Netflix released another Witcher teaser showing off Liam Hemsworth as Geralt, and I gotta say I was pleasantly surprised
Netflix has released a "first clip" of Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher Season Four, as distinct from the "first look" we got back in May. This is our first actual scene from the season and not a little teaser, though, with Hemsworth sporting the white locks and leather armor of everyone's favorite mutant monster slayer.
The clip shows Geralt, an elf, and a dwarf squaring off with a wraith in a dark forest. Dialogue-wise, we just get a little of that Witcher pre-fight monster explaining, the sort of thing Geralt would mutter while looking at clues, but Hemsworth hits the right notes with a similar growl to original Geralt actor Henry Cavill.
The choreography of the fight is also physical and legible in a way I dig: Not so many cuts that you can't tell what the hell's going on, and some actually interesting flow to it. The fight's dominated by the specter knocking Geralt over and trying to drag him back to its crypt, before he jams his sword in the ground to slow it and then Aards his way to freedom.
Rounding out some fun deployment of Witcher signs, Geralt lures the thing into a Yrden trap so he can actually harm it, and finishes it off by tearing out its heart and crushing it. The way the wraith drags Geralt along particularly caught my attention: It looked like weighty, visceral stuntwork, reminding me of old Hong Kong martial arts flicks. As far as first impressions go, I enjoyed it way more than I anticipated.
I haven't really kept up with the show since the end of Season Two, but I liked what I saw in this clip. Hemsworth also looks the part, with a requisite new season armor upgrade that looks more like the ye olde leather jackets of the games' Wolf School sets, rather than the Witcher 3 starting armor vibe of Cavill's assorted ensembles.
Of course, the show looks to have an uphill battle winning people over this season, and it's not just the casting change that saw the much-loved Henry Cavill vacate the lead role. There seems to be quite a bit of vocal discontent over story changes versus the source material in the books, as well as an often-repeated narrative among fans that these changes precipitated Cavill's departure from the show.
For me, I've just had trouble penetrating The Witcher Saga proper despite a love of the games and short stories: Whether in written or filmed form, I've always fallen off when we transition from twisted Brothers Grimm monster of the week stuff to prophecy and fantasy politics. But that's my damage: We'll find out if Hemsworth and co. can win everybody back when The Witcher Season Four releases on October 30.
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