Netflix's The Witcher is beautiful and grotesque in its first trailer

[mongeese]

Highly anticipated: Netflix stole the show at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday with the first trailer for The Witcher series, debuting “later this year” with eight episodes. The brief yet action-full trailer maintains the strong aesthetic fans of the games desire but burning questions about the story remain. How will it build upon the lore of the game and books? Will Henry Cavill (Geralt) have a mustache? Where is Gwent?

Netflix has not been forthcoming with information, yet we already know so much about the world of The Witcher from Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series (which the show is based on) and CD Projekt Red’s trilogy of games. The show will be heavily influenced by existing material, but it will deviate in a few key ways. For example, during an interview with IGN, Ciri is described as having a “sheltered upbringing” and that’s not exactly how I’d describe her in The Witcher 3.

“It’s about just going all in and making what you think it is, and it’s not necessarily conforming to what every single person says on the internet,” Henry Cavill said in San Diego. “It’s different for everyone. You just provide your insight into the character and who you think they are, and you go from there.”

Cavill, most famous for his role as Superman, is taking up the mantel of Geralt of Rivia. To the relief of many existing fans, Cavill is a dedicated The Witcher gamer himself.

“It would be like playing another run of The Witcher 3 but with a completely different skin on and that I think would be interesting, because I’ve played it through a number of times now and it’s ‘okay cool, I’ve done it, I’ve seen it’ and I still get that same enjoyment out of playing it through. But what if I could play it slightly differently? Then yeah, this is kind of what it is for me when you’re doing the show. Yes, it’s Geralt of Rivia the witcher, but he looks like me now.”

Despite earlier concerns about Cavill’s appearance in his flowing silver wig, he looks damn good. But as some fans have highlighted with some pointy questions, almost every frame in the trailer looks like it could have been an outtake from a certain, popular high-fantasy TV series that recently ended. Dedicated fans of the games will no doubt watch the show, but Netflix had better be wary of fantasy fatigue.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/81050-netflix-witcher-beautiful-grotesque-first-trailer.html

 

[Puiu]

It looks ok, I'll check it out.

 

[newcombcmb]

Doesn't look too bad. I might have to check it out.

 

[Nobina]

Maybe if they gave him a beard he would look like Geralt more. His hair looks like he's an elf. Minor complaint though.

 

[noel24]

I dunno.
It looks too clean, makeup & decorations lacks the grittiness of HBO series or even BBC, even when dirty, they look like cardboard dirty. Lighting, camera work is akward, stationary, bad choice of lense like it recorded a theatre, stage play. CGI look cheap. I hope I'm mistaken and final product will be palatable, at least on a story front.

 

[BigBoomBoom]

I dunno.
It looks too clean, makeup & decorations lacks the grittiness of HBO series or even BBC, even when dirty, they look like cardboard dirty. Lighting, camera work is akward, stationary, bad choice of lense like it recorded a theatre, stage play. CGI look cheap. I hope I'm mistaken and final product will be palatable, at least on a story front.

And worst of all, no Gwent.

 

[toooooot]

Not bad. But not Gerald and Gwen in a bed.

 

[Ean Mogg]

GWENT is in Wales if you want to know lol

 

[LeroN]

Another Orlando Bloom.

 

[ET3D]

Another Orlando Bloom.

Yes, he's totally Legolas in some instances, but in some other scenes he's not.

But yeah, still the prettiest.

 

[urbanman2004]

Presentation looks pretty solid.

 

[captaincranky]

Maybe if they gave him a beard he would look like Geralt more. His hair looks like he's an elf. Minor complaint though.

The hair is probably a product placement from "Pantene"... Or now that I think of it,, possibly Revlon.

 

[cliffordcooley]

I wonder if his toenails are painted to go along with all the other Hollywood misconceptions from this era.

 

[captaincranky]

I wonder if his toenails are painted to go along with all the other Hollywood misconceptions from this era.

Nonsense. His toenails were probably painted in the games too, you just couldn't see it unless you had a video card which would run it in "ultra" settings.

 

[Footlong]

Maybe if they gave him a beard he would look like Geralt more. His hair looks like he's an elf. Minor complaint though.

They are adapting the books. CD Projekt Red took liberties with the property to make their game feels like a different product from the books. Like Geralt having a beard and caring two swords on his back. Aging Ciri and the looks of Geralt. Making Triss hotter. Many changes that lead to a troubled relationship with the author, also he wanted more money for a bad contract that he signed with them. Another story though.

 

[gamerk2]

Maybe if they gave him a beard he would look like Geralt more. His hair looks like he's an elf. Minor complaint though.

In the books (as well as the first two games) he is explicitly clean shaven, so the lack of a beard makes perfect sense in context.

 

[Capaill]

They are adapting the books. CD Projekt Red took liberties with the property to make their game feels like a different product from the books. Like Geralt having a beard and caring two swords on his back. Aging Ciri and the looks of Geralt. Making Triss hotter.

Exactly.
So comments like this are incorrect:
"Ciri is described as having a “sheltered upbringing” and that’s not exactly how I’d describe her in The Witcher 3."

 

[bexwhitt]

Maybe if they gave him a beard he would look like Geralt more. His hair looks like he's an elf. Minor complaint though.

https://I.imgur.com/elNvzN7.jpg

 

[Nobina]

https://I.imgur.com/elNvzN7.jpg

Nowhere in the book does it say Geralt looks like Legolas from LOTR I assume.

 

[Capaill]

Nowhere in the book does it say Geralt looks like Legolas from LOTR I assume.

Sure it does. In the first book in chapter 2, page 27:
"And see, here comes our rugged champion, to battle the evil witches. How like Legolas he looks, yet nary an uruk-hai in sight."