Julien Neaves, Editor
Warning: Moderate spoilers ahead
Plot: Mutant monster hunter Geralt of Rivia and Jaskier the bard try to stop a war between a human kingdom and a kingdom of sea people.
Review: Have you ever watched The Little Mermaid but wished there was action, buckets of blood and violence? Well, have I got an adult animated fantasy film for you! The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, a loose adaptation of Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski’s short story “A Little Sacrifice”, borrows heavily from the Disney classic and by extension the 1837 Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale it was based on. You have a mermaid and a human in love, two kingdoms (one on land and one above water) who mistrust and hate each other, and a sea witch with shape shifting powers that offers the mermaid a transformative potion. The writers had to realise how obvious the similarities were and probably meant it is some type of odd homage. Unfortunately, it takes away most of the originality points from the story.
Unlike the first Witcher animated spin-off Nightmare of the Wolf (2021), Sirens of the Deep is set during the series at some point after Geralt met his lover, the bewitching witch Yennefer of Vengerberg, and during his travels with the chatty and witty Jaskier. The film has Joey Batey and Anya Chalotra reprise their roles as Jaskier and Yennefer from the live action series, but with Geralt star Henry Cavill leaving the series (and saddening many fans) the titular Witcher is played by Doug Cockle. And having the voice of Geralt from the mega popular video game series was a smart choice, and his deep, grumbling tone did remind me of Cavill’s portrayal.
Continuing on the positives, we do get a healthy helping of bloody Witcher action including a thrilling opening battle with a giant beast and an epic, though mostly predictable, final battle. The animation here is also top notch, especially the enchanting and magical underwater sequences. I was also happy to learn a bit more about Jaskier’s back story, as I always found him a fun character. The romance between Geralt and Jaskier’s childhood friend, Essi, felt forced and did not work for me. And while the story is mostly paint by numbers, I did appreciate a couple of twists that caught me off guard (not the gender-bending ending, though, I saw that coming leagues away). I must also point out that Sirens of the Deep is very much a standalone adventure and does little to build upon the series lore or overarching narrative.
So, if you are still unhappy about Cavill’s departure and dreading Liam Hemsworth taking up the role (I still don’t see it, but I will try and give him a chance) then Sirens of the Deep may scratch your Witcher itch, if not completely satisfy your craving for more content from this dark fantasy world.
Editor Jules’ Score: 6.5 out of 10
Have you seen Sirens of the Deep? What did you think of it? And you can check out more adult animated dark fantasy content below:
Julien “Editor Jules” Neaves is a TARDIS-flying, Force-using Trekkie whose bedroom stories were by the Cryptkeeper, learned to be a superhero from Marvel, but dreams of being Batman. I love promoting Caribbean film (Cariwood), creating board games and I am an aspiring author. I say things like “13 flavours of awesome sauce”. Read more.