Series Review "The Witcher Season 4": Geralt from Australia

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One can argue about many things. But perhaps one doesn't have to. Andrzej Sapkowski, author of the Geralt saga, sounded rather resigned lately. His literary original stands for itself, and so does every adaptation.

This is not only true in principle for adaptations but also particularly true for his work. Sapkowski's short stories and novels do not tell a simple, linear story. They are more of a collection of sources. In his books, Sapkowski adapts creatures and motifs from other fairy tales and fables, reinterprets them, and parodies them. With Geralt, he unleashes a brutal, vulgar anti-hero on a world that deserves nothing better. The short stories and the five-part novel series with parallel plotlines, changing, unreliable narrative voices, and multiple tonal shifts do not make for a screenplay.

It is only natural that others play creatively with this material. The computer game adaptations of his works also take creative liberties. And the fairy-tale-like successful Netflix series also reordered the fragmented story of Geralt, his adopted daughter Ciri, and his beloved sorceress Yennefer.

The TV series made a bold attempt and started off with a flourish. After a somewhat chaotic but strong first season, the newly woven plot got tangled in the attempt to tell the complex story of scheming sorcerers, plotting spies, taciturn resistance fighters, and the scattered family in a reasonably linear fashion. Some argued about every creative reinterpretation, while the rest of the world watched, initially well entertained. But at the latest, when Ciri wandered through the desert hallucinating in Season 3, even loyal fans dozed off on the sofa. The final break came with the lead actor: Henry Cavill quit for unexplained reasons.

Liam Hemsworth has great hair

The Australian Liam Hemsworth now takes the place of the Briton Cavill. The mockery was not long in coming. Those who had forgotten that “Superman” actor Henry Cavill once had to act with nothing but a long white wig against disbelieving laughter could now chuckle again as Hemsworth in the first trailers battled monsters, appearing somehow stronger and less nuanced.

However, for those who are not coming directly from a series marathon of all previous parts and expect a seamless transition to the fourth season, the change is relatively seamless. The Geralt stories are also told by different narrative voices in the original. With a reference to this framework, a quite painless leap to the new lead actor is achieved, and Hemsworth wears one of the best wigs on set. He throws himself into his character with verve, playing him a bit less reserved. This is quite covered by the source material. But it's also not that important.

Because the series has problems with wigs elsewhere. In a prestige production like this, Laurence Fishburne appearing as the barber-surgeon Regis with a poorly fitting “sideburn helmet” seems puzzling. Bad makeup also ruins the mood in some scenes, no matter how diabolically Vilgefortz actor Mahesh Jadu looks. With Hemsworth, on the other hand, the hair sits well. He can't portray deep pain as wonderfully as Henry Cavill once did, but he brings Geralt's down-to-earth charm to life a bit more vividly.

Between Police Call and Harry Potter

In the thicket of newly assembled motifs, the fourth season of “The Witcher” occasionally gets lost, unfortunately. For example, when a gallery of arbitrarily costumed supporting actors appears again. In the fourth season, Geralt travels with a growing ensemble through a war-torn land, just as he did in the novel “Blood of Elves.” Meanwhile, Geralt's adopted daughter Ciri ends up with a band of robbers, and Yennefer—unlike in the literary source—leads the Lodge of Sorceresses against Vilgefortz. This means a lot of screen time for many supporting roles.

The liberties taken with the source material are less of a problem than the sheer flood of rather sparsely characterized roles in colorful costumes. Ciri's rat gang and the witches remain thin clichés, each with a few striking traits. Certain key scenes are quite touching or gripping, and the sword fights are varied, hard, and well-choreographed. But even the solemnly intended acceptance of Ciri into the rat gang is a strangely wooden, bloodless scene as if from a generic TV play. It doesn't sound much better in the original English than in German. Yennefer's rise to leadership doesn't seem entirely convincing. And when sorcerers fight, the close-ups on tense hands and Harry Potter-esque special effects become tiring.

The Witcher is still worth a dime in Season 4

But despite all the lengths, those who don't get annoyed by missed opportunities see a tough, humorous fantasy series overall. The main characters' joy of playing is evident, wig or no wig. Not only Season 4, but also Season 5 of “The Witcher” has already been filmed, and the series is purposefully developing towards climaxes that can be recognized from the books despite all creative liberties. Important companions and adversaries of Geralt appear and are truly brought to life. Zoltan is funny, Regis is uncanny, and Leo is an unappetizing brute.

Overall, it's neither a masterpiece nor a compelling hit. The criticism remains that the story should have focused more on its main character and stayed closer to the original. But as a lustfully gritty fantasy with some longueurs and many entertaining action scenes, Season 4 of “The Witcher” certainly works.

(mki)