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Product Description
Amazon.ca
Game of Thrones, the first book in author George R.R. Martin's sprawling fantasy saga A Song of Fire and Ice, serves as the basis for this brawny, lusty series about courtly intrigue and civil war in a sprawling fantasy kingdom. TV and fantasy veteran Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings, Sharpe's Rifles) leads the massive cast as the warrior-noble Eddard Stark, who reluctantly assumes the role as the Hand of the King after the mysterious death of his predecessor. The King, Robert Baratheon, has leadership of the lands of Westeros, a mythical country plagued by severe, decade-long shifts in weather. His rule is challenged by the exiled Prince Viserys Targaryen (Harry Lloyd), who trades his own sister (Emilia Clarke) for the allegiance of the Dothraki, a savage nomadic tribe led by Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa of the 2011 Conan the Barbarian). A shocking secret kept hidden by Queen Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey, 300) leads to an upset in the balance of power and, ultimately, a challenge to the House of Stark to bring control to the bloodshed that threatens to overtake Westeros.
Fantasy has been a tricky genre for television--the scope required to bring the sweep and imagination to life is usually better suited for the big screen. But Game of Thrones neatly sidesteps the issue by virtue of the quality of the production at every level. Though the series is steeped in fantastic elements, from direwolves to dragons, series creators David Benioff (who wrote Troy and The Kite Runner, among others) and author D.B. Weiss (Lucky Wander Boy) have rooted the drama in the emotional landscape of its characters, which brings the end result closer to Benioff's humorous description of the show as "The Sopranos in Middle-Earth." Intricate plotting and direction with an eye for realism by a host of HBO veterans, including Tim Van Patten, Alan Taylor, and Daniel Minahan, underscores that notion, as does its stellar cast, which includes Mark Addy as Headey's husband, King Robert, Iain Glen as the faithful knight Ser Jorah Mormont, and Aiden Gillen (The Wire) as Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish. However, the proceedings are handily won by Peter Dinklage's Emmy-nominated turn as the cunning Tyrion, whose intellect is constantly disregarded due to his size. Of course, viewers can also tune in to simply enjoy the more visceral elements of Game of Thrones, which features quite a bit of medieval-style carnage, as well as an at-times unnecessary level of nudity, which feels like a network decision based on the amount of flesh on display in their other successful shows. Regardless, Game of Thrones is an entirely addictive experience for both fantasy and drama fans alike throughout its debut 10 episodes, all of which are featured on this multi-disc set. --Paul Gaita
Additional Features
- Making The Game of Thrones: Season 1
- 15 Character Profile Clips
- Creating the Dothraki language
- Inside the Night's Watch
- From Book to Screen
- Creating the Show Open
- 7 Audio Commentaries Guide to Westeros
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Most helpful customer reviews
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Winter is coming,
By
This review is from: Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season (DVD)
I'll admit, I'm still a novice when it comes to the fantasy genre, but this one has me hooked. Without giving out any spoilers, the story never takes the turns you think it will. When you think that you see something coming, it usually means that the story will make a 180. I highly recommend and I am staying optimistic about the following seasons. It's nice to see how they stayed true to the first novel. I would suggest reading the first book when watching season 1 of a game of thrones.
25 of 29 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Splendid adult fantasy and storytelling,
By
This review is from: Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
There's something to like about a show that sets a high standard for itself and refuses to compromise. Game of Thrones is based on the best-selling books by George R.R. Martin about several kingdoms in an ancient fantasy world all vying for power and domination amidst a growing, unseen threat that is readying to destroy them all.Lord Eddard Stark (Sean Bean) rules the district of Winterfell as Warden of the North along with his wife and five children, one of which is the bastard Jon Snow (Kit Harington) who cannot claim the Stark surname and has no claim to any of its privileges. Eddard is soon approached by his good friend and current King of the Seven Kingdoms Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), who tasks him as his personal Hand in an effort to strengthen his crumbling rule. His wife, the Queen Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) secretly schemes from behind the scenes to install her son Joffrey onto the throne, a child born of incestuous affair with her brother Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). When one of the Stark children discovers the sexual affair between Cersei and Jaime, he is pushed from a high window and paralyzed from the waist down, setting off a chain of events that puts House Stark and House Lannister at each other's throats. Meanwhile in the south, the prince Viserys Targaryen (Harry Lloyd) seeks to gather an army to strike back against King Robert following Robert's victory over Aerys II Targaryen, the so-called "Mad King." He gives his gentle sister Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) to the vicious warlord Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) of the Dothraki people in exchange for their swords in battle. As Daenerys suffers to adapt to Drogo's harsh sex and the Dothraki's militaristic way of life, she eventually begins to understand their culture and become deeply interwoven with it. She keeps 3 petrified dragon's eggs (a wedding gift) close to her at all times, becoming increasingly obsessed with them as time goes on. Meanwhile, to the far north, a strange force has been brewing past the Wall, a great siege of ice that stretches for miles. Jon Snow arrives to take the oath of the Night Watch and protect the realm from threats that many believe are simply the stuff of legend. But, as political turmoil grows within the kingdom and the approaching "long night" of lasting darkness, that threat may be ready to strike out from the shadows and cast darkness over the land. Game of Thrones is highly complex. It tackles a bucketload of characters and plot twists and makes careful use of screen time to maximize the presentation of story and keep everything relatively understandable. This isn't as easy as it is within the confines of a book, where historic events can be more properly explained. For the most part however, it's somewhat easy to keep track of. What Game of Thrones does so well is utilize pace to its advantage. There isn't much combat in the show, and it's certainly not all about clashing swords and sorcery. Instead, it's somewhat of a mystery/thriller that plays itself out by using ominous and dark forebodings to create a sense of urgency. It also builds its characters beautifully, right down to the secondary characters like Arya Stark. With a 60 minute running time, each episode feels like it ends far too quickly, leaving the viewer with a sense of pained impatience to see what is going to happen next time. The writing team makes clever (and mostly obvious) use of cliffhangers to generate buzz, but really, without the characters, nobody would care. The dynamic range of the cast is such that everyone can find a character they can relate to on a personal level, from the maternal Catelyn Tully to the ridiculed Tyrion Lannister (played with astounding excellence by Peter Dinklage). As an HBO show, there's bound to be adult content. Game of Thrones is no exception. Graphic violence and disturbing imagery is there in spades, from brutal decapitations to young children nailed to trees before a snow floor of severed limbs and heads. Sex is also quite prevalent in the show, and the majority is used for shameless titillation, but a few key scenes are meant to progress the story. There are also other adult themes including incest (a rather common thing in ancient times). It is absolutely in no way a show meant for children, or even young teenagers. This is strictly adult material with distinctly mature overtones. Unlike Spartacus, which can't see past its own target demographic of horny skateboarding 14 year olds, Game of Thrones never feels like it is out to craft a name for itself by using controversial material. Instead, it feels like the natural byproduct of an ancient time period. The cliffhanger at the end of Season 1 has certainly made fans salivate for the April 2012 debut of Season 2. If you haven't had the chance to watch Game of Thrones for yourself, I'd suggest you take the time. If you can stomach the brutality, you'll be introduced to a fascinating storyline, memorable characters, and a hint of greater things to come.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Yeah, I'm hooked!,
By
This review is from: Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
I will freely admit to not being a fan of many HBO shows. I loved Entourage, but that was it for my HBO fandom. Then along comes Game of Thrones. As an avid sci-fi and fantasy fan, I was a little skeptical...but I have to admit that this show was brilliant from top to bottom. The sets, the storyline...the acting. All top notch!I will buy this series on Blu Ray when it comes out, and am eagerly awaiting season 2.
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