WARNING: The following article contains minor spoilers for The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.

The Path has been long for the filmmakers and audience alike, but the long-awaited tie-in to Netflix's The Witcher series has finally arrived. Written by Beau DeMayo, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf promised a never-before-told story focused on Vesemir, the oldest living witcher at Kaer Morhen. Overall, the anime film delivers on its unique premise.

Andrzej Sapkowski's novels introduced Vesemir in Blood of Elves and CD Projekt Red's video games brought an end to his story in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. While plenty across the franchise have come to see Vesemir the way Geralt of Rivia and his brethren do, the old wolf's story has only ever been hinted at and never really explored. Nightmare of the Wolf, a violent, monster-filled anime adventure, captures the brutality and pain of, not just Vesemir's life, but the witcher profession. It has its minor flaws, but Netflix's anime tie-in film constructs a fitting tale for the School of the Wolf itself and is a must-see for any fan of The Witcher franchise.

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Nightmare of the Wolf introduces a younger Vesemir, charmingly voiced by Theo James. He's a highly skilled witcher who initially only cares about killing monsters and receiving coin. That changes when his fight with what appears to be a new kind of leshen gains the attention of Tetra, a sorceress in the court of King Dagread of Kaedwen, who, driven by a belief that witchers are by nature deceptive and dangerous, attempts to turn against the residents of Kaer Morhen. Vesemir soon finds himself embroiled in a mystery involving magic, missing elven children, and new monsters -- the conclusion of which will decide the School of the Wolf's fate.

While Vesemir's past is new territory in the franchise, those familiar with the Continent have a lot to look forward to as well. There are a few familiar faces that turn up in the anime, lots of references to the novels -- like the chapter titles of The Last Wish sprinkled throughout -- and beautifully drawn set pieces. The film was produced by Studio Mir, best known for its work on Legend of Korra and Voltron: Legendary Defender. The hallmarks of the studio are all there in Nightmare of the Wolf's art style and in the execution of its thrilling action sequences.

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Unlike most of Studio Mir's previous works, the action scenes in The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf are especially violent. Blood spews and limbs fly in ways that evoke the Castlevania series. At times, it can be excessive; but, given the presence of vicious monsters, it is occasionally necessary to capture the sheer savagery that witchers are trained to fight. It also works well with Nightmare of the Wolf's fairly accurate depiction of the witcher's fighting style. Fans of Sapkowski's novels will know that the witchers -- of Geralt, at least -- employ a dance-like style consisting of constant pirouettes to avoid attacks until ready to execute a precise strike. That is very much how Studio Mir brings Vesemir fighting style to life.

The Witcher has never really been about killing monsters. One of the most prominent themes throughout the novels and, by extension, the franchise, has always been the fallacy of good and evil. Netflix adheres to that theme in Nightmare of the Wolf well, and it results in a fair number of scenes where audiences will have trouble deciding who to root for. Just like many of the characters in the novels, the characters that populate the anime film are not good or evil in any obvious way, which is something longtime franchise fans will certainly appreciate.

That being said, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf brings plenty of new material to the table. It uses its unexplored setting to tell a deeper story about the School of the Wolf -- including Tetra, Vesemir's childhood friend, Illyana, and Deglan, the witcher that led him to Kaer Morhen. Deglan was created for the show and isn't mentioned in Sapkowski's novels. Even so, he fits right in with the lifestyle and world of Kaer Morhen's past. He's not exactly a likable character, but he's not supposed to be. None of the characters are. He's just a representation of everything Kaer Morhen was in Vesemir's youth, and all the cruelty, moral ambiguity, and necessity that came with it. His complexity, coupled with Graham McTavish's memorable vocal performance ensures that Deglan will be a welcome addition to the world.

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Nightmare of the Wolf has a lot in store for both longtime fans of the books and video games, as well as audiences who are just now experiencing The Witcher for the first time. Screenwriter and producer Beau DeMayo previously teased that his intention was to "give fans that are familiar with the series a totally unique experience that I hope makes them feel like they're coming to 'The Witcher' for the first time again." It is fair to say that he, director Kwang Il Han, and executive producer Lauren Hissrich, have succeeded in doing that.

More importantly, they justified the need for an anime tie-in film. This isn't just a story about Vesemir, who audiences will see in Season 2 of Netflix's The Witcher. This is a story about Kaer Morhen and the ruins of the mountain fortress will mean that much more to those keeping up, thanks to Nightmare of the Wolf.

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