Fantasy collection have a means of rising limbs quickly. Aggressive growth is comprehensible for a collection like Netflix’s “The Witcher,” as a result of in spite of everything, what’s using creating an enormous narrative universe should you don’t really discover it? So it may be exhausting to inform whether or not a fantasy spinoff collection is a worthwhile journey that deepens appreciation of the unique, or a perfunctory effort that trades on the present’s status with out capturing its essence. “The Witcher: Blood Origin” falls in between, however leans nearer to being a lackluster model growth. Not solely is the four-part prequel lacking Henry Cavill, however it’s additionally lacking a way of larger goal.
“Blood Origin” leaps again 1200 years earlier than the unique collection — even earlier than 2021’s animated prequel “Nightmare of the Wolf” — to discover among the most tantalizing parts of “Witcher” mythology. It guarantees to discover the creation of the very first Witcher, an occasion led to by the Conjunction of the Spheres, the collision of disparate worlds that compelled mortals, monsters and mages awkwardly to cohabitate in an interconnected multiverse.
The primary episode begins out in the course of a splattery battle sequence, and the primary line of dialogue is a fusillade of F-bombs. Not lots of the franchise’s characters might pull off the road, which sounds as if it was cribbed from early an Diablo Cody screenplay. Fortunately, it comes from fan-favorite Jaskier (Joey Batey), whose spectral imaginative and prescient of Seanchai (Minnie Driver) varieties the present’s bigger construction. She seems to Jaskier at a extremely inopportune mid-bloodbath second to share with him the Witcher’s origin story and its populous forged of characters.
First up is Éile (Sophia Brown) who has defected from her royal guard put up in favor of changing into a touring musician. (Her tunes are first rate, although there’s not a “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher”-style banger to be discovered.) She crosses paths with Fjall (Laurence O’Fuarain), one other royal protector drummed out of his job following a serious indiscretion. After an inauspicious first assembly, Éile and Fjall group up on a mission of revenge with the objective of toppling Princess Merwyn (Mirren Mack), a puppet monarch put in after a violent coup.
The 2 cobble collectively a basic, seven-elf crew to assist take down Merwyn, every with their very own motivation for becoming a member of the trigger. Most intriguing amongst them are Scian (a regal Michelle Yeoh), a swordmaker preventing on behalf of her dwindling tribe and Meldof (Francesca Mills, wonderful right here) a savage killer whose thirst for vengeance usually seems lots like nihilism. The hunt clips alongside at a good sufficient tempo, however there’s a gaping gap within the present with out Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia — or an equivalent-value substitute — to anchor the ensemble.
What must be the 2 biggest strengths of “Blood Origin,” the forged and the snack-sized size, in the end show to be liabilities. With so many characters to service, and an excessive amount of time invested into Éile and Fjall’s tepid, unconvincing romance, probably the most intriguing characters are crowded out. Even contemplating the small parts, the present is best off having forged ringers like Yeoh and Driver. However their presence shortly turns into irritating as soon as it’s clear they received’t be given almost sufficient to do.
As for the size, 4 hour-long episodes appears acceptable for a prequel collection so nakedly offered as a high-protein snack to carry followers over till Season 3 of “The Witcher” drops subsequent yr — Cavill’s final season earlier than Liam Hemsworth replaces him going ahead. (“Blood Origin” drops Christmas Day, actually taking on the vacation time slot through which each “Witcher” seasons got here out.) However the 4 episodes are all that is still of the present’s authentic six-episode order, a downsizing the producers have attributed to a post-production epiphany about condensing the center hours of the present. That sounds cheap sufficient in principle, however it’s exhausting to not conclude from the present’s frequent lifeless ends and normal lack of focus that “Blood Origin” is 10 kilos of “Witcher” crammed right into a five-pound saddlebag.
There are fleeting thrills available in “Blood Origin,” just like the deftly edited struggle sequences and an early heist sequence. Battles are simpler to get pleasure from than ever due to a soar in visible results high quality, an incremental enchancment over “Witcher” Season 2, which was itself a step up from Season 1. The visuals nonetheless aren’t as clear as they could possibly be, however they’re by no means distracting or immersion-breaking, which is greater than might be stated for early “Witcher” episodes. However general, “Blood Origin” is to “The Witcher” tv present as a slapdash downloadable growth pack can be to the massively standard “Witcher” video video games. Solely completists want apply.
“The Witcher: Blood Origin” premieres on Netflix on Dec. 25.