Abheet Gupta 
Netflix’s The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep was expected to be a worthy successor to The Nightmare of the Wolf, but instead, it turned out to be yet another disappointment in the ever-declining Witcher franchise. Fans had hoped for a dark, gritty, and morally complex animated film, but what they got instead felt more like The Little Mermaid meets Pirates of the Caribbean, with a touch of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever—and not in a good way. So here are five major reasons why Sirens of the Deep failed to impress fans, and instead made it embarrassing for them to be called Witcher fans.
Not Even Remotely Like A Little Sacrifice
The film is loosely based on A Little Sacrifice, a short story from Sword of Destiny. However, instead of adapting the original’s nuanced storytelling, Sirens of the Deep essentially transforms into a Little Mermaid rip-off, complete with an exaggerated emphasis on mermaids, their underwater kingdom, and a war that never happened. The story’s depth and moral dilemmas are sacrificed for an over-the-top fantasy setting that feels generic and uninspired.
Flipped Character Choices
One of the biggest deviations from the source material is the drastic change in character choices. In the book, the mermaid Sh’eenaz makes the decision to come to land for her love, Agloval. However, in the film, the roles are reversed—Agloval goes to sea instead. This completely alters the emotional weight and meaning behind their relationship, removing the impact of Sh’eenaz’s sacrifice and making it feel like a forced and senselessly woke change.
Very Different Ending and Meaning
Sapkowski’s original short story was meant to convey the complexity of love, sacrifice, and the impossibility of certain relationships. Sirens of the Deep, however, strays far from this theme, turning into yet another clichéd “humans bad, monsters good” narrative. The film’s ending has no resemblance to the original, stripping away its deeper meaning and replacing it with a superficial message about intolerance and war—something that was as far away from A Little Sacrifice’s main focus as it can be.
Lacks the Atmosphere of the Witcher Universe
One of the defining features of The Witcher universe is its dark, eerie, and morally ambiguous atmosphere. This film completely lacks that, instead delivering a bright, almost fairytale-like setting that feels at odds with everything that makes The Witcher unique. The grittiness, the political tensions, and the complex human-nonhuman relationships that define the world are absent, leaving behind a hollow fantasy film that could have been part of any generic franchise.
Essi is Nothing Like the Source Material
Essi Daven, an important character in the original short story, is completely butchered in this adaptation. Voiced by Christina Wren, Essi is transformed into an annoying, unrecognizable version of herself. The deep emotional connection between her and Geralt is removed, and her tragic ending from the books is ignored entirely. What could have been a heartbreaking and impactful storyline is reduced to nothing more than a forgettable side character.
Final Thoughts: Another Misstep for The Witcher Franchise
After the disastrous Blood Origin spin-off, the underwhelming The Witcher Season 3, and Henry Cavill’s exit from the franchise, Sirens of the Deep adds yet another failure to Netflix’s long list of missteps. Fans have been repeatedly let down by the way the Witcher universe has been handled over the past few years, and this latest release does nothing to restore faith in the franchise.
With Season 4 and 5 on the horizon, it’s hard to be optimistic about what’s to come. However, there is a silver lining for fans of The Witcher: Andrzej Sapkowski’s latest book, The Witcher: Crossroads of Ravens, will soon be released in English translation, and The Witcher 4 game is now in full development, expected for release by 2027. Maybe the future of The Witcher lies outside of Netflix’s hands.
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