The most recent installment in Netflix’s rising Witcher franchise, The Witcher: Blood Origin, was not too long ago launched to a powerful “meh” from critics. However the fan response is even worse, with the four-episode restricted collection sporting a dismal eight % ranking on Rotten Tomatoes. The low scores are the results of just a few various factors associated to the present, the unique books, and former Superman actor, Henry Cavill.
The Witcher: Blood Origin is a restricted collection set inside the similar universe as Netflix’s important Witcher present, and each are primarily based on the unique collection of novels by Andrzej Sapkowski. Nevertheless, Blood Origin is about a thousand years earlier than the occasions of the unique tv collection, and “depicts the creation of the primary Witcher, in addition to the occasions resulting in the Conjunction of the Spheres.” It additionally stars Michelle Yeoh, who positively deserves higher than this poorly reviewed, low-rated fantasy prequel.
Over on film assessment aggregation web site Rotten Tomatoes, Blood Origin sports activities a 36 % approval ranking amongst critics and a good worse eight % approval ranking from followers (h/t Forbes). Whereas the critic rating is unhealthy and locations it amongst a number of the worst-rated authentic reveals on Netflix, it’s the traditionally low eight % viewers ranking that’s actually wild.
In fact, it ought to be famous that some followers are review-bombing the collection for just a few completely different causes. Some are indignant Henry Cavill supporters nonetheless fuming about his late October exit from the primary present. Others are Witcher followers who proceed to be annoyed with Netflix’s dealing with of the unique supply materials in its Witcher tasks. Viewers being upset about how a collection handles the supply materials has turn into a scorching subject amongst many online game followers, with complaints that Netflix’s short-lived Resident Evil collection and Paramount’s Halo present are each straying too removed from the unique works they’re supposedly primarily based on. That is possible why Amazon not too long ago made a giant deal about how its upcoming God of Battle TV present will probably be “staying true” to the video games.
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But, it’s onerous to disregard that very low eight % viewer ranking on Rotten Tomatoes. Even Netflix’s supposedly despised Resident Evil present has a 26 % approval ranking from followers. (Halo sits at a comparatively wonderful 52 %.) Blood Origin’s ranking, at the very least from what I can inform, appears to be the bottom viewer rating from any Netflix authentic present. It’s even decrease than another infamously review-bombed movies and reveals, like Disney and Marvel’s She-Hulk (33 %) or Star Wars: The Final Jedi (42 %).
With all that in thoughts, my learn is that this isn’t simply one other case of a property getting review-bombed by chuds, however as a substitute only a actually unhealthy present that even diehard Witcher followers don’t take pleasure in. Studying fan evaluations, many complain concerning the shoddy CGI, boring tempo, bland writing, and a common lack of path. This echoes comparable complaints from critics, too. For Netflix, this could’t be a great factor, and doesn’t bode nicely for the way forward for its monster-slaying franchise in a post-Henry Cavill Witcher-verse.
