Netflix's new animated feature, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, is already setting a new benchmark for the wider Witcher series. The spin-off special, which dropped this weekend, is proving a hit with both critics and audiences, scoring a whopping 100% on Rotten Tomatoes after the first dozen professional reviews. Although it's too early to make a firm judgment, the response thus far has been overwhelmingly positive. However, the new film does ask some difficult questions about the wider franchise, especially where its protagonists are concerned.
Nightmare of the Wolf serves as a prequel to the live-action Witcher series. Focusing on Geralt's mentor and father-figure Vesemir, the show incorporates the same fantastical action and adventure elements that made the Henry Cavill-led original such a resounding hit. However, despite Cavill's charismatic onscreen presence during the original series, the difference in combat prowess between the two series are leading some to wonder why, by comparison, his teacher seems an exponentially more effective fighter, based on how intense many of the Nightmare of the Wolf fight scenes appear to be. The answer is much more complicated than just suggesting Geralt's inferior qualities as a Witcher.
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What really sets Nightmare of the Wolf apart, both from the separate Netflix series and the Witcher books that inspired the production, is the use of animation. By replacing live-action and CGI with a completely cartoonized world, the creators of the new movie had a lot more scope for creativity, especially when it comes to action set pieces. Visually, director Kwang Il-Han wasn't limited by the rules of physics or what's possible with an actor on set. By using the medium of anime, the filmmakers were able to make the action and fight scenes even more impressive and outrageous. While such fight scenes could seem over the top in a live-action adaptation, they make perfect sense in an animated feature.
This key difference was recently highlighted by none other than The Witcher series show-runner and creator, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. As she explained in a video teasing the Nightmare of the Wolf trailer, much of what you see in the new movie simply wouldn't be possible in a traditional live-action adaptation. In her commentary on the trailer, Schmidt Hissrich revealed: "This is stuff we would never, ever be able to do in live-action," highlighting how a different creative approach can produce a different effect on the screen.
Beyond the ways in which their powers are represented, however, there are a few more key differences between Geralt and his mentor. The most obvious is the two characters' contrasting outlooks and attitudes towards their profession. Throughout season 1, Geralt's monster hunting and interactions with other characters is resolutely grim and gritty. Apart from a few notable exceptions (such as the infamous bathtub scene), he rarely offers so much as a smirk. Vesemir, by contrast, is portrayed as an arrogant and cocky rogue, who fights with flair as much as physical prowess. These two individual styles could explain why their fights look so dramatically different.
Despite the two characters' differing portrayals, there's no doubt that both Geralt and Vesemir possess some serious fighting prowess. With Geralt's mentor set to appear in The Witcher season 2, fans can expect to find out how he fights outside of animation. Nevertheless, despite his imminent arrival in the main series, there's no doubt that Vesemir's skills in Nightmare of the Wolf make him a formidable opponent for any monster.