Review: Game of Thrones
By Angela Roberts
April 18, 2011
I’ve never read George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. It’s on my to-read list, along with many other books that I should have read by now. But when I found out that HBO was adapting Martin’s epic fantasy series into a multi-part dramatic series, I thought it looked pretty cool. I was like, Woo! More fantasy on the small screen! And it was HBO, so I was fairly confident that it wouldn’t look cheap and would feature some talented actors. And really, I was excited to see Sean Bean in, well, anything. I saw the sneak preview of the first ten minutes that HBO released recently, and I thought it looked awesome! So, when the show debuted this Sunday evening, I was glued to the TV.
The show follows the travails of a number of families as they struggle over the Iron Throne, the seat of power in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. There are the Starks, led by their patriarch Sean Bean, the noble family who rule the Northern border territories and protect the land from an as-yet unexplained threat that apparently comes out in winter. Bean’s character and his family live by a strict code of honour, although nothing is perfect, and the cracks are visible even in this first part. There are also the Lannisters, comprised of the Queen and her brothers, corrupt, lecherous, and incestuous. And there are the dragon prince and princess, former heirs to the throne who are working on getting an army together to retake their throne.
So, the first episode. Production values are high on this one. Every set looks absolutely real; they’ve really set out to make the show look like it could have been a movie. The costumes are fantastic, a sort of medieval style that seems exact in every detail. And they roughen things up to make the characters look all the more realistic. The only criticism I might have on this subject is that there are perhaps a few bad wigs. Although this could be more that some characters are blond when it is quite obvious that the actors are not. (Lena Headey especially, I find, is not a very attractive blonde.) But that’s pretty minor as criticisms go. I maintain that the sets, costumes, and looks are realistic and appropriate to the subject matter. And that goes for the dialogue and mannerisms. There are no modernisms, no anachronisms, no tongue-in-cheek spoofing. This is a show that takes itself quite seriously.
I liked the acting; I liked the plotting, the pacing. I was never bored nor did I consider changing the channel. This is remarkable since I was evaluating it entirely on its own merits having no previous allegiance to anything else to keep me watching. My only concern during the episode was that there were times when it was a little hard to follow. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, and it’s fair to say that the show enters the story in medias res, so you’re sort of thrown into the thick of things. This is good; the show eschews lengthy expository dialogue. But it also means that characters reference things that you can only hope will be explained later, and transitions between characters can seem a little jarring. I’m not watching with a scorecard in hand; sometimes it’s necessary to explain things a little. And maybe speak up. There was some muttering in places where I would have liked to hear what the characters are talking about. But otherwise, good storytelling, and a crazy twist ending to the first episode.
One warning on content: this is HBO, so there is always nudity and swearing. Also, there are some obvious cases of incest. If you’re offended by any of these things, don’t watch. Although the swearing is minimal and actually quite worked for the scene and the character.
I will continue watching, and I hope the show gets high enough ratings to continue. The acting is quite good, and aside from Bean, there are numerous talented character actors who are so well hidden in costume that you won’t realize it’s them until you see the credits. Plus, puppies!
For more info on the show, visit its official page.