Honestly, what HBO series hasn’t been good? They’ve brought us series such as The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Deadwood, True Blood, and Boardwalk Empire. They’ve reached such a level of excellence that it’s hard to imagine them churning out a series that is weak in any sense. I’m happy to report that with the release of it’s newest series called Game of Thrones, they’ve continued with their string of excellence.
Game of Thrones is a fantasy epic. Based on the books by George R.R. Martin, the series follow the lives and actions of the noble families of the Seven Kingdoms. The Starks, a strong and honorable family from the north are the main cast. Ned Stark is the patriarch and lord of Winterfell, a harsh land in the north. His family consists of his wife Catelyn, and his children: Robb, Bran, Rickon, Sansa, Arya and his bastard son, Jon Snow. The Second key family is The Lannisters. The Lannisters are one of the richest families in the 7 Kingdoms and consists of Cersie (the queen of the realm) her twin brother Jaime, and her brother Tyrion who suffers from dwarfism. From there are the Targaryens. They were the former rules of the 7 kingdoms who are attempting to win back what they feel is still their home. They consist of Daenerys and her brother Viserys who are forced to flee the 7 kingdoms. The series follows all of these families exploits as they, pun intended, play the game of thrones.
While watching the series I only have one real complaint. I wish they had delved a little deeper into the background and history of the kingdoms. I left myself wishing that I could learn about what had happened to cause these families to hate each other, or have some families ally themselves with certain families. This didn’t detract from my ability to enjoy the series but it did leave me with a tinge of want. Being a history buff definitely didn’t help.
HBO spent a lot of money on this series and it shows. The set design and costumes all look as authentic as they could be and left me completely immersed in the world of Games of Thrones. They clearly paid a lot of money for the scenes involving computer-generated imagery (CGI) and chose well in the backdrops for their specific sets. For instance they selected Northern Ireland for the backdrop for Winterfell, and it works. The bland landscape helps to sell the idea that the land is cold and barren.
The costume design is also excellent. The characters’ garb looks authentic. They draw many parallels between the actual middle ages but with a nice fantasy twist. They all make the series that much more imersive as you really can believe that they exist inside this world.
The acting is also superb. Sean Bean as Eddard Stark was quite an excellent cast, although one could say his performance is extremely close to his performance in Lord of the Rings as Boromir. Also excellently cast was Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, the dwarf brother of Jaime and Cersei. Although, at some points I do think he was overdoing his characterization.
Overall the series is really intriguing. After watching the first episode, I felt compelled to go out and by the actual series of books that it’s based on, because I wanted to know what would happen. Honestly, I can say the books are a bit better, but isn’t that always the case?
The series is strong. With excellent casting, costume, set design, and script, I can safely say that this could be the next Band of Brothers. If you’re into this kind of thing, and you are looking or something to watch on a Sunday night, tune into Game of Thrones on HBO. You won’t regret it. I give Game of Thrones a 5 out of 5 on Ziggy’s Scale of Excellence.
