8 votes

The Witcher | Main trailer - Releasing December 20, 2019

9 comments

  1. [5]
    Amarok
    Link
    Exquisite source material, decent budget, solid creative team, solid casting, looks polished. All it has to do is be better than S8 of Game of Thrones to steal a decent portion of that fanbase....

    Exquisite source material, decent budget, solid creative team, solid casting, looks polished. All it has to do is be better than S8 of Game of Thrones to steal a decent portion of that fanbase. How will Hollywood manage to fuck this one up, I wonder? I'm cautiously optimistic.

    3 votes
    1. [4]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. [2]
        Amarok
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        The writing will make or break it, as usual. There's no fault in the source material, other than it being a bit of your standard fantasy trope at its core (save the princess, save the world). The...

        The writing will make or break it, as usual. There's no fault in the source material, other than it being a bit of your standard fantasy trope at its core (save the princess, save the world). The books make up for it with slavic mythology that is highly atypical (I'd even say unique) in fantasy. That cultural flavor is what really put the books on the map. It's a bit hard to find 'fresh' things in fantasy.

        It was nothing internationally until the games came along, though. CDPR's games are not canon, they are unofficial sequels. Bit of a scuffle there where the author let the game rights go for a small flat fee rather than a percentage (since he thought they'd flop, not become genre-defining masterpieces).

        The controls for Witcher 1 were some of the worst I've ever endured. Two was a bit better, three was solid with a little mod tweaking. I wouldn't mind an anthology release that rebundled 1-3 and all the expansion content into a single three chapter game running CDPR's latest engine. I think they are a bit focused on Cyberpunk right now, though. Maybe if the series is a huge hit. That would surprise me.

        The series is telling the events of the books, so for gamers this is going to feel like a prequel that covers some of the events talked about in the games, mostly from before Geralt loses his memory.

        That's a bit of an odd situation to be in. Usually the game is a shoddy bolt-on to the media property that gets rubber-stamped out the door without much thought. Most games based on media properties are abysmal. This time, the game was out first and it was a major hit.

        6 votes
        1. Grawlix
          Link Parent
          To tack onto the scuffle you mentioned, I still think it's hilarious that the author thinks that the games not only didn't benefit his book sales, but actually cost him other readers so it ended...

          To tack onto the scuffle you mentioned, I still think it's hilarious that the author thinks that the games not only didn't benefit his book sales, but actually cost him other readers so it ended up in a wash.

          And speaking of Witcher 1, I loved it because I put hours and hours into Neverwinter Nights as a teenager, and it's based on the same engine. :) ...well, I loved Witcher 1 up to a point, because I can never beat the game. I always put the game down at some point and end up forgetting about it, and when I decide to try again, it's been so long I feel like I should make a fresh start. Maybe I should quit trying to play the games number, and just skip ahead...?

          1 vote
      2. vili
        Link Parent
        For a long time, I had trouble getting into the games, but at one point I realised what Witcher 3's combat system is: it's a dance game. Once I made that realization and figured out the rhythms of...

        For a long time, I had trouble getting into the games, but at one point I realised what Witcher 3's combat system is: it's a dance game. Once I made that realization and figured out the rhythms of different enemies, it actually became quite a pleasant experience to play Witcher 3.

        That said, I still never ended up finishing the game as the writing was so uneven and I really didn't come to care about any of the characters.

        But, if you ever want to give Witcher 3 another try, maybe try approaching it as a rhythm game. It really made a difference for me, and it's not an unpleasant game to play, mechanically.

        2 votes
    2. babypuncher
      Link Parent
      I don't feel the need to be so pessimistic. We're living in a golden age of television, and studios seem largely content to let creatives do their thing. The irony with GoT S8 is that it probably...

      How will Hollywood manage to fuck this one up, I wonder?

      I don't feel the need to be so pessimistic. We're living in a golden age of television, and studios seem largely content to let creatives do their thing. The irony with GoT S8 is that it probably could have been saved by studio meddling, but HBO opted to let D&D hastily end the show so they could fuck off to go work for Disney.

  2. cancycou
    Link
    Never read the books, never played the games, but I hope that the show is good. Will definitely give it a go when it's available. On a sidenote, has anyone read the audiobook version? Is it good?...

    Never read the books, never played the games, but I hope that the show is good. Will definitely give it a go when it's available.

    On a sidenote, has anyone read the audiobook version? Is it good? Thanks.

    2 votes
  3. [3]
    unknown user
    Link
    Let's assume I'm new to this, drawn to the franchise via hype. What is this trailer supposed to present to me? Henry Cavill is a good modern-action hero. He's buff, handsome, and has the moves....

    Let's assume I'm new to this, drawn to the franchise via hype. What is this trailer supposed to present to me?

    Henry Cavill is a good modern-action hero. He's buff, handsome, and has the moves. Dunno if he's a good actor, 'cause I haven't seem him act that much. (He was pretty good in the latest Mission: Impossible, though.) Looks nothing like the Geralt from the games. Is he different in the books? I dunno, I haven't read them. Apparently there was a film, long ago? That guy looked much like the guy in the games, and it was before the games, so... Cavill looks not much like Geralt?

    Lots of sword-fighting. Mostly against other people, with a handful of monsters here and there. He's supposed to be a monster hunter, right? Why so little monster-hunting?

    People don't like him much 'cause he's a "mutant created by magic". What the fuck? Alright, whatever: it's fantasy. So, people don't like him so much they'd throw rocks at him in broad daylight – yet back off when he turns around (ooh, cool force blast; not very powerful, but cool).

    Prophecies about... a princess? And how Geralt is her only hope? ...is she gonna travel alone, across lands filled with assholes and monsters, to find him? Please tell me she's gonna be alright, 'cause I don't like the undertones of a teenage girl travelling across that kinda place. A lot of mysticism about that prophecy, too. And magic. Clearly magic.

    And... is Geralt noble now? "Why not kill them for their mockery of you?" – "Then I become what they believe me to be". I thought he was a jerk with a heart of gold, at best. So why's he fighting so many people, from commonfolk to guards?

    As a newbie, I'm confused about this. Isn't it supposed to be fantasy drama, with fights in-between? Why is it battle royale now, 1 vs population of Poland-fantastical?

    1 vote
    1. [2]
      JakeTheDog
      Link Parent
      Wow, you put a lot of effort into being negative here. As far as looks go, Geralt is just a jacked dude with scars and white hair (and amber eyes). With that chiseled face he definitely resembles...

      Wow, you put a lot of effort into being negative here.

      Cavill looks not much like Geralt?

      As far as looks go, Geralt is just a jacked dude with scars and white hair (and amber eyes). With that chiseled face he definitely resembles the video game character.

      Why so little monster-hunting?

      Monsters don't just roam the streets, you generally have to go find them or be in their territory. Many of them hide and some resemble humans.

      So, people don't like him so much they'd throw rocks at him in broad daylight – yet back off when he turns around

      There is depth and nuance here that obviously can't be conveyed in a 2 minute trailer. They're called "teasers" for a reason.

      (ooh, cool force blast; not very powerful, but cool).

      Geralt (and Witchers) is not Superman. What's great about the Witcher universe is that the mutations are "mild" compared to many other fantasy genres. He can't summon a tornado but he can change the pressure in his vicinity.It's a feature that makes it more believable (like advanced tech in our own universe). Think of it closer to Batman than Superman.

      Why is it battle royale now, 1 vs population of Poland-fantastical?

      Because he is among the rare few remaining Witcher's in a society that no longer respects them (but will reluctantly hire them as hitmen/women).

      Aside from your opinions on story and style, you're clearly being disingenuous in your critique.

      6 votes
      1. unknown user
        Link Parent
        Let's step back for a moment. Yes. Clearly. That's why the whole comment is prefaced with "Let's assume I'm new to this". To convey how someone with no perspective on the franchise may see it...

        Let's step back for a moment.

        you're clearly being disingenuous in your critique.

        Yes. Clearly. That's why the whole comment is prefaced with "Let's assume I'm new to this". To convey how someone with no perspective on the franchise may see it through the trailer alone was the point.

        And that perspective is: it's a fantasy action flick that pretends to be something deeper than it's supposed to be, based on the hype. The characters are flat (and, it appears, misguided from the source material), the plot is thin, and the biggest attractor is the action scenes – why else would you make a third of your 2-minute trailer about combat?

        It's not out-of-my-way negative: it's the first thing that comes to mind. I'm not trying to be an asshole – but I also really, really don't like pretense. That trailer? The "main trailer"? Looks like major pretense to me: using hype to drive a story that may not be all that good.

        From what I understand, both the books and the games are able to convey a deep, genuine (in)human drama – a study into the nature of what it means to be you, and me, and anyone else – which is what good stories are always about, regardless of how they approach it. This doesn't look like one of those stories – mostly because combat takes so much time in what it supposed to be my entry point into the show.

        At least Fast & Furious doesn't pretend to be anything it's not.

        1 vote