Netflix discovered that it had a new hit with The Witcher, a dark fantasy series set in the middle of 2019, and immediately began to plan for expansion. Nightmare of the Wolf is the first step in that larger world. It's available on streaming today and does a fantastic job.
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Nightmare of the Wolf is directed by Studio Mirs KwangIl Han and animated by the studio. It serves as both a prequel and an introduction to the secondary, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich-developed Witcher series. Vesemirp is portrayed here by Castlevanias Theo James. Kim Bodnia will portray the older version of Vesemirp. We get to see him grow from a young servant boy who wants more out of life, to a powerful, cocky monster-slayer at his peak of power and swagger. This lens allows us to look into a world that is much bigger and more complex than what we encountered in Geralt of Rivias' first season of The Witchers. This is partly due to Nightmare of the Wolfs prequel status. There are more Witchers than there are people. Vesemir is not the only one who hunts monsters. There are a lot more Witchers than Vesemir can bounce off of. Society has to deal with the fact that Witchers exist as a real, powerful faction in the world. This makes it difficult for society to accept the inequal position they have within that society.
It is that skepticism among humanity, and even the remnants of other race in Witchers universe, like the Elves, who were once allies to humans and taught their first mages the power of magic. Only for them to be subjugated, and persecuted, by the ascendant human countriesthat forms the basis of Nightmare of the Wolf's most interesting worldbuilding. It's a dark and sometimes cynical story, perhaps more so than its live-action sibling. Its cynical lens allows it to present a world which feels morally complex, interesting and where there are no inherently bad or good factions. Violence and fear inevitably and coldly win out over peace and religion. Vesemir was also subjected to a character test during its 90-minute runtime. It is rewarding to watch him develop as a person beyond his mask of confidence as he lies naked in a luxurious bathtub boasting about his victories. Nightmare of the Wolf is a fascinating journey that gives us an idea of what we can expect from Vesemir, a wiser and older version of himself, in season two of The Witcher. It also lays the foundation for a potentially-laden relationship between the younger Witcher (and his mentor) when they meet again later in the year.
Studio Mirs animators can use all that moral complexity and character-building to create incredible animated action. Nightmare of the Wolf, which takes advantage of the medium's strength beyond what we can see in The Witcher shows us the monster killers at their peak power. Vesemir has a razor-sharp and lightning-quick sense of kinetic energie as he soars through the air with swords and runic magicals whirling. It's grand and extravagant, and it's also outrageously fun. Vesemir's advantage over Geralt is, for instance, a Witcher-branded waist-mounted chain grapple which allows him to swing through the air. It is clear that someone at Studio Mir was either watching too much Attack on Titan, or just really missed animating Lin Beifongs metalbending cops from The Legend of Korra.
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It is also, just like the legacy made-for-Netflix adult animated series before it, a far more violent series than its live action predecessor. There are many bloody scenes that thematically and sometimes literally get in the way the story. Sometimes it can get a bit much. Between this and Studio Mirs DOTA series for Netflix and Castlevanias last season earlier this year I feel I have seen enough of intestines in places they shouldnt be, and eyeballs hanging out of the sockets of streamers for a while. It threatens it but the animated and gore-filled action is not able to distract from the rich layers Nightmare of the Wolf adds to The Witchers world. It's worth spending a few coins here if you miss the Continent before its return in December.
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Netflix now has The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf streaming.
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