The Witcher Season 4 replaces Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia with Liam Hemsworth’s take on the character, but how do they compare? You could be forgiven for not even noticing the change, since it’s not been discussed much and didn’t cause any sort of stir, but it’s there if you look really closely. But on a more serious note, Hemsworth’s take on the character, which did cause a lot of consternation among fans (amid myriad issues with the series), is actually… fine.
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As I’ll get into more, he’s not as good as Cavill, and it was always going to be a difficult blonde wig to step into. The Witcher Season 4‘s story takes Geralt off on a different path, which also makes this a different experience: he’s separated from both Yennefer and Ciri for almost the entire season, as he instead heads to Nilfgard in search of the latter. The Geralt narrative itself is a bit of a mixed bag – there’s some good character work, and Laurence Fishburne’s Regis is a highlight of Season 4, but it’s also a little too meandering, though that’s not on Hemsworth. In terms of actual performance and how he stacks up to Cavill’s Geralt, while he falls a little short, he isn’t bad by any means. Warning: Contains The Witcher Season 4 SPOILERS.
5) Worse: Hemsworth’s Geralt Voice Is Jarring After 3 Seasons Of Cavill’s
This was always going to be a tricky one for Hemsworth, giving he couldn’t sound exactly like Cavill, but it’s a big part of what makes you feel like you’re watching the character of Geralt. Cavill did a great job in blending some inspiration from game voice actor Doug Cockle with his own accent and qualities, giving the witcher a low, raspy voice that worked perfectly for the character, whether it was to be threatening, convey gravitas, or moments of levity.
Hemsworth only occasionally gets into that same gruffness, while his accent wanders more than the plot. It’s ok in some of the quieter moments, but it’s a weird experience that takes a few episodes to even get used to, and even by the end, it’s just a little off in a way that makes his Geralt less believable.
4) Worse: Cavill’s Geralt Was More Intimidating & Had Better Action Sequences
Hemsworth is a couple of inches taller than Cavill, but he’s also leaner, and that makes him a little less physically commanding than the previous iteration of Geralt of Rivia. Occasionally that works, as there are more moments of vulnerability to the character now, but you still want Netflix Geralt to feel like he’s intimidating and that he’s going to be the most commanding guy in any fight he enters, which doesn’t quite come across. It isn’t just about size, but Cavill had a real screen presence about him that amplified this.
Similar is true in the action sequences, or at least the swordfights. Again, these aren’t bad, and Hemsworth has clearly put a lot of work into them. The fights are very clean, but lack the kineticism and intensity of the very best of Cavill’s sequences. Hemsworth’s Geralt even gets one of the series’ biggest battle sequences – the Battle of the Bridge – and that isn’t as impressive as it ought to be, though I don’t think that’s on him as much as it is the writing around it. Season 4 does have some much stronger action sequences – the Battle of Montecalvo and just about anything with Leo Bonhart really shine – but Geralt, for once, doesn’t get the most memorable ones.
3) Better: Hemsworth Has Some Of Geralt’s Best Monster Scenes
While the human fights weren’t as strong, I actually found that Hemsworth’s Geralt worked great when fighting some of the monsters of the series and were at least an improvement on Season 3. His taking down of the troll was the highpoint of the Battle of the Bridge sequence, and it was a strong display of Geralt not only using his speed and strength, but his signs as well, which I really enjoyed.
Even better, though, was when taking on monsters that didn’t require as much strength and skill with a sword. This includes the wraith in Season 4, Episode 2, and even more so the rusalka in the swamp in Episode 7, where it wasn’t just about his physical gifts, but having to find more creative and intelligent ways to defeat the monsters. The swamp scene was great because it wasn’t just about Geralt the witcher, but Geralt the a father, and really blended those two aspects of the character together, and Hemsworth nailed the scene.
2) Worse: Hemsworth’s Geralt Isn’t As Funny As Cavill’s
Despite a promise before the season started that Hemsworth’s Geralt was going to have more humor, I’m disappointed to say that I just don’t see it on screen in Season 4. While the witcher is not commonly associated with being funny, I’ve always found Cavill’s comedic timing and delivery one of the most underrated aspects of his take on Geralt, and one that not only adds some much needed levity to what can be a dour, self-serious show at times, but humanity to the character too.
He had a really sharp, clever dry wit, and an impeccable ability to deliver a perfect, cutting curse word. That is almost entirely absent in this version for me (and Hemsworth’s F-bomb at the very end, after being knighted, falls flat, which also goes back to the point on the voice).
1) Better: Hemsworth’s Geralt Is More Emotional & Open Than Cavill’s Was
This is a change that might well have happened if Cavill had stayed, but Hemsworth is the beneficiary of it, and plays it brilliantly. The Season 3 finale saw Geralt give away Renfri’s brooch and abandon his neutrality, getting involved in human affairs once more as he went off in search of Ciri. And with that comes him having to be more open with people; this isn’t a Geralt who is as closed off and stoic as before, and that change in approach, combined with greater vulnerability (physical and emotional) after his injuries from Vilgefortz, are a compelling shift for the character.
He’s still not as introspective as the Geralt from the books, but he does at least allow people in a little bit more, and with that comes a slightly greater sense of understanding him. There are a few more emotional layers to this version of the character, and Hemsworth plays them nicely – there’s a real subtlety to his performance in those moments that I like quite a lot. Hopefully it can find a better balance with some of those and then the other parts of Geralt, because there should be scope for everything great about the character, in The Witcher Season 5.
The Witcher Season 4 is now available to stream on Netflix.
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