When The Witcher was first announced as a live-action adaptation of the book and video game source material, many were justified in feeling skeptical that such a project would succeed. Since release, however, the show has been well received by viewers and critics alike. Inevitable comparisons are also being made to Game of Thrones, which is not surprising given the latter’s lackluster final season. Is The Witcher really as good as people are saying, or was Game of Thrones simply such a massive disappointment in its conclusion that it makes anything seem good by comparison?
The Witcher Embraces High-Fantasy, While Game of Thrones Moved Away
The Witcher has proven popular in its episodic presentation, presenting a dark world filled with violence, and best of all, high fantasy through monsters, magic, and unseen forces that shape the world. From the first episode, viewers are thrown in without any explanation as to how the world’s magic system works, or why nations may be at war. The show does not hold the hands of its viewers, which is a major departure from the final seasons of Game of Thrones.
Much of the appeal during the early seasons of both the show and the books in A Song of Ice of Fire involved positing questions of high fantasy to its audience with the expectation of a payoff later on in the conclusion of the story. Sam find a mysterious Warhorn buried north of the wall, Arya gained the ability to wear faces and become undetectable, Jon Snow had his lineage teased and revealed, the Night King finally moved South, and Bran developed extensive warging powers. Yet none of this truly amounted to much of anything, and that was a conscious move on the part of the showrunners to reduce the fantasy elements of the show.
Each of these elements could have been expanded towards a satisfying and logical conclusion but were instead purposefully discarded. In a rare appearance at the Austin Film Festival, showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss clearly stated that they decided to move away from the fantasy elements in later seasons because they “didn’t want to appeal to that type of fan.” What exactly that “type” of fan consists of is not explained, though it’s is a puzzling statement, since those “types” were the biggest supporters of the show in the early seasons.
By casting aside those elements that were teased for so many seasons, Benioff and Weiss broke a promise to their audience that those elements would lead somewhere meaningful, and fans became truly upset with the poor writing and nearly nonsensical series conclusion in the final season.
Henry Cavill Is A Big Fan Of The Source Material, And It Shows
Casting characters that are iconic in a series and near and dear to the hearts of those who read the books and played the video game adaptation for The Witcher is no easy task, but Henry Cavill is without a doubt an outstanding choice.
In a recent interview with GQ Magazine, Cavill revealed that he has always been a fan of video games and played The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt nearly three times on his PC. For the unaware, that should come out to nearly 300 hours of game time if he explored thoroughly. In this way, Cavill understands exactly what fans will be expecting in his portrayal of Geralt of Rivia, and it only serves make the show even better.
A Difference In Communication
Although many have fallen in love with The Witcher show, there has also been criticism of how the show’s plot was adapted from its source material. Without getting into spoilers, we can still say that the difference between how criticism is handled here and in Game of Thrones is like night and day. Lauren S. Hissrich, the showrunner behind The Witcher, is open to constructive discussions behind decision making for plot development, as seen on December 29 on Twitter.
One does not have to agree with the explanation, or with the complaint, but there is clearly careful consideration put into the development of the show, and the showrunner is confidant in her decision making and with the final product.
Game of Thrones on the other hand became lost in its own grandeur rather than having its own plot developed to a satisfying conclusion, and the showrunners make no apologies for their destruction of what could have been a great ending. Instead, ridiculous cameos and dumbing down the fantasy elements became the norm, with Ed Sheeran replacing proper development in Game of Thrones.
In the end, we may be enjoying the The Witcher more than we otherwise might have if Game of Thrones had not ended on such a low point, but that should not take anything away from the high-quality first season that we have seen so far. If The Witcher is developed with the same care and attention to detail seen so far, it will no doubt be a far better experience than Game of Thrones ever was in the years to come.
Source: independent.co.uk
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