The universe of Netflix’s The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, which explored the backstory of Vesemir, and now the prequel miniseries The Witcher: Blood Origin, set 1200 years before the events of the main series.
As such, Blood Origin doesn’t star Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), and instead, it explores some of this universe's biggest events and stories. Among them are the creation of the first witcher, the ancient Elven civilization, and the events that led to the Conjunction of the Spheres, all of these mentioned one way or another at some point in the main series. All four episodes will be available to stream on Netflix on December 25, 2022, and the first reactions to The Witcher: Blood Origin have already arrived, but these aren’t as positive as expected.
Blood Origin Reviews Criticize The Show's Story & Characters
At the time of writing, The Witcher: Blood Origin holds a 39% score on the universe of The Witcher is quite rich, with a variety of monsters, magical creatures and people, and many conflicts between different groups, Blood Origin seems to have fallen short and not taken advantage of all that to tell an engaging story led by interesting characters that adds to what the main series has established so far. Blood Origin is lacking the wit of The Witcher (which mostly comes from Geralt of Rivia) as well as its sense of humor, and its story, which hopes to address concepts and questions left by The Witcher, is overloaded with these.
Critics are pointing out how Blood Origin used a formula that has been seen countless times in fantasy stories – that of a group of different people brought together with a shared purpose – and doesn’t add much to the backstory of The Witcher, and instead, it seems like it’s teasing a couple of things for the seasons of the main series, yet the stories and characters won't be memorable. One of the biggest complaints is the script itself, with awkward dialogues and underdeveloped characters that not even its cast can save, though its biggest crime seems to be how it wasted Michelle Yeoh’s talents. Blood Origin looks to cover a lot and isn’t given enough time to do so, resulting in forgettable characters and stories that make it an unnecessary addition to this universe and proving that there can’t be The Witcher without Geralt. Here’s what the negative reviews of The Witcher: Blood Origin are saying.
“It all could have added up to a sword-and-sorcery Seven Samurai. Or even a Mage-nificent Seven. But with largely flat performances, tacky-looking VFX, even tackier-looking sets, and a risible script (“Let’s stop this bickering and change the future of Elfkind forever!”), it’s more like Battle Beyond The Stars meets Hawk The Slayer. It even somehow wastes Michelle Yeoh, who as Scian, last of the “Ghost Tribe”, is given relatively little to do other than a few cool-but-brief swordfights.
“The trouble is that the show doesn't really have any time to deepen these character motivations beyond a surface level explanation. We get glimpses at why Scian (Michelle Yeoh) is fighting for her people, or how Meldof (sca Mills, in a standout performance) came to be the efficient killer she is, but none of these moments are more than snapshots. The picture seems incomplete, and that's the general problem with the series. The Witcher: Blood Origin feels like a footnote, as if the show itself isn't even all that concerned with making these characters more than archetypes — the few romantic moments don't feel earned, nor does the climax, in a finale that's actually occasionally entertaining due to all the action — because this isn't meant to be a real series. It's just a prequel that's meant to be setup for something else.”
“It’s an interesting group — at least, I think they’re interesting, but Blood Origin never really gave me enough time to get to know them. With such a big cast, a short four-episode-long run time feels far too little. And that’s not even counting the characters outside of the adventuring party who help shape the story, like the powerful druid Balor (Lenny Henry, who also appears in Rings of Power, as if these shows didn’t blend together enough as is), an elusive elf storyteller played by Minnie Driver, and other guest appearances.”
“That fast-forward approach means the show’s worst plot device, its narrator, has to stitch together the story. Clumsy and exposition-heavy voiceovers, instead of character work and rich dialogue, fill in the gaps between a patchwork collection of scenes. As a result, declarations of love, blood oaths, and betrayals become unearned as the series refuses to settle and instead races through plot points before reaching its final act.”
“Despite having great promise, too often Blood Origin slips into either complete camp, cringe, or melodrama. Part of what makes fantasy shows like The Witcher exciting is a rich cast of characters who might initially fit into archetypes of heroes and villains, but actually reveal themselves to be complex people who can expand far beyond this. Blood Origin tries to do this, but falls flat. The villains feel half-baked, which makes their goals seem like mere obstacles erected for the heroes to topple. Even the Lark's songs are less catchy compared to the likes of "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher," with her ballads acting more to fill in for exposition than entertainment.”
What Witcher: Blood Origin's Positive Reviews Are Saying
Of course, not everything about The Witcher: Blood Origin is disappointing, and there are some positive elements to it. One positive thing found in Blood Origin is its diversity and representation, something that The Witcher has failed at in two seasons, and the prequel series managed to do well in just four episodes. Another strength of Blood Origin that even those who didn’t like the series are praising is the performance of sca Mills as potty-mouthed dwarf Meldof. Yeoh’s and Sophia Brown’s performances are also being praised, though as mentioned above, the former got very limited screen time, but she still brings an outstanding performance. Here’s what the positive reviews of The Witcher: Blood Origin are saying.
“Beyond the intricate, expensive-looking world design, Blood Origin is also more advanced when it comes to reflecting real-life diversity too. White characters no longer stand at the forefront in the way they do elsewhere, and varied body types are more commonplace here as well. Queerness — which is still noticeably lacking in the main show — has also been woven in more organically throughout the prequel.”
“Yeoh, in particular, brings a deadly depth to Scian, the last living member of Ghost Clan who has a harsh view of the world, and who can fight like no other. I wish she had more screen time, but alas, in an ensemble show with only four episodes, there's only so much Yeoh we're going to get. Brown's performance also deserves a special shoutout, as she brings complexity to her portrayal of the Lark, an elf who abandons her clan's warrior ways to become a bard.”
“One particular night of entertainment, laughs, and calm before the storm stands out the most. I could have lived in this moment in time for a whole extra episode, as the series not only moves Fjall and Eile's dynamic further, but Scian (Michelle Yeoh), Brother Death (Huw Novelli), Zachary (Lizzie Annis), Meldof (sca Mills), and Syndril (Zach Wyatt) all find their own moments to shine and bring warmth, romanticism, and uncomfortable truths to light.”
How Blood Origin's Rotten Tomatoes Score Compares To The Witcher
Blood Origin’s Rotten Tomatoes score is very different from that of The Witcher, and it’s unlikely it will come close to it after its release. Liam Hemsworth taking over as Geralt of Rivia, it’s to be seen how this will affect The Witcher’s score, and if it will still be higher than Blood Origin’s or the same.
