16/24
Main Title (uncredited) Written and Performed by Ramin Djawadi
Story
Nine noble families fight for control of the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after millennia of silence, George R.R. Martin’s wife once said that she would leave him if he killed Arya or Sansa. Tywin Lannister: A man who has to say “I am king” is no true king. During the opening credits, the name of each cast member is announced accompanied by their character’s house insignia Seen in Hollywood’s Top Ten: Critics’ Choice Nominees: Drama (2011). I’ve been binge-watching Game of Thrones since the first episode (little by little because I’ve been so busy) because I’ve heard nothing but great things about it from friends, family, and IMDb reviewers. And with such a great cast and such a brilliant book series, what could go wrong?
On the contrary
The good news is that nothing has gone wrong with Game of Thrones. Not only is it one of the rare television series that does its original source material justice and treats it with respect, but it is also one of the best, most compelling and consistently compelling series of recent years. A television series so brilliant that you actually have to consider whether it was made for television when everything is done to such a high standard that it puts many films made today to shame. This is one of the strongest examples of an acclaimed series that deserves every ounce of praise it has received. Visually, “Game of Thrones” looks fantastic. The scenery is spectacular throughout, the sets are extremely atmospheric and beautiful to look at, with a truly meticulous eye for detail, and the costumes fit the characters perfectly.
Likewise the camerawork and editing, which are also cinematic
Then there are the special effects, which are some of the best in all of television and are neither overused nor overused. The scope, the detail and the way they actually have character and soul is better than many big budget blockbusters. You can’t talk about “Game of Thrones” without mentioning the thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically complex music and the unforgettable main theme. Again, worthy of a big budget fantasy/action/drama film. It’s hard not to be amazed by the quality of the writing. “Exceptional” isn’t a strong enough word to describe how good the writing is.
The characters are also a big part of the charm
It always flows naturally, is multi-layered and thought-provoking, displaying a wide range of emotions such as tense suspense, touching pathos and witty humor. The plots are so beautifully paced, structured with so much nuance and attention to detail, are emotionally charged and touch on complex and sensitive subjects with intelligence and sensitivity. There’s always a reason for every scene or action-packed scene and it’s never there for the sake of it. Not only are the sets designed with a lot of epic scale, excellent staging, excitement and dramatic tension, but underneath all the scale and amazing attention to detail there’s also a lot of heart and complexity. They are neither too long nor are there any out of place elements. Game of Thrones has well developed characters that are as close to real life as possible, despite being set in a fantasy world.
offer and have strengths and weaknesses
These characters are not archetypes of heroes and villains (Joffrey is the only one who comes close, except that he is an extremely interesting character with a lot of development, well over a hundred percent of the threat scale), they have much more to offer. Decisions are logical and you don’t like a character any less if a decision is not the right one because mistakes are acknowledged and you learn from them.