The Witcher (2019– )
5/10
Someone Please Give Henry Cavill a Cough-Drop
12 February 2020
"The Witcher" is a reasonably entertaining fantasy show in the style of "Xena: Warrior Princess". There's a hero and a sidekick; swords are involved. Magic makes an occasional appearance. For the sort of people who like this, this is the sort of thing they'll like.

Henry Cavill occupies the center of nearly every frame on account of his wide shoulders. They're genuinely about six feet wide, maybe more. He has some odd fashion choices not dictated by the breadth of his shoulders, the most striking being the dirty mop he wears as a sort of wig. It's grayish and stringy, and could do with a wash. He speaks as if he's auditioning to be the next Batman, and I kept expecting him to cough and clear his throat and start talking normally.

Henry does a lot of walking and engages in intermittent fighting in a gloomy landscape vaguely reminiscent of medieval Europe. He frequently cracks wise, often at the expense of his minstrel sidekick -- the minstrel's name escapes me, because I can't help but remember him as Joxer, who likewise followed Xena and Gabrielle around.

Meanwhile, a young MacGuffin escapes her castle when evil forces attack, and wanders through some other fantasy tropes: an enchanted forest, elves, a two-faced sorcerer, that kind of thing. The two subplots neatly intersect at the end. For such a determinedly average and okay show, it takes a surprisingly nuanced approach to its timeline, with one of the subplots actually being a flashback that leads to the other.
6 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed