The Witcher TV series sees Henry Cavill portray the role of Geralt of Rivia, a character from a beloved book series, popularized through The Witcher video game series. Netflix’s The Witcher is taking the internet by storm — but how does The Witcher TV adaptation compare to the popular video game series?
The incredibly complex and magical world of The Witcher finds its origins in a book series penned by Andrzej Sapkowski, which was then later adapted into a celebrated video game franchise. Netflix and Henry Cavill took many cues from the game when crafting this version of Geralt of Rivia, but there are some aspects of the character they decided to change.
The Witcher follows the lives of a monster hunter, Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), Princess Ciri (Freya Allan), and sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) as their destinies intertwine. The show takes place in the medieval land known as the Continent while it’s in the midst of brutal war led by the southern kingdom of Nilfgaard.
Geralt’s look is one of the major aspects that sets him apart from other people. In the game, he has long white hair, huge scars across his body and face, and yellow eyes with vertical slits. Thankfully, the show decided to stay with the white hair and yellow eyes, but opted for regular circular pupils instead of the cat eyes.
It was a necessity for Netflix to continue with Geralt’s iconic hair and eyes, and they did a good job. Without those two things alone, there would be no Geralt of Rivia. In some scenes, it’s quite obvious Cavill is wearing thick contact lenses, but there’s no way to get around that. And perhaps in the next season of The Witcher, Geralt will receive that scar down his cheek.
In the game, magic is an inherent part of the overall story and gameplay. Geralt isn’t as powerful as a mage, but he can conjure five different spells knowns as signs. Along with that, he has “witcher senses” that allow him to see things other people can’t. Potions are also an important part of the game because they give Geralt increased abilities to help him in combat. The show does present some scenes where Geralt uses signs, but it barely touches on his potion use. And his witcher senses are not obvious, if they’re even existent at all.
The Netflix version of The Witcher primarily focuses on Geralt’s combat style and fighting abilities. That’s great for a fantasy-action story, but Geralt’s powers and potions are such a huge part of gameplay that it feels odd to watch the show without them. Likewise, leaving out Geralt’s witcher senses on the show is a missed opportunity that would have taken his monster slaying to a whole new level.
Geralt is known for being a rough character, who won't suffer fools. He’s there to hunt monsters, get paid, and move onto the next mission. In the game, character interactions are kept short and to the point, and Netflix keeps with that tradition. Cavill’s Geralt rarely says more than a couple sentences at a time, opting instead for grunts, curses, and biting jokes.
Cavill’s portrayal of Geralt in The Witcher is very in line with the game and his hilarious one-word answers have spawned a score of even funnier memes. Cavill also expertly shows Geralt’s inquisitive nature with key facial expressions which was a nice addition to the games. Fans agree Henry Cavill was a good choice for Geralt of Rivia, even with some of the changes. And if Netflix would show him playing a round of gwent, it would be perfect.
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