The fans & critics have spoken and the verdict is The Witcher: Blood Origin is a disaster, as many point out on social media. The Netflix spin-off is a prequel set 1,200 years before the Henry Cavill starrer series of the same name and explores the cataclysmic event which led to the creation of mutated superhumans known as Witchers.
It seems not even Michelle Yeoh‘s acting chops was enough to rescue The Witcher: Blood Origin from drowning to the bottom on Rotten Tomatoes. The series currently holds an eight percent audience score on RT which is apparently the all-time worst score for Netflix. In addition, critics are bashing the show, surprisingly agreeing with the criticism from Andrzej Sapkowski‘s fans.
Several critics have called out The Witcher: Blood Origin for delving into melodrama and cringe camp moments while the story fails to take a grip over viewers’ attention. Though fans had much harsher criticism with many stating the show is unwatchable after the first few episodes. Readers can check out the reactions below.
Several personalities from the biz also came in support of Henry Cavill. They called out the baseless rumor from Deuxmoi which claimed Henry Cavill’s “toxic, gamer-bro” behavior resulted in the decision to part ways. Many sided with reports claiming the Witcher writer’s room disliked the source material. Moreover, some insiders indicated the actor exited the series for Superman.
The Witcher : Blood Origin is torture. pic.twitter.com/TOVWcc6fTB
— DDayCobra (@DDayCobra) December 26, 2022
No wonder the Witcher: Blood Origin staff trashed Henry Cavill.
The show is a disaster. pic.twitter.com/Qfz3a1Vx3G
— ThatUmbrellaGuy (@ThatUmbrella) December 26, 2022
I should've listened to @HAWTToys about The Witcher: Blood Origin. It's really bad, and now I see why it's at this score. 😐 22 minutes was enough for me. I'll stick to watching the reviews and at least be entertained that way. pic.twitter.com/DgyyNGpoUv
— Lily* ليليانا (@300mirrors) December 27, 2022
Netflix: HEY WITCHER FANS? DID YOU LIKE BLOOD ORIGIN?
The Witcher fans: pic.twitter.com/S8sm3ghQ0t
— Tibo 🦦 || تيبو (@freedoughnut) December 25, 2022
It's AWFUL.
I tried watching some of it and – whew…
— ThatUmbrellaGuy (@ThatUmbrella) December 26, 2022
I finished the witcher blood origin and all I can say is that I need more of her immediately pic.twitter.com/PO7Wh2Y5fm
— shika ♡ (@shikadraws) December 25, 2022
anyway, the benefit of the witcher blood origin is that i got to see merwyn around the castle in her beautiful gowns. why are they so pretty??? pic.twitter.com/Gx4SvrQS6F
— therese lacson • 宋蕾蕾 (@bamfpire) December 25, 2022
It was so bad they tried to Gamergate and metoo him in one move!
— SierraWhiskey (@SierraWhiskey9) December 26, 2022
The Witcher: Blood Origin has literally dressed Princess Merwyn in straight from runway Iris Van Herpen pic.twitter.com/jZmlkP7qLm
— officialhambly she/they (@officialhambly) December 26, 2022
The Witcher: Blood Origin's current review ratings.
Things are going well! Completely fine! Worst user review score for a Netflix show is definitely reason to keep pushing forward with these excellent productions! pic.twitter.com/mDrR3aTi59
— Michael (@LegacyKillaHD) December 26, 2022
You know it's bad if the critics and audience agree
— Drayden_ (@Drayden_) December 26, 2022
We got to watch ‘THE WITCHER: BLOOD ORIGIN’ and must confess how bad the show is, despite having some good action scenes, the plot is dull and characters are forgettable and soulless. A pure waste of time…
The series releases on Netflix this Sunday. 🐺🩸 pic.twitter.com/ENJIl82IwZ
— The Hollywood Handle (@hollywoodhandle) December 21, 2022
I'm watching The Witcher: Blood Origin and who wrote this ahaha
The first line said to Michelle Yeoh was "I didn't mean to bring you dishonor" and then "if not for me, then for your ancestors" and I instantly knew this writers room did not have a single asian person in it
— Elaine 🌹 is on Patreon! (@artofelaineho) December 27, 2022
Witcher: Blood Origin is more tropey "You are the choosen one" stuff. You have to be seriously stupid to redcon the very things people like about The Witcher, and then still expect the series to be a success. Cavill is right. These people don't give a f about the source material. pic.twitter.com/PbMrhX5W3y
— Remco Tensen (@RemcoTensen) December 27, 2022
Finished The Witcher: Blood Origin and it did get a bit better by the end but most of the characters were not interesting enough to get invested in. Michelle Yeoh was my favorite though, she's always such a badass and wow she looks fantastic for 60. pic.twitter.com/OeuJ4A6psD
— DissocialSpace (@DissocialSpace) December 26, 2022
The only compliments are for Mirren Mack‘s Princess Merwyn’s visual appearance and some hoping to see more of Sophia Brown‘s Éile. Moreover, there have been no complaints about Yeoh’s performance among fans and that can be counted as a positive element considering the show’s current failure to meet critics’ and fans’ expectations. Even so, it should be noted that a minority of fans seem to have binged the show and are pretty fond of it. In fact, their criticism ends with the show’s failure to explore character arcs further.
Netflix is yet to renew or cancel The Witcher: Blood Origin and it’s unclear if the current backlash could play a role in their decision. Some fan criticism seems entirely motivated by Cavill’s exit to the original series while others
Witcher: Blood Origin is an origin story and takes place when Humans did not exist in the realm. The show attracted a lot of eyes when Joey Batey‘s Dandelion was announced to be part of the series. Going by Sapkowski’s book, the event known as the Conjunction of the Spheres (which takes place in Blood Origin) caused a collision of worlds that led to humans, Elves and otherworldly monsters being stranded together in The Continent.
The Witcher: Blood Origin is currently available on Netflix.
