I'm seeing a lot of negativity surrounding the new season of The Witcher, and I think we need to take a step back. While a new lead actor is a big change, let's not forget what this series is truly about: the incredible story and the rich world it's set in. So much hard work from the entire cast and crew goes into making this show. Let's reserve judgment and give the new season, and Liam Hemsworth, a fair chance to continue Geralt's journey. After all, a great story is bigger than any single actor. I'm excited to see where the path leads us next!

Liam hemsworth is an even worse Geralt than expected, what a joke, completely ruins the season.

Liam did a great job - I thought it would be much worse, but somehow Geralt stays Geralt, even when he is Liam instead of Henry. Not acting ruins the show, but stupid (or lazy - who knows) writers. I'm fed up with how in modern movies/series these primitive "writers" show "love" (sex is not love), or "happiness" (drugs, drunks and going down to dirt is not happiness), or other feelings.

Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way. Yes, Henry Cavill is gone and replaced by Liam Hemsworth. A lot has been made of his departure, and it has led to plenty of review bombing. Is it noticeable? Yeah, but I'm not so sure it is a negative change. Cavill is a nice guy who seems passionate and unabashedly nerdy, and I respect him a lot for that. However, I don't think he is necessarily a good actor. His Geralt was mostly relegated to grunting and looking forlorn. Liam Hemsworth actually looks like a much better Geralt visually, and while I don't necessarily think he is also bringing a ton of depth and dimensionality to the character, I think he gives the role a softer touch that works better for the character in this portion of his arc. To me, it is a lateral move in terms of the actual on-screen elements and certainly does not necessitate review bombing (although nothing really ever does). In terms of the offscreen drama, I won't wade into those waters other than saying that from what I've heard, this is the most faithful season to the books in the show's run. In terms of how that translates into an actual season of television...it is a mixed bag. The main trio of characters are split apart for the entirety of the show, with only a handful of scenes together. That interplay is definitely missed, and the show then has to juggle 3 distinct storylines and try to keep them engaging and paced well. In my opinion, it fails at this. The first half of the season is kind of just boring. It takes itself too seriously and continues to try and build up all of these different political factions despite the fact that it simply is not very good. Only in the second half does the show start to let some of the fun silliness back in. I've said it before, but this show is the best when it focuses on monsters and action sequences, and this season continues that trend. The fight choreography is fantastic, really incredible in some sequences. It often makes me wonder why the show doesn't spend more time with it. Similarly, the campy moments are the best in my opinion. Leo Bonhart is a new character that chews up the scenery whenever he is on screen. These are genuinely great moments. It's just such a shame that they do not get to shine because we need to also get a ton of the boring talking sequences oriented around the politics. The show also seems to think that a lot of side characters have a lot more depth to them, and it just takes certain things way too seriously. I would say this is most present in Geralt's storyline, and that's why I highlighted the Hemsworth switch earlier. To me, the issues are more emblematic of the writing than the actual acting. I think Yennfer and Ciri's storylines have their fair share of dull moments, but they had more of the engaging and entertaining moments than Geralt's. Those two characters and actresses also have fully come into their own now and feel like more than side characters. I will say that I don't think all of the character arcs/story arcs this season have a proper resolution, with one ending on a cliffhanger that feels unsatisfying. There is clearly a lot of setup to try and setup the next (and final?) season. Overall, I think a lot of my issues probably have their genesis in the books. The latter books tend to be rated worse than the earlier ones because they shift towards more of the politics and end-of-the-world stakes. Fans might argue for something very faithful, but I'm not sure faithful means entertaining. This show has some bona fide strengths, and it's a shame that it can't give them enough focus due to the baggage of also telling a story that is largely uninteresting. With that said, I have enjoyed watching it so far despite a lot of criticisms. This season is still better than the horrendous 3rd season. I am sad that all the review bombing and hate might prevent them from closing out the story even if it has a lot of flaws because the truth is, when it is in its true element, with silly over-the-top characters and old school sword and sorcery plots with incredibly slick action choreography, it is a ton of fun.