Henry Cavill announced his departure from The Witcher early in October this year. While fans will see the actor as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher Season 3, Liam Hemsworth will take on the character, followed by the third season. However, the future of the Netflix series seems unpredictable after the release of its spinoff, The Witcher: Blood Origin. The spinoff was released on Christmas and has somehow failed to bring joy to its audience.
The Witcher: Blood Origin is the first live-action spinoff of the Netflix series and is set thousands of years before the events of the original series. However, the spinoff has not received such a good response due to multiple reasons, and fans believe that Cavill leaving the show is one of them.
Critics Call The Witcher: Blood Origin a Time Waster
Netflix’s The Witcher: Blood Origin follows seven outcasts in the elf world over thousands of years before the events of The Witcher. It is presented as a prequel to the popular Netflix series that follows the adventures of Geralt of Rivia, portrayed by Henry Cavill.
Followed by the huge success of the original series, the spinoff was also expected to gain the masses’ interest and extend The Witcher universe. However, Blood Origin seems to gave chosen a whole new path for itself.
It is highly criticized and is being termed as a forced Christmas special. While the spinoff received a 38% score from critics, the audience score is still fluctuating stuck at 9%. While the lead cast of the series did leave an impression on its viewers, critics can’t help but mention that the spin-off is nothing but “a time waster.”
“Despite its narrative swiftness and impactful action (thanks to Michelle Yeoh for lending her influence as well as her presence), ‘Blood Origin’ is just a time waster.”
Critics even highlighted the absence of the lead star saying, “without the anchor that keeps the franchise grounded,” and called it just another fantasy story that lacks what The Witcher had.
Did Henry Cavill’s Departure Cause The Witcher: Blood Origin’s Failure?
The Witcher: Blood Origin has turned out to be a mess. While many believe that the series needed more work before releasing it, others also claimed that Henry Cavill’s departure was a big reason for the show’s failure.
The Mission Impossible star has been playing Geralt of Rivia since the first season and is loved by fans of the show. However, followed by some disagreement, he announced his departure from the series.
While criticizing Blood Origin, many critics pointed out that it would have been much better with the Immortals star’s presence in the show. However, that is not the only reason the spinoff seems to be taking a hit.
Critics pointed out that the ending of Blood Origin seemed rushed, and the creators could have taken a little more time to give a perfect ending. They even claimed that four episodes were not enough to represent the story of seven characters.
Issues regarding CGI and special effects are also being pointed out as critics claim that the special effects are not as good as those used in The Witcher or any other recent fantasy series. In the middle of all this, Michelle Yeoh is praised by critics and the audience for her portrayal of Scion.
The Witcher: Blood Origin is streaming on Netflix.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
