first one, then you almost forget about the Conjugation until it happens, although even then it plays only a minor role in the storyline.
Therese Lacson
“The plot and all the gimmicks begin to bear intriguing fruit in the last 20 or so minutes of the final episode, when we learn more about the Conjunction of the Spheres, the cataclysm that causes the worlds of elves, dwarves, humans, and monsters to seep into each other friend. The dazzling image of this event conveys its incomprehensible scale and meaning, its profound reorientation of space and time. But all interesting plot twists, like Origin itself, end as soon as they begin. The series immediately ends in failure.
Niv M. Sultan (Slant Magazine)
“In a year filled with stunning fantasy worlds — House of the Dragon and Rings of Power among them — this one is ultimately at the bottom. The exploration of the origins of mutants before The Witcher and the story of how the worlds of monsters and humans collide should have enriched the main series and be exciting in their own right. But the show does neither."
Bradley Russell (Total Film)
Some reviews note the lack of key characters to empathize with and the lack of storytelling of the characters.
“It's impossible to make an interesting witcher story without Geralt; we've already seen this happen with Nightmare of the Wolf. But this animated prequel was still focused primarily on the witchers, and it featured the character of Vesemir, who had much of the same appeal as Geralt. Origin, on the other hand, feels too far away from the things that actually make a franchise interesting, and too crowded for any one character to pull off an entire project."
Andrew Webster
“Origin moves at an accelerated pace, but it manages not to feel rushed. However, it seems like the show could slow down a bit to stop at certain intervals, giving talented actors more time to interact and tell more about their story and hopes for future".
Matthew Aguilar
“As it turns out, The Witcher is so great, mostly because of Geralt (Henry Cavill) and the supporting cast. Yes, the world of magic, elves and monsters is rich and fascinating, but it is interesting only because we see it through the eyes of such fantastic heroes. I don't hate the new Origin cast, but they're nowhere near as convincing as the actors I came to know and love from the main series."
Joseph Stanichar (Paste Magazine)
But there are also positive reviews in which the authors noted good action and stunning landscapes.
“A star-studded cast, great acting, killer action and, again, some of the best costumes on TV can go a long way in hiding structural flaws. This year I was promised a cool fantasy series, and I got it. Just not what I expected."
Kayla Cobb
“Origin wobbles a bit towards the end, but ends up neatly wrapping it up, although there are some story branches that branch off into the larger world of Netflix’s The Witcher. However, the series is still worth watching without being tied to a larger franchise. It's a nice fantasy story that you can get lost in and not think too much while watching, which is a good thing."
Vanessa Armstrong (Slashfilm)
“Origin is a gripping and memorable account of how the Conjunction of the Spheres came into existence and the first prototype of the Witcher was created. While the villains and political storylines surrounding the empire are less interesting, the series backed up by a fascinating band of misfits who travel the continent kicking ass wherever they didn't go. And although the special effects of the project are inferior to recent big-budget fantasy series, the use of the landscape of Iceland as a backdrop perfectly compensates for this.
David Griffin (IGN Movies)
Are you planning to watch Origin? Write in the comments.
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