The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep Review: A Dark, Dramatic, and Bloody Spectacle

The Witcher has finally made its grand return on Netflix with its newest animated feature, which has been a long time coming. In fact, it’s been over four years since the first animated film, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, got fans excited for future films. However, it seems fitting that The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep would garner so much intrigue thanks to its tie-in with the Netflix series.

As such, this means that Geralt, and his lesser-known best friend Jaskier, are back for more. This is thanks to its story being set in between The Witcher Season 1 Episode 5 “Bottled Appetites” and Season 1 Episode 6 “Rare Species”.

Albeit this time, they’re dealing with a potential danger that has yet to be fully seen: the Merpeople.

With The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep adapting “A Little Sacrifice”, there were bound to be several new elements as well. Fortunately, with Studio Mir at the helm, these additions (and changes) help emphasize the core of Andrzej Sapkowski’s short story.

To those unfamiliar, the short story Sirens of the Deep is adapting is about as operatic as one based in The Witcher‘s world could possibly get. It contains several tropes lifted from other stories like Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, but formulates itself to be as unique with its additions.

This is done through the introduction of new characters, like Agloval’s father, King Usveldt, and Princess Nispin of the Merpeople. Whereas the original short story had Agloval and Sh’eenaz doing much of the action, the film relegates these roles to Usveldt and Nispin. As such, it makes for a much more layered narrative.

Both Agloval and Sh’eenaz really love each other, but the way they formed their love in the original story was much more theatrical. However, the film takes its time in developing their relationship by having these intimate moments between the two before their motivations are made fully clear.

Not only does this help add depth to two characters who didn’t have much depth in the original story, but it also makes The Witcher‘s world more lively.

This dramatic energy continues into the interactions between Agloval and Usveldt as well as Sh’eenaz and Nispin. It does seem like both of them truly want the best for their relationship, but Usveldt and Nispin are too far into their manipulative ways.

This confidently creates that compelling conflict that Geralt and company have to face head on. However, some of the dialogue within these scenes makes some of these interactions feel forced and tense, which may feel weird when rewatching them.

Furthermore, The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep also incorporates some intentional songs, enforcing that Disney-esque darkly magical tone the film is going for. The second song, sung by Nispin, definitely feels like it is the “Poor Unfortunate Souls” of The Witcher. Nonetheless, each song manages to be charming in their own ways, even if it might feel unusual.

As for Geralt and Jaskier, the two continue to be an entertaining duo even if Doug Cockle, who voices the video games’ version, replaces Henry Cavill here. In fact, The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep does much more showing than telling with their backstories, which not only adds needed context, but has that emotional roundedness.

Geralt and Jaskier’s moments together successfully captures that bond they share, whether it be by eating at a campfire or facing the danger at hand. They might be stoic in their own respective ways, but these moments are included to lower that emotional facade.

These two are going through it, with Geralt trying to stay true to Yennefer while Jaskier is trying to overcome his fears. Their arcs are heavily interwoven thanks to Essi and Zelest’s roles here.

Much like Agloval and Sh’eenaz’s more involved role, Essi and Zelest are surprisingly given much more to do as well. In Essi’s case, she takes on a much more formal role, not only in helping to communicate between the lovers, but also be that romantic foil for Geralt.

In those intial moments between Geralt and Essi, you can feel that romantic tension between the two, which is emphasized further by those flashbacks. It makes for an interesting dynamic that seems short-lived until the epilogue, but still provides that intrigue.

Essi herself has moments to shine, which help elevate her character even more. There’s a particular interaction she gets with Agloval that really emphasizes her confidence and strength in a way that makes her stand out. She’s very magnetizing with every scene she’s got, which makes you want to root for her too.

Of course, The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep wouldn’t be an iconic film in The Witcher series as it is without its action, which is astounding. Its colorful visuals and intricate cinematography really makes each bloody and gruesome battle stand out from each other. The third act alone is a great example as it incorporates this huge oceanic set piece with many moving parts as Geralt fights this titanic threat.

There are also other scenes that deliver on that hard-hitting action, like Geralt fighting this massive creature in the opening sequence to him attacking the Merpeople guards head-on. Every fight scene is its own feat of creativity that Studio Mir, Studio IAM, Platige Image and Hivemind have put together.

All of this comes together to form an absolutely action-packed and impressively gory narrative that works within the confines of The Witcher. Albeit, it seems like The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep has this focusing to keep itself moving quickly, especially when we get past the first act.

The action, for the most part, takes a lot of focus as things ramp up for Geralt, Jaskier, and Essi. While the film has a lot to handle on its place due to these new elements, it still retains enough spirit of the original story to balance things out.

There’s this uniqueness in its presentation, but it helps in modernizing and grounding this adaptation for those that want a more realistic take.

The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep is an unrelenting spectacle that’s visually stunning as fans can get one more tale with Geralt and his allies. Though The Witcher on Netflix might be over soon with its final season, fans may take in what director Kang Hei Chul, Studio Mir, and Netflix have brought to the roundtable.

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

—

The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep is now streaming on Netflix.

Follow us on X and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!