The Witcher's third season is only three days away, but one look at the subreddit and you'll see that the fans couldn't be more detached from the Netflix adaptation. The banner has been changed to a still from an obscure 2002 show called The Hexer which followed a movie of the same name that was released a year prior. That accompanies a new rule change--you can't talk about anything but Hexer, the adaptation which got middling reviews and little attention, but it's based on The Witcher and it ain't Netflix.
The show has a score of 5.7 on IMDb, and the movie has an average of 3.7 and a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 25 percent. It's seeing something of a redemption arc with Witcher fans, but most of that is fueled by a need to spite a show they could simply stop watching and stop giving air. With The Witcher 3 comparisons, you get it--it's a critically acclaimed and beloved RPG that pushed the genre forward in revolutionary ways. Hexer's screenwriter Michał Szczerbic meanwhile demanded he be stripped from the credits. Probably not a great horse to back, eh?
Funnily enough, a lot of Hexer's more negative reviews slam it for its deviation from the source material, with some even calling it a "soap opera". Those complaints might ring a bell since it's exactly why so many Witcher fans are up in arms about the Netflix show, which has shifted--in some cases drastically--from its source material with more character romance and drama. Nevertheless, it is the anti-Netflix show that they have picked. And part of that might be because so many just haven't seen it.
One look at the subreddit and you will be met with a wall of Hexer praise, labelling it a "masterpiece" as others claim that they have loved it for years and are ecstatic to see it given new life. Its CGI is even getting praise, with fans unironically claiming that there is "more book accuracy in one post than 2 seasons of agony"--again, from a show that was also lambasted for taking liberties with the source material.
We also have posts about Hexer's take on Ciri, people's favourite moments, where people can watch it, and everything in between. You can only talk about Hexer, so it makes sense, but it'd probably be just as controversial if anyone actually watched it.