Loved reviewing these fights. The Witcher choreography and Henry Cavill's action scenes are really good quality overall, and I was STUNNED to see proper techniques, that seem to be straight out of the historical HEMA treatises, put into the latest stuff. The Witcher team are doing great work and I wish more movie/TV fights could be up to this standard. Fun as always to collaborate with IGN on this!

@Dvergenlied

2 жыл бұрын

As always, Matt, it’s nice to hear analyses from people who understand both technique and….*context* 😉

@victorho2945

2 жыл бұрын

Always been a fan of your channel, Matt, finally get to see you interviewed in one of these! XD

@onlineghost9813

2 жыл бұрын

thanks for th is

@thecommuterzombie

2 жыл бұрын

Still waiting for Geralt to end someone rightly by throwing a pommel...

@singhanirudhbp

2 жыл бұрын

Nice review by you too, like when you said probably it's because of camera and all.... seeing their side too

When you’re a Witcher, yes, you can extract a blade from someone’s head like that

@Zoxxies

2 жыл бұрын

*Yes*

@rezatafazoli739

2 жыл бұрын

hell you even can extract it from a goddamn white dragon's head

@Intranetusa

2 жыл бұрын

The problem is also the sword. A steel sword will be under great stress and difficulty to brute force push through the bones of a human head/face at point blank.

@abalayn22

2 жыл бұрын

No you cant. Its not a matter of strenght or speed of wielder but a matter of material friction and body mechanics.

@hardlybending4071

2 жыл бұрын

@@abalayn22 A Witcher’s sword is made of a special iron called meteorite so it can take more stress etc.

Just shows once again that Henry carries the whole show on his back. He got that full love and passion and it really really shows.

@blueeyeswhitedragon9839

2 жыл бұрын

josef Marslof :- The Witcher is definitely an ensemble production, but Henry Cavill is the unquestionably the star of the show. Apparently he is also a great guy on and off the set.

@AbenZin1

2 жыл бұрын

You'd think there wouldn't be room with both the swords as well!

@olsirmonkey

2 жыл бұрын

@@blueeyeswhitedragon9839 hes an absolute nerd that loves the witcher, and warhammer 40k too, and we all love him for it

@rowdeemunkee

2 жыл бұрын

This season was course correction done right. All characters (even triss) feel more like themselves than last season

@Ccthomas-ks1hn

2 жыл бұрын

He literally does. And it’s probably because he knows and respects the source material more than the showrunner herself

The spinning is actually explained in the books, Witchers are trained to fight monsters rather than humans. As such they are constantly fighting against swarms of monsters which attack in a mindless fashion. The spinning fighting style of a witcher reflects this as they are constantly fighting numerous enemies from multiple angles that attack in rather predictable ways due to a lack of intelligence.

@rance8838

2 жыл бұрын

well henry isn't the only one spinning like a top in the show so that argument doesn't really work

@hallowjupiter6305

2 жыл бұрын

@@rance8838 well in the renfri fight, she spins a lot more. It looked like most of her attacks spun in some fashion

@stevemerton137

2 жыл бұрын

@@rance8838 Yeah but Renfri died, clearly didn't work out for her haha

@aronnemcsik

2 жыл бұрын

there was more than one witcher school. Geralt learned in the school of the wolf(hence the medal) which is prioritse spinning with speed rather than brute strength

@grandadoboman1995

2 жыл бұрын

@@aronnemcsik Cat School spins more, and faster.

So glad they got an actual expert this time - Matt is a fkn baller.

@MatteeTheRogue

2 жыл бұрын

He certainly is hehe :)

@TestSpaceMonkey

2 жыл бұрын

Been watching his stuff for years and still do double-takes at how casually he unleashes speed and precision with a blade - 13:24

Love listening to this guy. He's very passionate and knowledgeable.

@scholagladiatoria

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@plasmathunderdx

2 жыл бұрын

Especially in this context. Huehuehue

@inspectorcal

2 жыл бұрын

not really, he thinks that HEMA is a historically correct way of combat, have a look at how they "attack" each other, not a splintered shield to be found and no-one is out to murder you by chopping you to tiny bits, "its against the rules" lol

@GreeneyedApe

2 жыл бұрын

@@inspectorcal Those were certainly a lot of words.

@sheevinopalpatino4782

2 жыл бұрын

@@inspectorcal You need to see a therapist.

Your positive review of the Witcher's fight sequences was refreshing. Many experts seem to revel in proving their own expertise by giving negative feedback on the movie sequences. Your use of medieval graphics was fantastic teaching techniques. Kudos to you sir!

@effigytormented

2 жыл бұрын

Matt likes context for any move above all other things.

@miikah91

Жыл бұрын

Except that it's pointless evaluating these fight scenes without taking into consideration the fact that Geralt is a witcher. He is supposed to have inhuman reflexes etc. Also he has tens of years of experience which should give him an advantage. In the movie Troy they specifically tried to make Achilles seem invulnerable. Same should apply here to some extent

Something the visual medium of film struggles to get across is just how fast Geralt - and witchers in general - is. He's almost twice the speed and strength of an unmutated human and that explains at least in part the amount of pirouettes he does. Turning your back towards your enemy is bad form usually, but if you're twice as fast as them, it might give you an edge in some situations.

@BinhNguyen-rz8en

2 жыл бұрын

His turn is far faster than enemy's swing speeds, sothat he can put more of weight into his slash while give him vision around him. I'm waiting he fight some human boss with same sword lvl as him, most of human enemy is just thugs untrained or normal soldiers aka minor mobs, not some sword master like the Witchers.

@ATruckCampbell

2 жыл бұрын

@@BinhNguyen-rz8en Renfri certainly gave him a run for his money.

@The.Boo.

2 жыл бұрын

@@ATruckCampbell only because he was actively trying not to hurt her

@ktoth29

2 жыл бұрын

One of the first thing they teach you as a stunt man is to slow way down because the camera can't capture you at full speed, you're not even a blur, which means the audience won't even notice that you did anything.

@come2success104

2 жыл бұрын

@@ATruckCampbell yeah because he didn't want to kill her. If he really wanted to kill her then she would have been dead in the first few seconds of the fight like all of the other dudes that he killed.

About the fight in the temple at night. Geralt is a witcher who can see things more clearly in the dark. He got an advantage already with crowd control situation. Also, he tried to take down the enemies non lethally at first because the temple forbidden blood being spilled (death), only then when he was about to be killed that he finally forced to kill enemy one after another.

@guciowitomski3825

Жыл бұрын

You are absolutely right about everything. But „crowd control” is not what you think it is.

In 15:22 Important to note: Not only did he grab the arm mid swing and twisted it, and simultaneously grabbed the person's face (from the ear!) and turned it sideways and down with his other hand (throwing him out of balance) - if you look VERY CLOSELY: You can see Geralt/Henry getting his LEG and HIP in, likely KICKING and TRIPPING the opponent - by hitting the shin/back of the leg with force - and getting his weight in! You can notice a small kick/trip leg and hip motion. The camera is not showing further than his waist, so it's really hard to see. In other words: he is disarming, tripping and neutralizing the head/spine all at the same time!

@Astropeleki

2 жыл бұрын

The problem with pirouettes is that whatever you are using them for, usually just striking normally can do it better. So in regards to Geralt even if his enemies can't take advantage of him turning his back on them because of his speed, he would still be more effective if he hit them normally. If you're fast spinning, imagine how much faster your thrusts will be than an average human's

@schafswiese

2 жыл бұрын

Henry Cavill had Jiu-Jitsu training with Roger Gracie at one point. it shows

Getting Matt Easton to review a fight scene is the GOLD STANDARD.

Love how this guy actually analyzed the fights and explained real world examples that paralleled elements of them to show that they were mostly grounded in reality rather than just shitting on every single little unrealistic detail.

@Giagantus

2 жыл бұрын

Matt Easton isn't built like the others.

Interviews with Henry Cavil he has acknowledged that he has been a huge Witcher fan long before the series came about so his dedication is from a true passion for the Witcher history. Interesting the input about the fight scenes being better in season two. In a recent interview he comment that he had them adjust the sword so the "guard?" is angled down towards the tip of the blade to allow for the wrist moves he does with the sword because it gives his wrist clearance to make the move. He also has a collection of swords his has admitted. Excellent commentary!

@vikingcathq

2 жыл бұрын

Henry Cavill is such a boss. xD

Don't train alone, it only imbeds your errors -Vesemir

An important detail about judging these scenes is to remember that Geralt is not human. He has enhanced strength, stamina, agility & speed. So some of the things that probably wouldn't be possible for a normal person may not apply to him. Great video tho. 👍

@stanisawzokiewski3308

2 жыл бұрын

Best fighters in world still use the same martial arts as begginers. If youre twice as fast and twice as strong just use the best techniques twice as fast and twice as strong

@kingcobra851

2 жыл бұрын

@@stanisawzokiewski3308 that isnt always true though. more durable fighters will usually use less evasive techiques and walk down opponents taking shots to land there own shots (boxing and mma obviously not sword play) power punches will usually throw less punches but the punches they do throw are knockout punches or setting up a knockout. quicker fighters with less power will usually play the points game throwing 'punches in bunches' to either win on points or wear the opponent down for a tko. all top level fighters may use the base techniques to start but develop them to there own set of skills or body types. so the best techinques for the average person may not be the best techinque for a smaller weaker person (they adapt to there strengths) again the best technique for the average person more than likely doesnt make it the best technique for someone who is literally twice as fast and strong. take the spinning attack as one, most people wouldnt use that as it leaves you open as you spin but has the advantage of generating alot more force. so if you were twice as quick you wouldnt need to worry about leaving yourself open so you get to use a strike which does alot more damage than the traditional best technique.

@markmagician2471

2 жыл бұрын

Geralt is human he's just enhanced

@richi7494

2 жыл бұрын

Witcher just are faster, not stronger

@TheChickchang

2 жыл бұрын

@@richi7494 Witchers are stronger as well, on top of being able to take much more abuse.

More of Matt on IGN. I enjoyed his commentary on the Star Wars films. This continues to be a great series using his expertise on other intellectual property franchises.

In the books it’s explained that a pirouette is most often used when meeting a block, and the Witcher kind of pushes off the sword using the force of the block, pirouetting and using that momentum for another movement.

@Altrantis

2 жыл бұрын

Witchers use pirouettes because of how they're trained to fight monsters and it looks really weird and distinctive to everyone else in the witcher world, since they're the only ones who do it and the only ones who really benefit from it.

@ongogablogian2525

2 жыл бұрын

I'm in doubt Anjei Sapowski was a medieval martial art expert. Defending everything he wrote with such fanboyish zealotry makes little sense

Another great training sequence that wasn't mentioned here is Geralts solo training in 2nd episode, when he's doing cuts and moves while walking on wooden pillars. His cuts are straight out of HEMA techniques.

So glad to see Matt doing more of these, easily the most knowledgeable sword guy I've seen on KZread. I've yet to watch The Witcher yet, but I'm very impressed with how the choreographers have the character use the twirling as a way to conceal her next move. She's often switching hands or grips behind her mid-twirl and it's very cool that she's using those SW prequels twirls in a tactical way that makes sense, to an extent.

The witchers are trained to "dance" when they fight. Always move and fight unconventionally as the witchers path often entails fighting monsters of every shape, size and ability. Being static against a Bruxa for example is a death sentence. Eskel's fight against the wild hunt leautenant(?) is a prime example.

2:41 and, of course, its important to note that he doesn't throw *his* sword but one he took from the last guy he killed, so he's still very much armed.

The fight scenes were one of the main things that really stood out to me in the Witcher - they're incredibly well choreographed, to the point where they hardly feel choreographed at all. They utilize proper, efficient techniques - though obviously, some 'sacrifices' are made for the sake of making it a fun viewing experience. Part of what is not addressed in this video, though, is the fact that a witcher, in the context of the Witcher universe, has heightened senses and increased strength, as a result of a series of mutations, and which can be even further heightened through a series of potions. So when Henry Cavill does something that seems physically impossible or seems like a questionable choice, strategically, it can often be explained by the simple fact that the character he's playing is a witcher!

Your point about kata is spot on. It is not a series of moves for combat, but more of a way to to form muscle memory. In a real world scenario you can not stop to think, I'm going to use "X" kata. Fractions of a second are all you have to decide the next move. When your body is trained to move, your brain can fire those synapsis through an existing pathways.

@jooohan

Жыл бұрын

That's basically true about most virtuosic sports. Tennis, for instance. Need maximum capacity to actually play the game, not to think about what you need to do with what part of the body. That has to be already taken care of by sound basics and endless repetition.

I’m bummed out you didn’t have Matt talking about the way Geralt disarmed Renfri. The move he did where he used leverage to take the sword off her hand is actually based on a historical technique.

@Batman-nz2ue

2 жыл бұрын

What technique?

@protege1717

Жыл бұрын

@@Batman-nz2ue we call it google

@Batman-nz2ue

Жыл бұрын

@@protege1717 Did you?

My Dad took an elective in sword fighting in high school, and wasn't allowed to spar with his classmate because their arm lengths weren't equal. The instructor said pretty much the same thing, it would be a disadvantage if your opponent can reach you too easily!

@gerardangelo7975

2 жыл бұрын

What highschools are offering sword fighting?

@sarataylor6164

2 жыл бұрын

@@gerardangelo7975 I'll let you know more when my Dad texts back.

@scholagladiatoria One thing about the training scene with Ciri: he did give her a one handed gladius while having a longer sword himself (perhaps Anderthalbhänder) BUT he uses his just like she has to do, with one hand atop the other, not with both on the grip. So he really is showing her 1:1 what to do with the smaller sword.

Loved that he doesn’t just get mad because of the spins and other fantasy things because in this world witchers are super human with their reflexes, strength and speed.

4:05 Joachim Meyer has a guard that rest on top of the crossed arm, it's Schlussel, the Key. But yeah, he does NOT mention that guard in shorter swords, only longsword and polearms. Edit: check out the figures for polearms and pike's Mittelhut. It's Schlüssel as well, because the crossed non-dominant arm support the shaft. I've been using the ward as the launching point for unterhawen and pflug-ort, and it's really great with weight shifting footwork as usual.

@zaganim3813

2 жыл бұрын

that is not a schlussel tho, not even close

I’ve been following Matt for years he’s the best

Great to see IGN reaching out to real experts. Matt Easton from Scholagladitoria knows his stuff and is a cool person. Keep it up like that.

something more actors need to do is to take on projects in which they have an actual interest in personally likr Henry does with The Witcher. You can so clearly tell that hes so into the lore and the story that he actually cares about how the show looks and same goes for the director aswell very well done to be true to the OG story material.

@1320crusier

2 жыл бұрын

Director of dune loves the books so.. Plus one there

@jamie_d0g978

2 жыл бұрын

Could you imagine if he doesn't step up and make them rethink the death of Roach as a comedy moment?

loved the video, just cant help but notice that around 14:30 he said that a dark environment changes everything in a fight while witchers canonically have enhanced eyesight and can see clearer in the dark.

The pirouette stuff may be more feasible to geralt since he is a witcher and has enhanced agility and speed. So is also the fight in the dark room which is the dumbest thing you could do against a whicher in the witcher universe.

@VergilTheLegendaryDarkSlayer

2 жыл бұрын

Especially if he takes a swig of cat

@bradatimedved

2 жыл бұрын

Don't forget, they are all just brutes, being smart ain't their strong suit :))

@MessyGamer616

Жыл бұрын

@@VergilTheLegendaryDarkSlayer outside of the games, the 'cat' potion isn't actually all that necessary at all, its basically just built into the witcher's senses to be able to see clearly in the dark. The cat potion does still exist, but it would mainly be used in pitch black or magically dark environments where theres NO light to reflect off of the pupils to see without alchemy magically boosting them

Matt is an unfathomable well of knowledge! Super grateful to all of his videos and information.

That was a really nice watch , you can tell this guy loves what he talks about

This was great, thanks so much for having Matt on.

Cavill has done an excellent work as Geralt. Especially if you play the witcher 3, the movements in combat are very similar, with the twisting and parrying

Always nice to see Matt on these things.

great review Matt! looking forward to watching the second season my self.

Wow! High praise. Fun to find your channel🙌🙌

You've reviewed Witcher, I'd love to see Matt review Wheel of Time, especially as the series goes on and we see more characters in fight scenes. There are several in season 2 that I'm hoping we get that I'm really excited for

At 14:00 as someone who has done Taekwondo for a considerable amount of time I've definitely picked up some injuries a long the way, primarily my knees and back from all the sparring.

I've been subscribed to Matt for years. Love his work. He knows his swords and everything else medieval

Fantastic video! Your depth of knowledge is impressive, and your attitude toward the show/cast refreshing. Will gladly watch more. Thank you!

The guys a Legend! Long time follower and subscriber! Hail King Matt Easton

I'm very impressed with your knowledge. I've trained in martial arts for over 42 years. It was very informative for me even as an instructor.

This man teaches people how to use badass weapons My dream

@lorddiethorn

2 жыл бұрын

Hema alliance club finder

Love seeing one of my favorite you tube sword experts talking about a great show!

Yesssssss!!!! Finally Matt is on here I've been waiting for IGN to make a video with Matt for years!

Re: using thumbs and fingers on sensitive places (i.e., eyes) is a real-life fighting technique that is sadly underrepresented in media, I've seen countless show and movies where if someone used such technique they'd have been out of trouble or at least in a much better place. My father was Air Force and taught me a few military combatives he learned and they're brutal, effective techniques. Remember, he was Air Force, not even an infantryman, and he learned these techniques, so it's really odd to me every time someone who's supposed to be an elite SF type commando will just carry on punching someone in the face when they could gouge an eye or crush a throat.

Loved the guard behind his back at ~6.10 - a "reverse hanging guard" against a slash attack allows him to retain a strong hold on the heavy blade (rather than the weaker hanging guard used with lighter sabers). Makes sense to me even if it's not textbook!

A master of the blade gets to see geralt in action

By far the best reaction. Possible to fight like Geralt. Not easy.

This was a lovely review!

Your analysis was fascinating.

Great video! Made me want to rewatch the series.

The way he makes some points from the perspective of "if a regular human was doing this" while dealing with fantasy characters like witchers reminds me of a scene from the Inheritance Cycle books. In the scene, Eragon gets admonished for blocking with the blade of his weapon and damaging it because he's used to wielding an unbreakable sword that never dulls. It's neat to think about how such supernatural abilities can alter how a character can be expected to approach combat.

@garrenbrooks4778

Жыл бұрын

Lol what other part of a sword are you supposed to block with?

This guy is great, been watching his channel for years, great video ign

That was very interesting. Thank you for this quality content

I just want to mention that weird edit at 2:40 when Geralt throws the sword. I love the show, I love the fight, I even love this silly edit. Just thought I needed to point that out because it's funny.

@frozeddy

2 жыл бұрын

Definitely someone had little patience with the tracking of the sword there. Haha

@aurelius7160

2 жыл бұрын

Also the guy was falling before he even got hit

@ivanlagrossemoule

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah the first season was full of this weird stuff, just like pulling the sword out of the guy's head just looks off.

Matt Easton is awesome. Love his Scholagladiatoria historical martial arts KZread channel

Splendid review! Thanks

Spins are often highlighted for fighting multiple opponents. Also the reverse grip was used but with a shorter sword, due to the movement with the wrist. So the blade can be brought down away from the forearm to slash, and then stab on the back cut. It’s an assassin move as it hides the blade. It’s also used with the sword in one hand, the dagger in the other. The idea being the blade stops the edge of their weapon but your forearm is taking the weight of he blow. “He” can then guide his opponents blade down toward his elbow and as the opponents sword runs down the edge you’re freeing the blade ready to stab.

More of Matt Easton, please!

Love Matt Easton's Schola Gladiatoria stuff!

Matt Easton is one of the historical youtuber goats

Would love to hear you talk about the fighting in See.

This is a great and informative video!

Don't forget Geralt is suposed to be a superhuman witcher with mutations ajusted to beat the living hell out of monsters that are many times faster than a tiger.

Keep the videos from Matt coming please.

That ‘diminishing returns’ line is also a big nod to a gaming mechanic too, particularly for stuff like WoW which Henry has played/plays.. basically meaning if you use an ability on someone, like a stun, if they get stunned again shortly after that stun will last for less time, and if stunned again, even less time, until their ‘diminishing returns’ status resets then they can be stunned for the full duration again!

Yes Matt Easton love seeing him

Es bueno ver a my boy matt recibir el credito que merece por sus conocimientos.

Come on, people, matt's channel deserves more love! Support him!

This is the most positive 'real life expert reacts to fictional stuff-video' I've ever seen. More of this IGN 👍

FYI the fencing choreographer was Vladimir Furdik - Slovak stuntman, master fencer and actor - he played the night king and one of the whitewalkers in GOT. He also said that he doesn't know any better actor than Henry when it comes to fencing.

Another impressive example of a person who was passionate about the fighting was Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) who learned to fight left handed since the character was left handed, while she herself is right handed, just to get the feel right.

Henry is a HUGE Witcher fan. He's been invested since day 1.

Great breakdown Matt. Love these.

Nice line break. Law of - suprise fight

Finally scholagladitoria gets on one of these "experts react"...

@foowashere

2 жыл бұрын

Don’t miss his previous Expert Reacts on the Star Wars lightsaber fights. :)

@mookiestewart3776

2 жыл бұрын

@@foowashere yes amazing reactions to space wizards using magic and how their swordsmanship is lacking lol like they wouldn’t kill this dude in a second

@16:00 He's striking his temple, basically, trying to stun or even kill the guy. If you've ever been hit in the temple, it's a very sensitive part of your head and if struck hard enough, it can be fatal. There is a pressure point behind your ear, at the top of the jawbone, but you usually don't strike it. He could also be trying to rupture his ear drum

Fantastic stuff!

Holy cow, love you guys, just being you is already amazing, cant wait to cu together!

The block around the back is used in the Wudang straight sword system

Really interesting to listen to and very glad the creators have done an accurate job with The Witcher!

what an outstanding review

I’d love to see Matt react to the one shot from season three. Even more going on in that one.

What a lot of people analyzing the Renfry fight overlook is that Geralt is using raw brutality in the first section as an intimidation technique and is using his speed and skill as an intimidation technique in the second to try and convince her that she can't beat him and to give up. The point at which she understands she can't win is when he blocks behind the back with the tip of her blade and her with all the leverage and still he can hold the impractical and humanly impossible block. Whoever choreographed this fight really was brilliant. Half a dozen times he has a killing blow on her and doesn't take it until she's exhausted his patience at which point she dies in basically one move.

this was great!

More Matt Easton please!

The fight in the dark is very much an advantage for the Witcher as his night vision abilities are pointer out numerous times

Renfri wasn't resting her sword on her arm, she tried to use a bit of deception and tried to hide it behind her arm, to prevent Gerald from seeing how long her reach really is

This video is awesome!

most of the moves people make fun of are correct but from a cinematic standpoint it looks cool and some moves are used to highlight how our main character is vastly superior to anything we could do

I've never been so excited to hear the word "treatises" so many times.

Actually, the sword-carry in the beginning and the block behind the back you can find in Chinese sword(wo)manship like Wudang jian.

GRAMMAR WARNING, IM NOT SPEAK ENGLISH NATIVELY. About the Renfri carryng sword on her left arm. The film makers botched very important part of her fencing style. In books she used her cloak and skirt in a mathador way to cover her moves and her sword's position, so here at 3:49 she shuld also have some sort of cape or large piece of fabric, covering her left arm to make a destraction moves and hide her blade behind it. So basically, they make Emma Appleton move like her book version and compleately cut of everything, that makes her move so in the book.

This is so cool and awesome

At 7:50 the book is called "vechtboek" which means fight book in dutch. The source is anonymous but maybe we can derive some info that it is dutch or flemish.