Critics are mixed on The Letter for the King, Netflix’s new fantasy show

Today, Netflix releases a new, six-part fantasy series on its service: The Letter for the King, based on Dutch writer Tonke Dragt’s 1962 novel of the same name.

The book is pretty beloved in the Netherlands, but has just recently made it to American shores. Is the rest of the world ready to embrace this story about a young knight-in-training (Tiuri, played by Amir Wilson) who tries to get an urgent letter to the king of the land at any cost?

Well, if you listen to the critics…maybe. They seem pretty split on whether this show is worth watching. Take Josh Bell of CBR, who doesn’t think this tale will play well for people who aren’t already familiar with it:

"Without that existing goodwill as a guide, The Letter for the King comes off as a tame and extremely generic fantasy adventure, with a simplistic plot and tween-friendly tone that makes it feel like My First Game of Thrones. Fantasy fans looking for the next grand epic will be disappointed in the basic story and stock characters, and the show doesn’t have the budget to deliver the kind of spectacle that higher-profile fantasy series can provide."

Game of Thrones comes up a lot in these reviews, as I suppose it would. Every fantasy show is basically living in the shadow of HBO’s giant hit right now.

But familiar doesn’t have to mean bad. Keith Phipps of TV Guide was more receptive to the show’s charms:

"The Letter for the King won’t offer many surprises to veteran fantasy fans, but they’re likely to be won over by the charismatic cast and impressive production values. (It can’t match Game of Thrones, but the New Zealand and Czech Republic locations offer plenty of sweeping vistas all the same.) And newcomers to fantasy series should be spellbound by all the clashing swords and misty mountains. It’s an ideal, unthreatening gateway to bigger, darker, fictional worlds."

A lot of it seems to come down to whether or not you’re comfortable with familiar fantasy tropes. If you find them charming, you may find a lot to like here. But if you need more, maybe not.

Gwen Ihnat of The A.V. Club was more on the “not” side, and also dinged the show for its pacing:

"If only Tiuri’s adventurous quest had a bit more adventure in it. His fellow novices are appealing, if stereotypical—the warrior, the musician, the earnest one, the obnoxious one—likable, but could use more to do. Wilson and Asbourne Serkis (as the spirited Lavinia) have a sweet chemistry, and it’s hinted that some of the others do as well, if only that were fleshed out. Kids used to movies about Marvel heroes and wizarding schools and colorful dragons may find the journey a bit of a slog (and likely aren’t as familiar with the source material). Things perk up again toward the end with some fun sword swashbuckling and the buildup to that inevitable final confrontation. But with so many other streaming options available, who knows whether kids watching will still be on board at that point?"

Flipping back the other way, Victoria Segal of The Times thought the show was carried by the performances and tone:

"What initially looked like sub-Merlin capering… was transformed by Wilson’s heartfelt performance, a villain who looked as if he’d been auditioning for Slipknot and by a JK Rowling-like feeling for the grey areas of human nature."

So no one can agree! Perhaps the only thing to do is watch it yourself, But be wary of that first episode, which according to Tim Stevens of The Spool is a hurdle you may have to get over:

"As with so many Netflix shows, this one carries the axiom, “it gets good if you stick with it.” The chemistry of the young actors makes the journey past that first episode of The Letter for the King worth it. However, that opener is dire enough, one could certainly appreciate a viewer simply deciding to move on to their next binge watch."

I know reviews are split, but I remind everyone that the same is true of The Witcher, another recent Netflix fantasy show, and that ended up being a big hit anyway. Who’s to say the same couldn’t happen here? And The Letter of the King could use it, because apparently it sets itself up for a second season.

The Letter for the King is available to watch on Netflix now!

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