THE WITCHER: NIGHTMARE OF THE WOLF – Fresh Blood

The Witcher universe is expanding. After books, comics, computer games, and, what interests us film lovers the most, a feature film and a television series, the time has come for a full-length animated film. Although it is hard to resist the impression that The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf served mainly as a promotional prelude to the second season of Netflix’s hit series, it nevertheless possesses distinct qualities that justify its existence.

I will not say I was blown away, I will not say I was filled with admiration, but I must admit that I received exactly what I needed. Sitting comfortably in an armchair after a hard day, I simply wanted to spend a pleasant time losing myself in one of my favorite fantasy worlds. I once wrote that I became a fan of The Witcher in a rather backward way — not so much thanks to Sapkowski’s work (which I initially could not quite get into), but after immersing myself in Wild Hunt, the third installment of the Polish video game, in my humble opinion one of the best games in the history of the medium.

Nightmare of the Wolf turned out to be not only a perfect form of relaxation but also provided a very interesting experience, allowing me to adopt a different perspective than usual on familiar fantasies. The Netflix production is both a spin-off and a prequel, built in the form of a classic origin story. The main character is Vesemir, the witcher we already know as the teacher and mentor of Geralt of Rivia. Nightmare of the Wolf goes back, however, to Vesemir’s beginnings in the witcher’s craft, and even further.

We have the opportunity to see how a witcher becomes a witcher through the alchemical mutation of genes. The story begins, of course, with the appearance of a mysterious monster that Vesemir undertakes to slay. However, these events serve as a pretext for reflections on the role of witchers as killers of all kinds of beasts and for spinning the well-known parable about morality.

The concept for the film originated in 2018, when Lauren Schmidt Hissrich was working on the first season of the Netflix series as its showrunner. Apparently, quite a few notes were collected about the character of Vesemir. He turned out to be so interesting that it was decided to create a separate storyline for him, one that would surround the continuation of the series with a wealth of new contexts. The medium of Japanese anime was chosen probably not so much for artistic as for economic reasons.

A keen eye will notice that the animation in Nightmare of the Wolf closely resembles what we have already seen in the vampiric Castlevania. By using a proven engine, all that was needed was to design new characters and let them live. Although many see this as a flaw, accusing the creators of Nightmare of the Wolfof laziness, I see nothing but pragmatism here.

Evaluating the idea of Nightmare of the Wolf after seeing the final result, I must say that the production pleasantly surprised me in several ways. The anime style, using violence with great freedom, made it possible to present very vivid action scenes, among which the excellent opening sequence stuck in my memory the most.

In terms of plot, the film also stands on a very decent level, conducting the story along two timelines — in Vesemir’s present and his childhood. It is coherent, intriguing, with plot twists and a breathtaking climax. Perhaps the greatest value for a fan of the universe is that the events directly lead to the fall of the fortress Kaer Morhen. At last, we have the opportunity to see something that in the books is only mentioned.

But what stays with us after the screening is the awareness that we have just had the chance to see one of the characters we know so well from a completely different angle. Fresh blood in the world of witchers — that’s the film’s tagline, and there is much truth in it. The aging, conceited witcher we know from the books and games turns out in his youth to be a spirited and fiery hero who loves to play with fire. In the end, however, the time comes for responsibility.

In one of the interviews, the creators pointed out an interesting analogy connecting the characters of Vesemir and Geralt. Just as the series The Witcher is a kind of story about what kind of father Geralt could be, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf  is nothing other than a depiction of Vesemir’s maturing into fatherhood. This is meant to prove one thing — whatever else may be said, in the witcher’s trade, lessons cannot go to waste. Too much evil is running rampant out there. And we need specialists for the dirty work.