The Witcher: Blood Origin, the review: the prequel | Nerd League

The Witcher universe, which includes books, video games and now several Netflix series, tends to revolve around its menacing monster hunter, Geralt of Rivia. He is the Witcher. The mythology blends bloodlines, timelines, magic, gore, and warfare with insidious storylines, requiring you to keep up with everything and stick with its hero. There are always mysteries and questions dangling in the fog, and the prequel is ours review of The Witcher: Blood Origin answer at least one of them: how was the first Witcher born?

The prequel series is the second spin-off of Netflix’s hit franchise The Witcher, consisting of four episodes streaming on 25th December.

The series was originally intended to consist of six episodes and, in terms of character development, the shortest length it may not have worked in his favor.

As promised, viewers will meet the heroes who laid the groundwork for the monster slayers we know along with backgrounds to other plot points from the original series. There is a prophecy unfolding and a motley crew of chosen seven who must unite with a common goal. Sure, they’re all rebellious souls in some way who want revenge or redemption.

At times, The Witcher: Blood Origin feels like Game of Thrones or Rings of Power or Willow and Wheel of Time (all together, bar none), but one thing this series does well is connect the dots, and it’s quite clever at how it does.

If you’re a newcomer to the franchise, there’s plenty of action you can get drawn into, but all the stylish sword fighting in the world isn’t going to help you figure out how it all connects.

Fans of The Witcher know that whenever Geralt’s yellow eyes turn black, he enters beast slaying mode.

Fast-paced, bloody, and action-packed, this series is not just a look at the first of its kind, but an immersion into the history of Xin’trea (now Cintra) and the prophecy of Ithlinne.

Let’s not explore Kaer Morhen’s famous School of the Wolf, since the focus here is on the elves and their dominance of politics, magic, and society on the continent. Below is the teriler posted on YouTube:

Where does The Witcher: Blood Origin start?

We continue the review of The Witcher: Blood Origin, saying that it is set more than a thousand years before Geralt’s time, the story is centered on the “Conjunction of the Spheres”. The showrunner Declan de Barra purposely plucked this vague moment from Andrzej Sapkowski’s books and created the whole tv series around it. At Netflix’s Tudum fan event, she said that as they worked on the second season of The Witcher, “we had a story point that we couldn’t fix because we had to know what happened.”

So the prequel takes us to a time when the elves were colonizers with a well established caste system of monarchs, wealthy nobles, merchants, warriors and lowly men.

Some want peace and others thrive on conflict. Dwarfs resentful? Yes. Scheming wizards? Yes. Humans? No. Brutal fights that splatter blood on the camera lens? Yes very much.

A familiar face greets us in the opening scene of the first episode, which serves as a big wink to let you know that this prequel ties in with the original series. No, it’s not Geralt — or even Vesemir — but everyone’s favorite obnoxious bard, Jaskier (Joey Batey). It is immediately clear that the theme of this Witcher installment is the power of history.

Whether told through song, gossip or campfire tales, stories are meant to inspire and change real-world outcomes. As narrator and Seanchaí, Minnie Driver’s character drives that point home for Jaskier and us viewers.

Éile (Sophia Brown) is a tough fighter of Clan Raven who was once loyal to the kingdom of Pryshia. Though she is now a famous bard, she has many enemies and a grudge against Fjall (Laurence O’Fuarain), an exiled Xin’trea warrior who lost his job for befriending a princess. Together, Fjall and Éile set out to avenge those who have wronged them and uncover a deeper conspiracy.

On the run, they eventually join the Scían of Michelle Yeoh, a master swordsman and the last living member of the Ghost Clan.

Yeoh doesn’t disappoint in his performance, whether it’s the intense action scene or the calm way he manages to get his point across.

We learn just enough about Scían’s people to get a snapshot of his agenda, but it would have been nice to see how his clan entered into the prophecy that drives the entire series.

Our protagonists

Four other characters join Éile and Fjall on their quest, which turns into a mission to save the world with a side of revenge. There are the celestial twins Syndril and Zacare who have magical powers, and Brother Death, a skilled hunter with a small penchant for cleavers. Meldof, a dwarf who at first seems like a potential psychopath, wields a mighty hammer named Gwen. Take this, Mjölnir! And he certainly knows a lot about the monoliths – another great wink.

Who are they going against? An unexpected coup throws things into chaos, leaving the gang to face the Empire. There is more than one villain here. An arrogant super-wizard named Balor (Lenny Henry, who was also in Rings of Power) reverse-engineers the Monolith’s magic and unknowingly sets the stage for a cosmic event.

His palace rides with Captain Eredin – which many will recognize from The Wild Hunt in the video games and main tv show – they make Balor feel like himself. But with great power comes great sacrifice and a lot of backstabbing.

The fight scenes brutal ones grab your attention and the deaths are true Witcher style: viciously violent. Many of the costumes are beautiful, but if you’re expecting traditional medieval clothing, remember this is an advanced elven civilization in a time before monsters and human interaction.

Over the course of the series, we see the “magnificent seven” become friends or lovers. Some fit. The Celestial Twins are magical brothers and one was already in a romantic relationship with Brother Death. Meldof is tough but heartbroken. There should be a romance between our main heroes, Fjall and Éile. However, it didn’t seem like there was enough time for their chemistry to develop into genuine, epic love. They undoubtedly share a bond, but the romance needs to heat up a bit more to truly hit us deeper.

While parts of the series feel rushed, you’ll still enjoy the action, cheer for the group’s cause, and have a few chuckles before the mini-series is over. One reason is the TV series’ insistence on spotlighting Éile’s songs. She sings in the beginning but she loses her will to be “the lark” when things get dark. Part of her journey is to see if her voice can change the world.

The Witcher: Blood Origin continues to give us the prototype of The Witcher story and helps explain plot details in the first two seasons of the original series as he connects storylines for the upcoming Season 3.

Important connections are scattered everywhere, flipping the script on what we know about magic and the continent’s elves and monsters. For these reasons, we advise you to pay special attention to the final episode of the series, which it probably is the best.