Game of Thrones review
Being a poor slob without HBO, I had to wait until I could get my hands on the first season DVD set to see the screen adaptation of one of my favorite series of books: G.R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. My awesome dad eventually tracked down a copy after finding it sold out at the first store he tried, and I have now been able to watch the entire season. I haven't had time to check out the commentaries, behind-the-scenes features, etc, but from the basic episodes I've had plenty of goodies with which to form opinions.
The Good: (In no particular order)
1. It looks FREAKING AMAZING. The cinematography, backgrounds, costumes, scenery, buildings...all of it! Absolutely GORGEOUS.
2. Peter Dinklage totally deserved his Emmy for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister. He's always been a somewhat difficult character to visualize, but he nailed the character perfectly.
3. With very few exceptions (mainly Tywin, who didn't look Lannistery at all to me) the casting was absolutely spot-on, and I could tell who the characters were supposed to be even before they were introduced. Littlefinger in particular stepped right out of my head and onto the screen. Dany and Robert were perfect. Jaime is AWESOME (in more ways than one, heh). Joffrey, Catelyn, Sansa, Arya, Loras, Varys, Syrio, Ilyn, Brann...all great. I can't wait to meet Stannis, Melisandre, and especially Brienne!
4. I was glad they kept the first chapter as the first scene, also. That first encounter with the wights out in the frozen forest was so damn creepy and gripping that I can't imagine the series starting any other way. (Especially since so many of the questions raised in that prologue still haven't been answered, all these thousands of pages later.)
In fact, I have few real gripes with the transition from page to screen. It's been a few years since I read the book, but pretty much all the significant stuff I remember appeared on screen. Yes, it was condensed and abridged due to the difference in mediums, but the major notes were all hit.
5. When did Viserys Targaryen get so damn hot? Sleazy and hateful and in need of lighter eyebrows to match his hair? Oooooh, yes. But hot. I think it's partly the "spoiled royalty out of his element, desperately trying to maintain his authority and dignity, and failing utterly"...a.k.a. the Xeebec thing. ;)
6. I already loved Daenerys, but I adore her even more after seeing her come to life on the screen. Clark really captured the early stages of the journey from wide-eyed innocent to warrior queen. She managed the Dothraki language so naturally, too! All the Dothraki stuff was how I imagined it, really.
7. Direwolf puppies = TEH KYOOT!!! Adult Ghost = TEH PRETTY!!! (Which of course just made the undeserved death of Lady even more heartbreaking. And poor Arya and Nymeria... Gah! Like I needed more reasons to deeply loathe Joffrey...)
8. Yay, baby dragons!!! Loved that last scene. It was like "The Birth of Venus" only with ashes and dragons instead of a seashell and cherubs. But oh, those little tykes will grow up so fast... *sniffle* Now they're tiny, chirping little cuties, and in just a few books they'll be out burninating villages and chomping peasants. Aww...
9. It was cool to spot the different houses' banners and sigils in the background at the Hand's Tournament.
10. The reactions of the different Starks to Ned's death were all gut-wrenching. You could really feel their shock and pain. I especially liked how Cat was so close to totally breaking down when she found Robb hacking the hell out of a tree, and put her own grief aside to comfort her son. I know she's generally disliked in the fandom, but I don't mind her, and I enjoyed seeing how she prioritized her role as a mother over her own feelings at that terrible moment. If I had been there to see the beheading, though, I'd have been right beside Sansa on the floor in a faint. ;) (Have I mentioned how much I hate Joffrey?)
The Bad:
1. I love British accents but even so I sometimes had trouble understanding what characters were saying.
2. At least according to my own mental picture, the Lannisters' hair should be more of a bright golden color instead of that straw blond.
3. Jon Snow with curly hair? Um...okay. I got used to it but it wasn't how I pictured him. He and Robb are also older than I imagine they should be, but most characters got a small age boost to keep down the level of jail bait. (Is the animal for House Mormont pedobear? Looking at you, Ser Jorah...keep your hands off that khaleesi!)
4. I'm not actually complaining about the sex scenes, because from all the hubbub I expected them to be more explicit than they were, but I happened to be watching some of them with my dad in the room, so...yeah. Awwwwwwkward!
5. This should probably go under "The Good" since it means they did an accurate job of portraying the characters, but Lysa Arryn and her son squick me out SO MUCH. UGH!!! Ditto Walder Frey. I wanted to boo and hiss at the screen when he appeared, although I controlled myself for fear of spoiling my dad. XD
6. Sandor and Snape now have something in common. They are both played by actors who are very talented, but too old for the character. It wouldn't matter so much if it weren't for the Sandor/Sansa ship, but...eew. No complaints about Sansa herself, though.
The Ugly:
1. Lance to the neck = blood geyser = EEEEW!
2. Dany's horse heart lunch grossed me out more than any other part in the book, and I have to say that was the same on the TV as well.
3. This could go under "The Bad" since it also seemed out-of-character for him to be doing such a dirty, menial task, but it was utterly gross how Tywin went from gutting a deer to patting Jaime with fatherly affection. Wash your hands first, man! *hands Jaime a wet-nap*
I'm sure I have plenty of other things to ramble about that I can add at a later date, but for the moment that's plenty of fangirling. In a nutshell, I loved it.
The Good: (In no particular order)
1. It looks FREAKING AMAZING. The cinematography, backgrounds, costumes, scenery, buildings...all of it! Absolutely GORGEOUS.
2. Peter Dinklage totally deserved his Emmy for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister. He's always been a somewhat difficult character to visualize, but he nailed the character perfectly.
3. With very few exceptions (mainly Tywin, who didn't look Lannistery at all to me) the casting was absolutely spot-on, and I could tell who the characters were supposed to be even before they were introduced. Littlefinger in particular stepped right out of my head and onto the screen. Dany and Robert were perfect. Jaime is AWESOME (in more ways than one, heh). Joffrey, Catelyn, Sansa, Arya, Loras, Varys, Syrio, Ilyn, Brann...all great. I can't wait to meet Stannis, Melisandre, and especially Brienne!
4. I was glad they kept the first chapter as the first scene, also. That first encounter with the wights out in the frozen forest was so damn creepy and gripping that I can't imagine the series starting any other way. (Especially since so many of the questions raised in that prologue still haven't been answered, all these thousands of pages later.)
In fact, I have few real gripes with the transition from page to screen. It's been a few years since I read the book, but pretty much all the significant stuff I remember appeared on screen. Yes, it was condensed and abridged due to the difference in mediums, but the major notes were all hit.
5. When did Viserys Targaryen get so damn hot? Sleazy and hateful and in need of lighter eyebrows to match his hair? Oooooh, yes. But hot. I think it's partly the "spoiled royalty out of his element, desperately trying to maintain his authority and dignity, and failing utterly"...a.k.a. the Xeebec thing. ;)
6. I already loved Daenerys, but I adore her even more after seeing her come to life on the screen. Clark really captured the early stages of the journey from wide-eyed innocent to warrior queen. She managed the Dothraki language so naturally, too! All the Dothraki stuff was how I imagined it, really.
7. Direwolf puppies = TEH KYOOT!!! Adult Ghost = TEH PRETTY!!! (Which of course just made the undeserved death of Lady even more heartbreaking. And poor Arya and Nymeria... Gah! Like I needed more reasons to deeply loathe Joffrey...)
8. Yay, baby dragons!!! Loved that last scene. It was like "The Birth of Venus" only with ashes and dragons instead of a seashell and cherubs. But oh, those little tykes will grow up so fast... *sniffle* Now they're tiny, chirping little cuties, and in just a few books they'll be out burninating villages and chomping peasants. Aww...
9. It was cool to spot the different houses' banners and sigils in the background at the Hand's Tournament.
10. The reactions of the different Starks to Ned's death were all gut-wrenching. You could really feel their shock and pain. I especially liked how Cat was so close to totally breaking down when she found Robb hacking the hell out of a tree, and put her own grief aside to comfort her son. I know she's generally disliked in the fandom, but I don't mind her, and I enjoyed seeing how she prioritized her role as a mother over her own feelings at that terrible moment. If I had been there to see the beheading, though, I'd have been right beside Sansa on the floor in a faint. ;) (Have I mentioned how much I hate Joffrey?)
The Bad:
1. I love British accents but even so I sometimes had trouble understanding what characters were saying.
2. At least according to my own mental picture, the Lannisters' hair should be more of a bright golden color instead of that straw blond.
3. Jon Snow with curly hair? Um...okay. I got used to it but it wasn't how I pictured him. He and Robb are also older than I imagine they should be, but most characters got a small age boost to keep down the level of jail bait. (Is the animal for House Mormont pedobear? Looking at you, Ser Jorah...keep your hands off that khaleesi!)
4. I'm not actually complaining about the sex scenes, because from all the hubbub I expected them to be more explicit than they were, but I happened to be watching some of them with my dad in the room, so...yeah. Awwwwwwkward!
5. This should probably go under "The Good" since it means they did an accurate job of portraying the characters, but Lysa Arryn and her son squick me out SO MUCH. UGH!!! Ditto Walder Frey. I wanted to boo and hiss at the screen when he appeared, although I controlled myself for fear of spoiling my dad. XD
6. Sandor and Snape now have something in common. They are both played by actors who are very talented, but too old for the character. It wouldn't matter so much if it weren't for the Sandor/Sansa ship, but...eew. No complaints about Sansa herself, though.
The Ugly:
1. Lance to the neck = blood geyser = EEEEW!
2. Dany's horse heart lunch grossed me out more than any other part in the book, and I have to say that was the same on the TV as well.
3. This could go under "The Bad" since it also seemed out-of-character for him to be doing such a dirty, menial task, but it was utterly gross how Tywin went from gutting a deer to patting Jaime with fatherly affection. Wash your hands first, man! *hands Jaime a wet-nap*
I'm sure I have plenty of other things to ramble about that I can add at a later date, but for the moment that's plenty of fangirling. In a nutshell, I loved it.