Something interesting news for people who liked the game:
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-09-04-superman-henry-cavill-cast-as-geralt-in-witcher-netflix-series (https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-09-04-superman-henry-cavill-cast-as-geralt-in-witcher-netflix-series)
Hmmm...
Not sure I can see Cavill as Geralt myself, but then he does have a habit of looking like he can't act, and then giving pretty solid performances.
I'll give him (and the makeup dept) a chance :thumbsup:
(https://i.imgur.com/vSmoHxKl.jpg)
I wouldn't have called myself a Caville fan particularly before MI:Fallout but that made me a believer! I now want to see him in more stuff so this is good news.
I think he would have made a pretty good superman in a world where Zack Snyder had read All Star Superman rather than DK2 (I'm not going to sully Dark Knight Returns with that comparison).
Lots of people whining about a casting call asking for a non-white Ciri. Because the fact that she looks a bit like Geralt is integral to the story and making the Nilfgaardians non-white will utterly disrupt the storyline of a world where humans and monsters invaded a world of dwarves and elves thousands of years ago.
Meh. The older I get the more I want Marvel to recast everyone as multiracial/transgender/bisexual/etc just to see the bile foam.
I am on the third Witcher book at the moment and really enjoying the series. I would really like to see this on Netflix. However I wish they wouldn't make the Nilfgaardians and Ciri non-white. It's not that I'm against representation and inclusion in media but I think that there is probably lots of material written by non white writers and artists that could be developed. My understanding of the books is that they are a critique by a Polish artist of how Russia incorporated other Eastern European countries into itself in the aftermath of WW2. Making the Nilgaardians non white brings a racial element to the narrative that changes this significantly. Or maybe not, maybe the whole evil empire thing is done to death .. Thoughts anyone?
Why should non-white writers and artists be needed in order to include non-white characters in a piece of fiction? I've read two of the Witcher books, and really enjoyed them. There's a picture of Gerald on the cover that has him as pale skinned with white hair, but I don't recall much else in the books that dictates skin tone. Analogy with European history surely doesn't preclude changes of skin tone in other renderings of the work. Why does changing the skin tone of the Nilgaardians "bring a racial element to the narrative"?
I'm at a loss as to why this choice is even controversial, unless people have an axe to grind?
Quote from: Funt Solo on 09 March, 2019, 06:21:46 PM
I'm at a loss as to why this choice is even controversial, unless people have an axe to grind?
If you are new to the internet, then allow me to welcome you. Unfortunately, not many websites are nice and friendly and level headed like what here is.
I just think that in this instance the power dynamics of a larger Empire (USSR) swallowing up smaller satellite countries (Poland) is something I would like to see explored rather than a black (or other race) versus white power dynamic. The book also contains this racial exploration with how humans treat those of other races elves, dwarves etc. I'm not saying that there should be no non white people just that I personally would prefer the material to be explored in the way I believe it was written.
So if you stick to the Soviet thing you'll need a cast of Mongolian, Slavic, Georgian and other ethnic groups, oh and lots of women driving tanks... just saying :P
Well, the USSR replaced the leaders of subsumed ethnic (e.g. Kazakhstan) nations with their own ethnically Russian leaders. So, there's already a racial element to the allegory.
As with a black Hermione, it might be interesting to fathom the author's thoughts.
I'm totally ok with all of the above, that's what I want in fact. I just don't want it to be black / white thing I guess. Sorry if I'm not explaining this very well.
Why does having black Nilgaardians ruin the allegory, though? I mean: they could be green-skinned and you could still have the allegory of Big Empire subsumes smaller states.
I guess I just like the power dynamics explored in the books and I don't want modern race politics to replace them.
My wife has a saying: "Don't borrow trouble."
I suppose my point is that I don't see why the inclusion of black Nilgaardians automatically invokes "modern race politics".
I suppose I'm just want them to stick to the source material.
So, you want them to cast elves and dwarves?
I think we should only cast Nilfgardians.
Quote from: Rara Avis on 19 March, 2019, 06:44:37 PM
I suppose I'm just want them to stick to the source material.
Migration is not a new phenomenon, and not all writers mention a character's ethnicity in the visual description - although it has been noted that Caucasian writers have a tendency to do so. There may be more diversity in your favorite fictional works than you realise. The Harry Potter books are chock full of diversity you would never know was there if JK Rowling didn't point it out on Twitter 10 years after it would have been helpful.
I'm a bit confused, though - does the show just have a diverse cast, or is this an explicit statement that the show is to feature ethno and/or racial nationalism? I didn't spot much of that in the Witcher games (not that I played any of them very much as I tend to like my RPGs to have some RP in them), but it's pretty blatant in Skyrim, a game not unloved by white supremacists.
That ultra-Viking dude you linked to recently reminded me of ... [tremble at the approach of] .... the Techno-Viking (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjCdB5p2v0Y).
:D :D :D :D
Yes that's exactly what I want.
It's just a bugbear of mine. I just hate when a book is adapted into a tv or film and significant changes are made to the source material. Take Game of Thrones for example - this sticks pretty closely to the source material for as long as it can and it's amazing. These are the adaptations I want to see. Take a good book and make a good film or tv show. That's all I ask. Sometimes changing certain aspects of the source material can indicate the end product is a cash grab or that the producers or whoever haven't really engaged with the material they are trying to recreate. There's plenty of racism in the books between humans, elves, dwarves and gnomes.
Quote from: Funt Solo on 19 March, 2019, 09:29:12 PM
So, you want them to cast elves and dwarves?
The latest trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSqi-8kAMmM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSqi-8kAMmM)
Did not find the trailer amazing but I'm reserving judgement.
This thread hurts my head. Books any good?
Quote from: TordelBack on 28 July, 2019, 09:25:11 PM
This thread hurts my head. Books any good?
Terrible, but somehow Witcher 3 has some of the best and most affecting writing in any videogame ever made.
Quote from: TordelBack on 28 July, 2019, 09:25:11 PM
This thread hurts my head. Books any good?
The books are wonderful (if convoluted). I've been unable to put them down and binged them since discovery. I would say that conclusions are somewhat ephemeral in The Lady in the Lake. But it's a fantasy, or a fairytale, within a world of realpolitik. I was left wondering if much of the denouement was literally a placatory band aid on the wound of the actual conclusion. Still wonderful.
The latest trailer plus more info on the release date:
https://www.newsarama.com/47667-henry-cavill-s-the-witcher-releases-new-main-trailer-sets-debut-date.html (https://www.newsarama.com/47667-henry-cavill-s-the-witcher-releases-new-main-trailer-sets-debut-date.html)
Anyone watching this? We saw the first episode last night. Strangely I think my wife liked it more than I did, given she said "that was quite good" at the end. I thought she would have been put off by the monster at the start and the graphic sword battles etc, but apparently not.
I'm reserving judgement on it for now. (I've not read the books or played the game, so it's all new to me.)
We watched the first episode... a month ago? And since then neither of us have felt the least urge to watch any more - which probably tells you all you need to know.
Slow, stiff, stilted; it somehow managed to be confusing and boring at the same time.
The first episose is pretty weak, but having stuck with it I think it's an absolutely wonderful series, head and shoulders above GoT in terms of fantasy fun.
It is utter rubbish, no question, but it takes itself not one jot seriously: as my missus remarked, it's just Xena Warriors Princess with less lezzing and more boobs, right down to Joxer / Jaksier as comedy annoyance. If you like the Tapert stable of fantasy shows (and I did), you'll like this.
Refreshingly it takes no prisoners when setting up its world (or even its byzantine chronology!) although all does become clear by about the middle of the season. Cavill is a marvel, his violent emotionless mutant somehow far more likeable and heroic than his Superman. His grunt game is peerless.
Some terrific gore in places too.
I know it's a mistake, but I'm itching to.play the games now.
I enjoyed it as well. It doesn't take itself too seriously but there's enough going on with the characters and structure to keep it interesting. I particularly enjoyed that all bar the last two episodes had a discrete story for the Witcher himself, even while the other story threads continued on their GoT-like way.
Quote from: TordelBack on 17 January, 2020, 11:01:47 AM
I know it's a mistake, but I'm itching to.play the games now.
I've read the books and watched the show: so the games are also calling me. I'm resisting on the basis that they'll be an enormous time sink.
I always loved Xena's sense of fun, so I find comparisons from that vector endearing.
I've been playing the game after watching the show, really enjoying it, I do imagine it's going to take me a long time, I got the game of the year one with all the dlc. But up yo now it's kept me interested and is very varied..
Finished the first season last night.
I thought it was great.
Really enjoyed the non-linear story telling, once I had worked out that was what was going on.
Looking forward to more.
Unfortunately read a bit of a spoiler reading the character biographies on Wikipedia thinking the page was for the TV series, when it was actually for the books. 😬
Did anyone watch season 2? Surprised there is no chat on here about it.
I just finished it last night and oh my, was it complicated. Great, but complicated.
Think I will need to re-watch the whole thing, as things I had assumed where throw away in season one, turned out to be fundamental.
And there is a huge set of characters, so it will be good to go back and see where we first met them.
Quote from: Magnetica on 10 February, 2022, 10:14:34 AM
Did anyone watch season 2? Surprised there is no chat on here about it.
I just finished it last night and oh my, was it complicated. Great, but complicated.
Think I will need to re-watch the whole thing, as things I had assumed where throw away in season one, turned out to be fundamental.
And there is a huge set of characters, so it will be good to go back and see where we first met them.
Yep watched and enjoyed though I thought it decent enough to want me to watch season 3. I don't know how many seasons they hope to get out of this but I hope they don't drag it out - at least 1 more action packed but no more than 2 should be satisfactory.
Quote from: Trooper McFad on 10 February, 2022, 10:16:22 AM
Quote from: Magnetica on 10 February, 2022, 10:14:34 AM
Did anyone watch season 2? Surprised there is no chat on here about it.
I just finished it last night and oh my, was it complicated. Great, but complicated.
Think I will need to re-watch the whole thing, as things I had assumed where throw away in season one, turned out to be fundamental.
And there is a huge set of characters, so it will be good to go back and see where we first met them.
Yep watched and enjoyed though I thought it decent enough to want me to watch season 3. I don't know how many seasons they hope to get out of this but I hope they don't drag it out - at least 1 more action packed but no more than 2 should be satisfactory.
Well they have eight books and three games* to draw from, but they seemed to largely ignore the source material and added in a lot of their own stuff for this series. The results are a mixed bag.
*four if you count the DLC
I binged it in the first week! What strikes me about Witcher is how dense it feels, in a good way. After the first few eps of s:1 I had to check the running time, as at the end of an hour, you felt you'd watched a two hour movie, whereas many series (Walking Dead springs to mind) feel like it takes three episodes to cover half an hour of plot advancement.
I watched and enjoyed it. I'm.... not sure about that prequel series from the advertisement though. Far too early to judge, of course; I'm just going by a short bit of footage, but it did feel a bit cheesy. Happy to give it a chance, though.