Movies

The Witcher, a Netflix original series, is a dark, hilarious, and authentic adaptation of the fantasy literature.

A few minutes into the first episode, you learn practically everything you need to know about The Witcher hero Geralt (Henry Cavill). The titular witcher – a hired monster hunter with certain useful superpowers — is first seen in a marsh, thrashed and nearly drowned by a large spider creature. In the next scene, Geralt goes to a small pub to get information on his next task, only to be mocked and scorned by peasants who are terrified of his superhuman abilities. Finally, a nice young woman saves him from a barroom scuffle, and she rapidly becomes his loving companion.

The Netflix adaption brilliantly depicts the mysterious hero. He’s trying to make it in a world that despises him, clinging to a moral code that puts him in perilous positions. He’s snarky and gruff, always up for a battle, incredibly charming, and frequently irresistible. It’s a notion that worked well in books and video games, and it’s now one of Netflix’s best series.

There are a few minor spoilers in this review.

The Witcher is based on a trilogy of fantasy novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, which gained global acclaim thanks to a video game adaptation. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, released in 2015, catapulted the series to blockbuster status. Every iteration follows Geralt, a member of the witcher family, an ancient and declining line of monster hunters. They’re modified from a young age to become stronger and faster, with restricted magical talents and longer lifespans as a result of the procedure. Geralt is a gunslinger who saunters into a troubled town, slays the inevitable magical beast, collects his reward, and moves on.

The Witcher is unlike other fantasy stories, including obvious counterparts like Game of Thrones, in this regard. The Witcher is like a fantastical detective series, with Geralt investigating dangerous magical creatures and inevitably being drawn into much larger conspiracies. It does have the elements of a vast epic tale — including plenty of political machinations and lots of warring kingdoms — but at its best, The Witcher is like a fantastical detective series, with Geralt investigating dangerous magical creatures and inevitably being pulled into much bigger conspiracies.

THE STRUCTURE FEELS ACCORDING TO THE SERIES’ SPIRIT. The way the new program smoothly mixes these two styles of storytelling is what makes it so successful. There’s a compelling overall plot here. The show also follows Ciri, a teenage princess with unusual talents on the run from a neighboring kingdom, and Yennefer, a fiercely independent witch with huge goals, in addition to Geralt. Viewers are drawn in as their three paths inevitably cross. Instead of the serialized style used on premium television, The Witcher follows a “monster of the week” format for the most of its runtime. (This shifts in the final two episodes, as the season hurries to a conclusion that plainly sets up the second.)

Each episode, many of which are based on short stories from the books, assigns Geralt the duty of resolving a different monster-related issue, such as a princess turned beast or a furious djinn who has cursed his best friend, the poet Dandelion (who primarily goes by Jaskier in the show). The format feels faithful to the series’ spirit while still working nicely for television.

Sigourney Weaver Reveals Her Unconventional Role in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

It also means that the show expects a little more from its audience. The Witcher doesn’t always follow a strict timeline, and there’s no way to tell whether you’re seeing a scenario from the past or the present. Instead, you must figure out the timing based on contextual clues, such as a line regarding an event you’ve already witnessed or the distance between two actors. (The fact that witches and sorcerers don’t age makes it difficult to figure out the timing.) It took me a few episodes to figure out what was going on. This also implies that multiple viewings of The Witcher are beneficial, as you can pick up on little things you may have missed the first time around.

However, Geralt is the most important character in The Witcher. I’ll admit that seeing the first photographs of Henry Cavill in a Party City-style white wig made me anxious, but he absolutely nails the role. His Geralt is the perfect mix of terrifying, seductive, and snarky. His gravelly voice is also flawless. The wig may appear odd at times, but it does not detract from what makes Geralt so intriguing. You’ll even see him in a few bath scenes.

In an era full of nihilistic fantasy stories influenced by Game of Thrones, The Witcher stands out as a TV show. Yes, the show can be quite gruesome at times. The beautifully choreographed fight scenes, as well as one particularly difficult-to-watch miraculous metamorphosis, are highly violent. It’s a show where the bad guys are usually humans, not monsters, which is surprising. The details, on the other hand, are what set The Witcher apart. People in these stories aren’t just being bad for the sake of being bad; they’re making decisions based on love or survival, and things go awry. What makes The Witcher so interesting is how it goes into these murky waters, probing why individuals behave in the way they do. You’ll feel some sympathy for practically everyone towards the conclusion, no matter how unredeemable they appear at first.

‘THE WITCHER’ IS HUMOROUS. The Witcher, most importantly, has a sense of humour. It isn’t all doom and gloom. Jaskier (Joey Batey) regularly serves as comic relief, following Geralt about against his disapproval in order to put his exploits into song, occasionally breaking the fourth wall. “There I go again, just offering exposition,” he remarks at one point. “I love the way you just sit in a corner and brood,” the bard says the witcher when they first meet. Geralt’s caustic temperament is on full display in the meantime. With a frustrated “fuck,” he can cut through any scenario, no matter how embarrassing or unpleasant it is. A lively jig and gawking spectators make jokes accompany one of the show’s most dramatic sex scenes.

The Witcher could have gone horribly wrong. It’s easy to misunderstand what makes the series exciting, but the TV version gets it right. The Witcher is humorous, dramatic, and unsettling, and it almost flawlessly balances those diverse emotions. Yes, Henry Cavill is wearing a horrible white wig, but once he starts talking, you’ll forget about it.

Movies

Sigourney Weaver is coming back for Avatar 2 CRAZY!

In the first Avatar, Weaver’s scientist character died, but now she’s back as the protagonists’ adopted Na’vi daughter.

We were all surprised when we heard about 17 billion years ago that Sigourney Weaver would be back for James Cameron’s Avatar sequels (even more so than with the idea of there being multiple Avatar sequels). But now that we know how Weaver is going to come back, we’re even more confused.

Empire magazine has said that Weaver will play a completely different character in Avatar: The Way of Water. In the first movie, she played Dr. Grace Augustine, the creator of the Human-Na’vi switcheroo Avatar Program, who died at the end. And no, it’s not a human. It’s Jake and Neytiri’s daughter, who is about to turn 16.

Weaver will play Kiri, Jake and Neytiri’s adopted daughter. It looks like we’ll meet a lot of Jake and Neytiri’s family in The Way of Water. Weaver told Empire what it was like to play a digitized blue teenager, “I think we all pretty much remember how we felt when we were that age.” “Oh, yes, I do. When I was 11, I was 5’10” or 5’11” tall. I was sure Kiri would feel uncomfortable a lot of the time. She wants to find out who she is. When Jim gave me that task, I was thrilled.

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Now, adults play children all the time, especially in the world of voice acting, and at least one of the photos Empire released of Kiri makes it look like Weaver will also show up as Dr. Augustine again in some way, probably through old footage. But knowing that the Na’vi are mostly brought to life by fancy mocap rigs, it will be strange to see Weaver’s physical performance put on a teenager. Even though he is a blue alien teen with long arms and legs, he is still a teen.

The movie Avatar: The Way of Water will come out in December 2022.

Movies

Disney will show new scenes from “Avatar: The Way of Water”

Disney started its CineEurope presentation in Barcelona today with 12 minutes of footage from July’s Marvel fourquel Thor: Love and Thunder. Throughout the show, Disney showed trailers and looks at its other upcoming movies, including four never-before-seen scenes from James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water.

Before the Thor footage, Disney’s Head of Global Theatrical Distribution Tony Chambers talked about the importance of immersive storytelling and the studio’s “robust, diverse slate.” This was followed by about 60 minutes of footage that was introduced by EMEA Head of Theatrical Distribution Nick Rush and EMEA Head of Studio Marketing Lee Jury.

There were prerecorded messages from people like Marvel boss Kevin Feige, who said, “It feels like we’re just getting started, even after 14 years.” As he introduced the Love And Thunder scenes, Thor star Chris Hemsworth said he wished he was in Barcelona, where the sangria “always tastes better.”

Harrison Ford sent a video for Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones 5, saying that it had been 13 years since the last movie and that it was “time to put on the fedora and crack the whip.”

We also saw parts of Haunted Mansion, Pixar’s Elemental and Strange World, and the ensemble Amsterdam, which was directed by David O. Russell for New Regency.

Sam Mendes sent a video about Empire Of Light by Searchlight. The director of 1917 said that after making that movie, he wrote this one during lockdown. He said it was a “extremely personal story” about music, movies, and finding love in strange places.

Rebecca Kearey, the international head of Searchlight, showed a trailer for See How They Run, which stars Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan, and a teaser for The Banshees of Inisherin, which stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, directed by Martin McDonagh. Searchlight also showed the first scene of Chevalier, which is about the son of an African slave and a French plantation owner who grows up to be a famous composer in France.

When and where The Witcher can (and should) go after The Witcher 3 comes to an end

The next movie by Thor director Taika Waititi, Next Goal Wins, got an eight-minute sneak peek. The movie is about the American Samoa soccer team. In 2001, they lost to Australia 31-0, which was the worst loss in World Cup history. Michael Fassbender takes over as their new coach.

Disney’s show ended with a visit from Avatar producer Jon Landau, who flew from New Zealand to Barcelona to talk about the next movie in the series. He said that Avatar: The Way of Water was in the final stages of post-production and that it was important to be in Barcelona “to show our support for the exhibition community.”

Landau said that the strength of James Cameron’s scripts is that they have universal themes. “There is nothing more relatable than family,” he said before showing a message from Cameron.

Cameron from New Zealand said that the people working on Avatar were “pushing the limits even further… Every shot is made for the biggest screen and best resolution that can be achieved… I think this is what people want.” He also said, “Our business is not going away.”

Movies

Sigourney Weaver Reveals Her Unconventional Role in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

Weaver will portray Jake and Neytiri’s adoptive child.

Many pondered what type of role Sigourney Weaver would have in the sequel to James Cameron’s Avatar after the death of her character, Dr. Grace Augustine, who was the leader of the Avatar Program in the previous film. Finally, in an Empire Magazine exclusive, Weaver shared insights about the role she will portray in Avatar: The Way of Water, as well as a new photograph from the film.

Weaver announced to Empire Magazine that she would play Kiri, the adoptive daughter of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaa), in the film. “I believe we all remember what we were experiencing as teens,” Weaver told Empire Magazine exclusively. “I most definitely do. When I was 11, I was 5′ 10″ or 5′ 11″. I had a strong feeling Kiri would be uncomfortable a lot of the time. She’s trying to figure out who she is. Jim’s assignment of that task excited me.”

A fresh picture, which adds to the character’s mystery, has also been unveiled, hinting at some type of link that Kiri would have with Grace. Kiri is seen inside a lab, staring at a monitor with a recording of Grace on it. Despite not being biologically connected to Jake and Neytiri, Kiri seems to have human traits that other Na’vi do not have, such as five digits and eyebrows, adding to the character’s mystery.

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Empire exclusive

With an obvious link between the two, as well as both characters being performed by the same actor, viewers can only guess on how significant Kiri’s involvement will be in the plot. The character will also appear on a subscriber-exclusive cover of Empire Magazine, which depicts her swimming underwater appreciating Pandora’s aquatic life, as shown in the first teaser.

Weaver and Cameron will work together again for Avatar: The Way of Water, having previously played Ellen Ripley in Aliens and Grace in the first Avatar film. Along with Weaver, Stephen Lang will reprise his role as Colonel Miles Quaritch, the man responsible for Grace’s death, in the sequel. Quaritch, like Weaver’s character, perished in the first film, fueling curiosity regarding his participation in Avatar: The Way of Water. While the roles of both actors remain unknown, fan speculation may continue until the highly anticipated film is released later this year.

On December 16, Avatar: The Way of Water will be released exclusively in cinemas.