If like me you couldn’t get into “The Witcher” live-action series due to it not being in chronological order, then “The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf” is the perfect way to get into the action pack fantasy world.
Rating: 4/5
In the movie, the world of “The Witcher” expands in this anime origin story. Before Geralt (played by Henry Cavill in the live-action series), there was his mentor Vesemir (Theo James), as a swashbuckling young witcher who escaped a life of poverty to slay monsters for coins.
However, when a strange new monster begins terrorising a politically fraught kingdom, Vesemir finds himself on a frightening adventure that forces him to confront the demons of his past.
“The Witcher” live-action show, an adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series of the same name, was a difficult show for me to get into due to its non-linear storytelling style.
I gave up about three episodes in because of the sheer confusion. However, the world of “The Witcher” always intrigued me as a lover of anything fantasy-related.
“The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf” is the prequel that makes a lot of what happens in the live-action show click.
And while I know some people aren’t fans of anime, the medium allows for the property to go big with regards to action sequences and that overall scale of the show.
And unlike the show, this movie is mostly in chronological order with some flashbacks, but they serve a huge purpose in the end not only for our lead’s character development but the overarching plot of the movie.
We get a bit more detail in the Witchers themselves and how they function in the fictional society.
While there is some rehashing with regards to their origins it’s a lot easier to follow what’s going on.
The voice acting is stellar with James doing a great job as Vesemir, giving the character the proper balance between loveable arrogance and compelling hero.
The animation is spectacular and they did a great job of using the medium to its fullest when it comes to the action scenes and the overall mood of the movie.
After watching this movie it has made me want to dive back into the live-action show.
If you have a couple of hours to spare and just want to escape into a fantasy world, I highly recommend this anime movie.
It is the prequel we needed to give a bit more depth to the world we were introduced to in the live-action series and also help those – like me – who fell off along the way.
“The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf” is streaming on Netflix.