Game of Thrones: Season One

Creator(s) - David Benioff (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Troy) and D.B. Weiss (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia)

Starring - Lena Headey (Dredd, The Purge), Sean Bean (Silent Hill, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring), and Emilia Clarke (Solo: A Star Wars Story, Murder Manuel)

Release Date - 2011

Genre - Fantasy/Action

Tagline - "The game begins"

Format - 4K Ultra HD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Most know me for my love of horror and exploitation but when I was younger I was a normal little boy.  I loved kid movies but I had a love for fantasy adventure tales.  I loved both Conan movies, Beastmaster, the Lord of the Rings animated films, Deathstalker, and a few others like it.  I was a huge fan of these films and they were such a huge part of my childhood.  When HBO announced their television adaptation of Game of Thrones I really wanted to check it out but work and writing reviews for movies took away most of my free time.  Season one moved on to season two and before long there was 8 seasons.  I knew I would get around to checking it out eventually but I gave up on checking them out when the episodes aired.  Recently, I received word that the series was getting a 4K release.  I reached out and was lucky enough to get a copy in for review...and now my journey begins!

     The first seasons follows 7 kingdoms under the rule of one king.  However, the king dies and news spreads that his son is actually the result of an incestuous relationship between his mother, the queen, and her twin brother.  This, along with others believing they are the rightful heirs to the throne, creates strife among the 7 kingdoms.

      Almost everyone I know is fans of this show with some going as far as to have various tattoos to dedicate their love of the show forever on their body.  The following for this series is very loyal and that only fueled my desire to finally check it out.  I enjoyed this first season but it wasn't as fun as I was hoping for.  In fact, if I wasn't told my fans to keep going I would probably stop here.  It was entertaining but nowhere near as entertaining as many lead me to believe.  The acting in this series is absolutely phenomenal.  There is so many amazing cast members in this show and if I was to talk about each and every one I would be here all day.  This is easily the best cast and acted show I have ever seen.  Everyone absolutely nails their performances and the characters will stick with you long after you stopped watching the show.  The story for this one is very much a political drama set against a fantasy adventure backdrop.  Think of House of Cards meets Lord of the Rings.  The political drama aspect does require you to pay close attention which is a little too smart of a watch for me at times.  However, the character development, action, and betrayal that happens really pulls the viewer in.  Finally, the film has some rather impressive fight scenes and plenty of blood.  It does have some moments of brutality and great practical effects but nothing hardcore horror fans haven't seen before.  Overall, Season One is a very entertaining watch.  The cast is the highlight of the show but the story is a little too politically charged for my own liking.  With that being said I enjoyed it.