Before Season 2 of the hit Netflix series, The Witcher arrives this winter; fans have a new animated film to hold them over in The Witcher: Nightmare of The Wolf. Before Geralt, his mentor Vesemir was a swashbuckling young witcher who escaped a life of poverty to slay monsters for coin. However, when a strange new monster begins terrorizing a politically fraught kingdom, Vesemir finds himself on a frightening adventure that forces him to confront the demons of his past.
Kwang-II Han directs The Witcher: Nightmare of The Wolf from a script by Beau de Mayo and based on characters created by Andrzej Sapkowski. The one downside to Netflix is that there is so much content. It is a job in itself to try to watch all of their series. That said, I never found the time to check out the Henry Cavil starring series. I know that the show takes place on a fictional, medieval-inspired landmass known as “the Continent,” and witchers protect us monsters.
Theo James voices our lead character Vesemir who was a mentor to the character than Henry Cavill plays. James brings an arrogant alpha male swag to the character. Hell, within the first fifteen minutes of the show, after kicking some monster ass, Vesemir’s selfish nature comes to light. Naturally, noble-born witch Tetra (Lara Pulver) sees this as an opportunity to rid the world of Witchers.
I do not want to go into much more detail than that, though, as I want the franchise fans to enjoy the spin-off prequel with no spoilers. However, I will point out the animation is glorious, the action is bloody good, and the voice work is solid.
An already popular franchise comprised of books, video games, and a television series; The Witcher’s latest edition will please both fans and non-fans of the property.
Final Grade: B
The Witcher: Nightmare of The Wolf is available to stream on Netflix Monday, August 23rd.
Director Potsy Ponciroli shifts gears for his third feature in “Motor City,” produced by IFC Films. Chad St. John penned the film’s screenplay, which was actually on the 2009 Black List and spent several years in development hell before finally getting underway.
San Francisco in film is often depicted through sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge or romanticized, foggy hills. However, “Splash City” from Lionsgate brings the focus down to street level. Co-directed by Alex Ferrufino and Gilbert Anthony Milam Jr. (better known as rapper and entrepreneur Berner), this R-rated crime drama moves away from postcard aesthetics to present a sharp, urgent portrayal of survival on the streets.
Writer-director Lee Cronin made an impressive feature film debut in 2019 with “The Hole in the Ground” and followed it up with a fresh and gruesome installment in the “Evil Dead” franchise, “Evil Dead Rise”. However, due to adult responsibilities, I missed his third film in theaters. The mixed reviews and rumors of a troubled production have me concerned.
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