With the mini-series “The Witcher: Blood Origin”, the streaming service Netflix presents the first spin-off show to the popular fantasy series “The Witcher”. Set around 1200 years before the events of Geralt von Rivia, the prequel series goes deep into the past of the continent, the landmass on which the witcher stories from the novels by the Polish fantasy author Andrzej Sapkowski (74) take place . The “Blood Origin” series didn’t receive particularly good reviews before it started, but it still offers entertaining fun for “The Witcher” and fantasy fans with four episodes of around 45 minutes in length.
The new Netflix series tells a prequel to “The Witcher” and takes place in a time when humans had not yet arrived in the fantasy world. All of the protagonists in “Blood Origin” are therefore either elves or dwarves. The kingdom of Cintra, which also appears prominently in “The Witcher”, from which the main character Ciri (Freya Allan, 21) originally comes, is still called Xin’trea and is ruled by elves.
With this in mind, a group of seven misfits band together to confront a terrible threat that threatens the very existence of the entire continent. The group is led by the powerful bard Éile (Sophia Brown) and the warrior Fjall (Laurence O’Fuarain). Together they try to prevent the so-called Conjunction of the Spheres, an event that brings terrifying monsters into the world of The Witcher. To this end, they create the first prototype of a witcher.
In addition to the already mentioned leading actors Brown and O’Fuarain, cinema legend Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”, 60) also appears in front of the camera in “The Witcher: Blood Origin”. She embodies the sword master Scian, a formidable fighter. The British actor Lenny Henry (64), known from Amazon’s fantasy series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”, plays the villain magician Balor in the Netflix series.
In a framework story at the beginning and end of “Blood Origin”, Joey Batey (33), known from the parent series “The Witcher”, also appears as the bard Dandelion, and an end credits scene in the final episode brings a reunion with another popular ” The Witcher” star.
On the review collection site Rotten Tomatoes, “The Witcher: Blood Origin” has a pretty disastrous rating of just 35 percent positive reviews (as of December 25). Among the heroes of the new Netflix series, no one really stands out as a role model. None of the actors even come close to the charisma of Henry Cavills (39).
In addition, however, the new Netflix mini-series shows some interesting aspects of the witcher lore created by template author Sapkowski. Another question is whether it is really wise and necessary to show events in detail that are only touched upon in the original book. Because this also demystifies the legends and sagas that are fundamental to the witcher stories to a certain extent.
However, the action sequences in “The Witcher: Blood Origin” are always convincing. Since it is also a mini-series, the plot is actually completed after only four briskly told episodes and there are no further questions or cliffhangers left unanswered. All fans of “The Witcher” should therefore have fun with “Blood Origin” – despite the points of criticism mentioned.
Incidentally, the third season of the parent series “The Witcher” is expected on Netflix in summer 2023. She will then be the last to feature superstar Henry Cavill as the witcher Geralt of Rivia.
