35/18
Nine noble families fight for control of the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after millennia of silence. Martin’s wife once said she would leave him if he killed Arya or Sansa. Tywin Lannister: A man who must say “I am king” is not a true king. During the opening credits, each cast member’s name is announced, accompanied by the insignia of their character’s house. Seen in Hollywood’s Top Ten: Critics’ Choice Nominations: Drama (2011). Lead Title (uncredited) Written and Performed by: Ramin Djawadi. To pass the time, I’ve been watching Game of Thrones slowly since the first episode (little by little, because I’ve been really busy) because I’ve heard such great things about it from friends, family, and IMDb reviewers. And with such a great cast and a brilliant book series, what could possibly go wrong? The good news is that nothing went wrong with Game of Thrones. Quite the opposite. Not only is it one of the few TV series that does justice to the original and treats it with respect, it is also one of the best, most compelling and consistently fascinating series in recent years. A TV series so brilliant that you almost have to wonder if it was made for TV, as everything is done to such a high standard that it puts many modern films to shame. It is one of the strongest examples of a well-respected series that deserves every bit of praise it has received. Visually, Game of Thrones looks fantastic. The scenery is spectacular throughout, the sets are incredibly atmospheric and beautiful with great attention to detail, and the costumes fit the characters perfectly. Then there are the special effects, which are some of the best on TV and are not overused or overdone. The scope, detail and the way they actually have character and soul are better than many big-budget blockbusters. Likewise the camera work and editing, which are also cinematic. You can’t talk about Game of Thrones without mentioning its thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically complex music and unforgettable theme. Again, worthy of a big-budget fantasy/action/drama. It’s hard not to be impressed by the quality of the script. “Outstanding” is not a strong enough adjective to describe how good the script is. It always flows naturally, is multi-layered and thought-provoking, showing a wide range of emotions, such as tension, poignant pathos and witty humour. The stories are wonderfully paced, structured with great nuance and attention to detail, have a high emotional level and deal with complex and sensitive topics with intelligence and sensitivity. There is always a reason for every set piece or action scene and it is never there on its own. The sets are designed not only with impressive scale, excellent staging, excitement and dramatic tension, but underneath all the scale and striking attention to detail there is also a lot of heart and great complexity. They are neither too long nor do they contain any out-of-place elements. The characters also play a big part in the appeal. Game of Thrones features characters that are as well-developed and as close to real life as possible, despite being set in a fantasy world. These characters are not archetypal heroes and villains (only Joffrey comes close, except he is an extremely interesting character with a lot of development, well over 100% on the threat scale), they have much more to offer and have strengths and weaknesses. The decisions are logical and you don’t like a character any less if the decision is wrong because you admit your mistakes and learn from them.