“The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf” – A Fun Side Quest to the Series

Netflix’s trend of transforming popular intellectual properties into anime adaptations started with the excellent Castlevania show and now turns its sights to The Witcher. The Witcher started as a popular book series chronicling the adventures of Geralt of Rivia, the monster-hunting witcher. This was then followed by the more popular series of video games, and then the live-action show starring Henry Cavill. Most recently, however, is the new anime movie, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf. It tells the story of Geralt’s teacher, Vesemir, and his journey to becoming the hardened witcher we see in the main story.

The Witcher series has always been most successful in the details. Although the overarching plot may not be the peak of storytelling, the political intrigue, magic systems, side narratives, and culture that is interwoven so well into every aspect of the Witcher world make the journey eternally compelling. The live-action Witcher series was successful in translating this feeling, as well as creating a space for itself by introducing swaths of viewers to the series who hadn’t been interested before. Now that The Witcher has our attention, it needs to keep it. Season 2 of The Witcher comes in December, but the release of The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf has arrived during the intermission before the main event. All that Nightmare of the Wolf needs to do is tide the audience over while giving a little bit more insight on the world outside Geralt’s periphery, and it certainly lives up to this goal!

To understand the role that this movie plays in the overall series, you should know that the best part of The Witcher 3 video game is the side quests. These are the stories that usually don’t affect the main plot but feature new characters in unique scenarios, giving depth and context to the larger world. The world feels more lived-in and realistic when you stumble across a town where people are going missing during the night, the peasants are at arms with each other, and blame is being thrown every which way. What happens next is up to you: you could negotiate with the different factions, try to complete a ritual meant to protect the peasants from harm, hunt for a monster that may be the origin of the killings, or ignore their suffering completely, only to return to the town days later and find it decimated due to your inaction. These side quests are the third dimension to the story of The Witcher, and serve their purpose wonderfully. Nightmare of the Wolf is, in my mind, the viewer’s sidequest—not essential viewing, but an excellent way for those hungering for more content, and for a great deal of fun.

Throughout the film, the timeline alternates between Vesemir’s childhood experiences and his journey to becoming a witcher (as well as new revelations about the witchers themselves), and the present day, where he learns that sometimes money isn’t his only incentive to work. There are certain aspects of the plot that affect the main story, but thankfully there are no obnoxious retcons (changes to previously established information and lore) or game-changing reveals. Learning about the process of training witchers was particularly interesting to see, as well as some light political espionage and the like, being that The Witcher universe has always been about more than monster-slaying.

The format of the animation serves the story well here. It is, for the most part, engaging without being unfaithful to its live-action counterpart. There are moments where the CGI becomes a bit too obvious, especially with monsters, but otherwise the animation—and the action—exceeded expectations. Overall, Nightmare of the Wolf is an inoffensive, fun side quest that expands upon The Witcher world with style that is impossible for live-action cinematography. There was a great deal of passion on the part of the artists, writers, voice actors, and everyone else who worked on this film, and this passion elevates every frame. Theo James as Vesemir’s voice actor does exceptionally well, giving him a more youthful energy than that of the games while preserving his gruff nature. James also played Hector in Netflix’s Castlevania, and he is on the path to becoming one of the best voice actors working today. Nightmare of the Wolf has successfully satisfied my hunger for more of this universe, as well as invigorated me to see what’s next for The Witcher. In the meantime, consider adding Castlevania to your Watchlist if you want a similarly violent action-adventure story, and get ready to binge Season 2 of The Witcher this winter!

See what else Oscar is Currently Watching and Recommending!