To be taken by the demon: "The Wizard" is a stupid and messy creation

Despite the large financial investment and potential of a vast fantasy world, "The Wizard" turns out to be a half-baked, confused and clichéd series. Even the giant battles with the monsters turn out to be one big bluff

To be taken by the demon: "The Wizard" is a stupid and messy creation

Just before the start of a new television decade, we seem to be at the beginning of a particularly confusing period. On the one hand, with the expected release of two new streaming services in 2020 (HBO Max and NBC-Universal's Peacock), the total annual number of theatrical series is expected to approach 600. On the face of it, the chance of having a conversation with another person on TV series that "everyone sees" is diminishing. On the other hand, a series that "everyone sees" seems to be exactly what each of the great actresses in the field is aiming for. And because the Holy Grail is always the last big thing to work, "Game of Thrones" is the current big model. A literary epic brimming with characters and history, sheer breadth, and no less important - familiar land that comes with a large fan community, which will carry the new fans behind it. On Netflix's "wizard" face, Vee marks all of this imaginary must-see list.

"The Witcher" (originally "The Witcher") is a successful 90s fantasy book series by Polish author Andrzej Sapowski, whose second incarnation as a popular video game series has earned her a huge worldwide resonance. In his writing, Sparkowski was heavily influenced by Slavic folklore of vampires, werewolves and forest nymphs, as well as being an avid lover of the "Lord of the Rings." The plot of his books takes place on a nameless continent, which was occupied by humans and led to the enslavement of the dwarves and elves - its original inhabitants.

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Throw a coin on your wizard. "The Wizard" (Photo: Netflix)

The Witcher, The Witcher (Photo: Netflix, PR)

An event called Conjunction of the Spheres led to the arrival of vampires, werewolves, forest nymphs and a huge variety of mythical and deadly monsters into the world. The threat of the latter led to the creation of hybrids. Orphaned and poor children mutated by magic. The process strengthened their bodies, sharpened their senses and gave them a particularly long life. Many experimental participants did not survive the process, while the survivors were put into a grueling and deadly training system designed to turn them into monster hunters. The Witchers migrate around the world and make a living off monster killings for money. Their internal code states that human wars should not be interfered with, which in return are viewed as a different kind of monsters. The hero of the book, Geralt of Rivia, is one of the last leftovers in the world.

As expected from a series of five books and two collections of short stories of a total length of 4,000 pages, only the book background story can be further elaborated for an entire article. And all without mentioning the game plot, which is actually a sequel to the book plot. Out of all this abundance, the series creator Lauren Schmidt (formerly a member of the Daredevil screenwriters, "The Defenders" and "The Umbrella Academy") chose to base the first season story on the two short collections of "Fate Sword" and "The Last Wish." And while these collections provide a glimpse into events from Gralt's (pre-book story) past and the origins of his relationship with other major characters in the plot - eclectic and broadly unconnected. The problem is that the series itself does nothing to fix it.

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A kind of beach obsessed with power. Liner Charlotte in the role of witch Yaffer (Photo: Netflix)

The Witcher, The Witcher (Photo: Netflix, PR)

The most notable thing about "The Wizard" is the chaotic feeling that comes from it. As mentioned, Sparkowski's writing also tends to be bouncy and scattered between time and space, but this is exactly where television processing is supposed to be better - and unfortunately it is not. Already in the first episode, an indestructible night of past events was shot, names of places, creatures, foreign languages ​​and characters thrown at viewers. Everything is terribly superficial and without any deliberate hand. Characters resemble each other casually in events and places that have never been explained before. Constitutive battles between the human kingdoms of Sinatra and Nilfgaard (which are widely used in books) are mentioned here by name only, as if they are meant to say something to the viewer who knows nothing about them. The "clash of worlds" is also casually thrown into dialogues, as if each viewer is supposed to know them.

Seemingly, the conclusion should be that the series appeals far more to heavy fans than newcomers, but that doesn't quite fit with reality either. Geralt of the books is a mysterious, thoughtful and thoughtful character. The mystery about him and his motives is meant to gradually peel his figure. In the series, however, Henry Cavill's version of "The Man of Steel" is an almost embarrassing cartoon of superficial macho. From the deep groans that characterize his every answer, through his almost obsessive body and naked body, to the stupid and inspirational dialogues - there is nothing interesting or refreshing about Gralt. Put it and Schwarzenegger's barbaric Conan from 1982 side by side and find it hard to tell the differences.

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Wide-eyed. Freya Allen as Princess Siri, "The Wizard" (Photo: Netflix)

The Witcher, The Witcher (Photo: Netflix, PR)

The same is true of the other main characters in the series - Princess Siri (Freya Allen) and Witch Yennefer (Ania Charlotte). The first is the last scion of the Sinatra kingdom and a strategic asset in the human wars, as well as having supernatural abilities that are slowly emerging. The second is related to Geralt in a romantic relationship, but no less so as part of the common destiny that links the three in Siri's defense and guidance for her future. The series, in a rather puzzling decision, decides to delve into the fragments of stories from Siri Winfer's past, and dives into a strange and stupid mess of dreary journeys in the woods and training in a witch's school. Each of the stories is portrayed in the same contextless superficiality, with characters coming in and out of our lives without any compromise or narrative necessity. The opposite is the goal: Siri turns out to be an annoying, wide-eyed girl, and Winfer is a type of beach obsessed with power. So much screen time to dislike the heroes on viewers.

In the fourth episode, the series manages to break new record of absurdity, introducing a flashback with no flashback feature. Resurrected characters, suddenly-conquered kingdoms boast of independence, inventive concepts like the "law of surprise" are thrown into the air as if they were something of a thing. This is an example of what's wrong with "The Wizard" - whether in building the world, the relationship between the characters or the overall progression of the plot together. And inside this cacophony lies another disappointing fact about a series that boasts such a monster-hunting hero. Although the series' trailers seem to be packed with action and fights, these are three or four very pointy cases that have been cut and edited to look like various events. In fact, one of the events depicts a battle between Gralt and the monster from the mouth of a character who predicted it - without even looking a fraction of it. Even the hype of blood, monsters and swords the "sorcerer" fails to provide.

It is hard to find bright spots in this confused and flat work. None of her heroes are interesting, her clichés and dreary, she is tiring and smelly, full of details and in the same breath also lacking context. "The Wizard" looks like a patchwork quilt sewn from pages of the book series. Given all of that, her quick renewal for another season seems puzzling and rushing. Netflix of recent years is much less tolerant of works that do not deliver the goods, even when it comes to expensive investments. According to her first season, it is hard to believe that The Wizard will succeed in breaking this statistic and surviving on the screens for a long time.

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An almost embarrassing cartoon of macho. Henry Cabill, "The Wizard" (Photo: Netflix)

The Witcher, The Witcher (Photo: Netflix, PR)

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The Hebrew translation chosen for the series is in its own right. While it is true that "Witcher" sits on the word Witch, Gralt himself and the Witchers as a whole are works of witchcraft, but possess very basic magic skills in their own right. Most of their strength comes from the potions they took and the grueling training system that built their physical strength. And in a world where superpowered witches operate, the choice of this name creates further confusion over the huge confusion that also prevails in the series. If no suitable Hebrew alternative was found to describe the Witchers, what would be so bad about simply leaving her name "Witcher"?