Netflix Series ‘The Witcher’ Compared to ‘Game of Thrones’ by Fans, and It’s Not Pretty

Netflix’s upcoming epic fantasy series The Witcher is drawing plenty of comparisons to HBO’s Game of Thrones. An adaptation of the bestselling medieval book series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter who must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent with two others. As reviewers got their hands on early screenings of the series, they took to social media with their first reactions, many praising the original for its epic fight scenes that they claim are far superior than that witnessed in GoT.

“Oh I will say this. The fight scenes in The Witcher make Game of Thrones fight scenes look like two drunks fighting outside a bar,” another wrote.

Throughout its eight-season arc, Thrones had oftentimes been lauded for its realistic fight scenes. Along with the noteworthy Battle of the Bastards, the series was praised for the Battle of Winterfell, a sequence that took 11 weeks of night shoots to complete and marked the largest battle in cinema.

According to reviewers, however, The Witcher’s fight scenes will give GoT a run for its money.

Critics are also praising the series for its cast as well as the writing.

“I can’t break the embargo, but I will express my thoughts about the screeners through a gif,” one person wrote, sharing a gif of a crying Kristen Bell. “First off, how dare you make something so glorious. Second, Henry Cavill chose Roach well, and that’s the hill I die on!”

“[The Witcher‘s] cast both lead and supporting are beyond exceptional. Amazing cast all around,” another shared.

“Watching the screeners for [The Witcher]. I’ll admit, as a huge fan of the books, I was a little worried, but [Lauren S. Hissrich] has done a masterful job telling this story,” another commented. “It also helps that the cast is amazing! And Henry Cavill, just … wow.”

At this time, embargos on full reviews have not been lifted, meaning that would-be viewers are only getting tidbits of reactions from critics. The series, which also stars Freya Allan as Ciri and Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, has already been renewed for a second season.

Season 1 of The Witcher will be available for streaming on Netflix on Friday, Dec. 20. All eight seasons of Game of Thrones are available for streaming on HBO.