On paper Netflix's new Witcher series should be a winner. A prequel to the main series that builds out the universe in new and interesting ways? Sounds great. Michelle Yeoh as an elf warrior? F*** yeah! Alas, things haven't quite worked out.
At the time of writing, The Witcher: Blood Origin is breaking records. But not the kind of records anyone would want to break. No, the new Netflix show currently has the worst Rotten Tomatoes user score of any original Netflix show ever. As I write these words, it stands at just 10% based on over 30,000 reviews.
To be fair, that has actually gone up since I originally looked last night (when it was at 7%), so that's... something. In case you think this is a matter of critics and fans being deeply divided, the series' critic score is also an incredibly low 33%.
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It's worth pointing out that the show does have its fans too. There just aren't that many of them.
Taking to Twitter, one user said: "WHY does The Witcher: Blood Origin ONLY have 35% on rotten tomatoes?????????? This is a GOOD series."
"I am genuinely enjoying The Witcher Blood Origin on Netflix. Michelle Yeoh is so phenomenal. Of course I went on here to see what other people are saying and it’s just racist review bombing. I hate it here," another added.
Some of the harsher reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are little more than rants about Henry Cavill's exit as Geralt in the next season of The Witcher, despite the fact that Blood Origin has nothing to do with Geralt. But there is also plenty of valid criticism for the show, lost in the noise.
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"Lackluster, unoriginal and carried through on the promise of better things - The Witcher: Blood Origin is a mediocre affair," writes We Got This Covered. "Michelle Yeoh is wasted, Lenny Henry lacks conviction and Minnie Driver goes some great narration. Best avoided."
Many of the other reviews offer up the same criticisms and complaints, painting Blood Origin as shallow, dull, and ultimately a bit pointless. Probably not one that'll be getting a second series.
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: The Witcher, Netflix, TV And Film