The Witcher series on Netflix has garnered many opinions from fans of the books and games. Over the course of three seasons on the streaming platform, many have been critical of the show, citing many changes from the source material and other issues. But while The Witcher series has been divisive among the fan base, collectibles based on the series haven’t received negative attention. One of the things fans of the series can pick up are medallions based on the characters from the show. More specifically, Witcher medallions featuring the icons for each of the main three cast members in the show. But are The Witcher medallions for Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer from the Netflix series worth adding to your collection?
Something to note, the only character in the Netflix series, and in the source material, from the core group to have a medallion is Geralt of Rivia himself. He receives his Witcher medallion from Vesimir when training to become a Witcher many years before meeting Yennefer or Ciri. So while the White Wolf medallion in this set is a replica of Geralt’s medallion in the show, the other two are not. They’re novelty collectibles that are based on the show logo. This means the White Wolf, swallow, and shooting star that appears on the title screen each gets their own medallion in the set to collect.
Are the medallions at least made very well? Surprisingly enough, each medallion has some weight to it and comes with a long 30-inch chain. The medallions can be worn like a piece of jewelry or as part of a cosplay outfit, or they can be displayed on a shelf. Each medallion comes in its own wooden box with glass and foam, allowing you to store and display them on a shelf. Within the box are extra hinges for the wooden box that you can use to replace the ones already attached, just in case they break or appear damaged. The wood box also has a quick lock to use when closing the box, keeping the medallion and everything else inside safely, provided you don’t drop or hurl it against a wall.
As far as the quality of the designs on the medallions themselves, some are better looking than others. The Netflix series version of the Witcher medallion is mostly solid with a partial cutout on the negative space of the image, still enclosed by the circle of the medallion. For Geralt’s version, the back of the White Wolf’s hair is where the cutout portion is, while Ciri’s and Yennefer’s versions are larger with the negative space. Despite this, each medallion is the same size of 2 inches (5cm) in diameter. The metal is light enough to hold without any issues but still has enough weight to hang and pull the chain down when wearing it.
Geralt’s medallion is the most accurate to the one seen on the show, being the same design as Henry Cavill’s medallion and the logo of the show. Ciri and Yennefer’s designs are much different because they aren’t based on anything we see on the show and are just the same as the logo. Luckily, their designs fit well within the diameter of the medallion without being warped or looking shrunk down to fit. As for which of the three designs is better, it’s hard to say. All three medallions are built the same and feel like the same level of quality.
However, most people will gravitate towards the White Wolf version because it’s what Henry Cavill wears as Geralt of Rivia on the show. The other two medallions just don’t have the same type of resonance with fans, because they aren’t really based on anything in the show’s universe. They aren’t bad designs nor are they inferior medallions in any one specific way. But more often than not, most viewers of the Netflix show or fans of The Witcher universe will want Geralt’s White Wolf medallion before anything else.
But are these medallions still good as collectibles for someone who just loves to own everything related to The Witcher universe? Yes, but mostly for displaying somewhere. Wearing the medallions works out well, but only if you don’t mind the longer chain. The one issue all three medallions have is the inability to disconnect them from the chain included, which doesn’t allow you to swap out for a shorter chain if needed. Unfortunately, you cannot do so without breaking any link from the medallion to the chain, which may or may not be worth it to most people. But as a display piece on a mantle or desk, the wooden boxes these medallions come in work out well. The glass lets you view the medallion while it’s stored and they’re small enough to pick up at one’s convenience.
Most collectors of Witcher stuff might not find these medallions to be must-own items, especially if you weren’t a fan of the Netflix series. But if you like gathering anything related to The Witcher universe, these medallions are a nice thing to have. They feel like they’re good quality and can be worn or displayed as needed, with the minor inconvenience of the longer chain being connected to the medallions. If you’re feeling up to it and want to treat yourself, toss a coin to your witcher and pick up all three for the full set.
What do you think of these medallions based on The Witcher Netflix series? Would you add any of these to your own collection? Tell us your thoughts about it in the comment section down below!
What makes Gran Turismo successful is how it not only has a reverence for the game it’s based on, but it finds interesting ways to highlight aspects of racing that are a big part of the games themselves. And yet it doesn’t go too far to become too complicated or cheesy to lose out on why the deeper parts of racing are so appealing. When Jann is set to compete online in Gran Turismo to join the race camp, the movie doesn’t go too far in showing that fans of the game are completely detached from the reality of racing real cars. Everyone is a fan of racing, even though they come from very different worlds. The big portions of the film emotionally are when multiple people try to find common ground through their love for racing despite the friction of one side believing the others don’t know enough about it.
Although most of the cast recedes into the background, the few standouts in Gran Turismo are Archie Madekwe and David Harbour, who play Jann Mardenborough and Jack Salter respectively. The interactions the two of them have after meeting are great, with a lot of witty dialogue and emotional moments that play off great from one another.
Speaking of which, Orlando Bloom plays Danny Moore, the marketing executive that comes up with the competition for Nissan. Orlando’s character is based on the real-life GT Academy founder Darren Cox and is more present towards the beginning of the film than in the latter half. Orlando Bloom’s performance is good and has some funny moments here and there, but it’s not his performance that slows things down a bit. The conversations he has with Jann and Jack do get heavy when the stakes become severe, but it never feels as if things get super dire or critical throughout the movie. Nissan has a lot invested in Jann’s success throughout the story, but the pressure doesn’t always feel like it’s as mounted as they talk about in the movie. There are millions of dollars and reputations at stake for Danny, Jack, and Jann when they reach the pro circuit, so it feels like everyone should be a bit more stressed.
Opposite of that, however, the movie has some great CGI effects that pay homage to the Gran Turismo games. When Jann is playing in his room and things go through a transformation into being on the track, it looks great. This plays up the theme of Gran Turismo feeling as if you’re getting behind the wheel of a real car, which is reinforced and revisited multiple times throughout the whole movie. There’s a full-circle moment where Jann ends up racing on one of the main tracks in his Gran Turismo game, where a similar version of the scene earlier plays out, but with a different context. For fans of the games, it will look very cool.
