Game of Thrones DVD Review



Title: Game of Thrones
Starring: Mark Addy, Sean Beam, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke, Jason Momoa, Jack Gleeson, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams
Rating: 18
Length: 10 x 55 minutes approx
Directors: Alan Taylor, Brian Kirk, Daniel Minahan and others

The Game of Thrones DVD and Blu-ray release is one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of 2012 and with some real justification.

Featuring a stellar cast of British acting talent including Sean Bean, Emilia Clarke and Mark Addy, GAME OF THRONES is a HBO original series based on the international best-selling books by George R. R. Martin.

Combining a mythical world with a generation of family feuds, bloody war, treachery, murder, lies and lust, GAME OF THRONES has defined a world so unique, complex and compelling that any preconceived notions of the genre fall away. It has created an 'accessible fantasy' epic for the small screen, which became the most watched show* on Sky Atlantic this year.

The noble households are continuing a dark and ancient battle for control of The Iron Throne in a medieval kingdom in turmoil. Some look to the battlefield, some magic, others their powers of manipulation and cunning in a bid to rule the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Yet behind the Northern Wall lies a bigger threat and Winter is coming...



Westeros is the fictional land of Game of Thrones, where King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) sits on the Iron Throne ruling over the Seven Kingdoms, each governed by one of several powerful houses. The Starks – led by Eddard (Ned) Stark (Sean Bean) govern Winterfell in the North and the Lannister’s, led by Cersei (Lena Headey) the King’s untrustworthy and incestuous wife, rule the South. Elsewhere across the Narrow Sea are the horsemen tribe the Dothraki and Viserys Targaryen a would-be king of the Dragons and his beautiful sister Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), who is forced into marriage with horse lord Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) to allow her brother a chance at uniting the tribes in order for him to seize power.

Game Of Thrones DVDBased on George RR Martin’s ongoing series of novels the transfer to the small screen couldn’t have been an easy one, yet David Benioff and D.B Weiss have managed to take the novels and turn them into unmissable TV action.
Game of Thrones is full of torture, gruesome beheadings, bloody battles, sex, incest and a fair bit of full frontal nudity. Blood flows episode after episode as one or another character is hacked to death or, for example, stabbed through the face, quite literally. Sex is also a large part of the mix, as are prostitutes and incest. It’s certainly graphic, yet not necessarily gratuitous. Whilst the world of Game of Throne is fictitious it feels as though it might once have happened.

There is a wonderful mix of actors from both the UK and the USA as well as other countries. And it is also great to see several youngsters producing just as strong performances as the adults. Jack Gleeson as the cruel and hateful Joffrey Baratheon, Sophie Turner as the thoughtful and caring Sansa Stark and Maisie Williams as the slight but courageous Arya Stark.
Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister is especially watchable and I have certainly warmed to Sean Bean – who I had never really enjoyed watching previously. Mark Addy makes a fine king, swinging widely from kind and caring to out of control bloodthirsty, while Lena Headey who plays his crazed, incestuous, wife shows why she was so capable of being the star of the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

The direction which is excellent, is also surprisingly consistent, when taking into account that each episode is helmed by different directors. The episodes match together seamlessly despite the several fiercely complicated storylines that are ongoing throughout this first season. Indeed it’s uncommon to find a TV show that follows one main storyline, or in this case several, at all but Game of Thrones does it with aplomb.
I was compelled to watch the entire series, if for no other reason than, to see just who survives until the final episode. Game of Thrones pays little attention to how important its stars might be in other shows or films, here it’s kill, or be killed and no one is safe from the sword or illness. Characters that are very likable are killed of just as easily as those who viewers will instantly hate – perhaps sooner, it makes for a realistic and praiseworthy piece of television that demands your attention.

Highly recommended.


Special Features:
Created by BAFTA® award nominee David Benioff (The Kite Runner) and nominated for 13 Emmy® Awards, the DVD and Blu-ray editions are packed with bonus features including a Making of Game of Thrones featurette, Character Profiles, Inside the Night's Watch and seven episode commentaries.

• Making of Game of Thrones
• Character Profiles
• Creating the Dothraki Language
• Inside The Night's Watch
• From Book to the Screen
• Creating the Show Open
• Guide to Westeros


Additional Blu-ray Special Features
• Episodic Previews and Recaps
• Histories
• Anatomy of Episode 6 "A Golden Crown"
• Dragon Eggs

Author : Kevin Stanley