The Witcher: Blood Origin is a fantasy series that tells the story of how the first ever Witcher was created and the events leading up to the conjunction of the spheres. The series is streaming on Netflix.
Story
A magical elf shares the story of 7 individuals who came together under a singular cause to defeat a beast and save the world by creating the first-ever witcher.
A group of elves, Fjall, Eile, Scian, Callan, Syndril, Zacare and a dwarf named Meldorf join forces as Merwyn, the princess of Xin’trea takes control of the elven kingdoms with the help of the chief sage, Balor.
Balor opens portals and travels to different worlds with the help of monoliths that were discovered by Syndril. His only aim is to gain enough power to rise above his lowborn status and take control of everything.
Merwyn wants to civilize the other worlds and capture all of their resources for her own people’s benefit. Lots of magic and extra-planetary beasts are involved as Syndril finds a way to give an elf the power of a monster so that they can defeat Balor’s beast and destroy the monolith.
Performances
Sophia Brown plays Eile the Lark, the warrior bard who serves as a beacon of hope to people through her songs. Brown has good chemistry with her fellow cast members, especially Laurence O’Fuarain and her singing performances are extremely melodious.
O’Fuarain plays the gruff Fjall Stonehart, and he does a great job portraying a soft and loving person surrounded by a rough exterior. His turn as the witcher and depiction of pain is terrifying.
Lenny Henry’s role as Balor, one of the main protagonists, doesn’t inspire great fear but he does an adequate job. Mirren Mack is similarly effective as Merwyn the idealistic empress with noble intentions who kind of loses her way.
Michelle Yeoh, Lizzie Annis, Huw Novelli, Francesca Mills and Zach Wyatt round out the arty of heroes and they all have significant parts to play with Yeoh standing out the most.
Positives
The screenplay is magnificent and adapted well into the ‘Witcher’ universe. The story of these people coming across one another and travelling to vanquish the big bad is wonderfully told.
The series is a visual spectacle. The vast expanses, the majestic locations and the various costumes and effects all collaborate to produce something truly amazing to observe.
The background score and sound overall is yet another department that excels in making this series exceptional within the realm of fantasy.
Negatives
There’s a missed opportunity with the battle between Fjall and the monster as it’s extremely brief and apart from the insane strength, there isn’t much to the battle. Fjall shows some glimpses of his battle ability, but it is an underwhelming experience overall.
The characters aren’t completely fleshed out which means it’s not as easy to invest in them as expected, diminishing the true impact of the fates of the various people at the end.
Verdict
The Witcher: Blood Origin is an entertaining look into the lore of The Witcher franchise and provides a glimpse at how the titular race came to be. It has a great narrative with potentially good characters that are let down by a slightly congested execution.
It can definitely be watched by fans of the character to learn more about its history and to enjoy the beauty that is captured and shown on screen.
The Witcher: Blood Origin
Director: Vicky Jewson, Sarah O'Gorman
Date Created: 2022-12-25 13:30
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Also Read: The Witcher: Blood Origin ending explained: Do Fjall and Éile kill the Empress?