Came to 'Game of Thrones' fairly late in the game and due to being so busy the binge-watching was gradual. Have found myself truly loving the show, very quickly becoming one of my favourites. It totally lives up to the hype and not only does it do the brilliant source material justice (a rarity in television) it is on its own merits one of the finest, most addictive and consistently compelling shows in recent years and quality-wise it puts a lot of films in recent years to shame.
Season 1 of 'Game of Thrones' was consistent in quality in the best of ways, all the episodes ranging from great to classic. "Baelor" for me is the season high-point. "Winter is Coming" started the season and show perfectly, equally so is how the season ends with "Fire and Blood". It is a tough act to follow on from "Baelor" and live up to that episode's quality but "Fire and Blood" does so.
Visually, "Fire and Blood" looks amazing. The scenery is throughout spectacular, the sets are hugely atmospheric and beautiful on the eyes with a real meticulous eye for detail and the costumes suit the characters to a tee. The make-up is beautifully done. The visual effects are some of the best of any television programme and are not overused or abused, the scale, the detail and how they actually have character and soul are better than those in a lot of the big-budget blockbusters. As well the cinematography and editing, which are cinematic quality as well. The effects for the baby dragons are astonishingly authentic.
One cannot talk about "Fire and Blood" without mentioning the thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically multi-layered music scoring and the unforgettable main theme. Again, worthy of a high-budget fantasy/action/drama film.
It is hard not to be bowled over by the quality of the writing, outstanding isn't a strong enough adjective to describe how good the writing is once again. It always has a natural flow, is layered and thought-provoking and demonstrates a wide range of emotions such as suspenseful tension, poignant pathos and witty humour. The story is paced beautifully, structured with such nuance and attention to coherence, a high emotional level and is done with intelligence, passion and sensitivity.
All the characters are wonderfully written and layered and the acting, especially from Peter Dinklage and Maisie Williams here, is uniformly superb. Charles Dance couldn't have been more spot-on casting and Jack Gleeson relishes portraying one of the most evil characters in television.
In short, perfect conclusion to a great first season. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Season 1 of 'Game of Thrones' was consistent in quality in the best of ways, all the episodes ranging from great to classic. "Baelor" for me is the season high-point. "Winter is Coming" started the season and show perfectly, equally so is how the season ends with "Fire and Blood". It is a tough act to follow on from "Baelor" and live up to that episode's quality but "Fire and Blood" does so.
Visually, "Fire and Blood" looks amazing. The scenery is throughout spectacular, the sets are hugely atmospheric and beautiful on the eyes with a real meticulous eye for detail and the costumes suit the characters to a tee. The make-up is beautifully done. The visual effects are some of the best of any television programme and are not overused or abused, the scale, the detail and how they actually have character and soul are better than those in a lot of the big-budget blockbusters. As well the cinematography and editing, which are cinematic quality as well. The effects for the baby dragons are astonishingly authentic.
One cannot talk about "Fire and Blood" without mentioning the thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically multi-layered music scoring and the unforgettable main theme. Again, worthy of a high-budget fantasy/action/drama film.
It is hard not to be bowled over by the quality of the writing, outstanding isn't a strong enough adjective to describe how good the writing is once again. It always has a natural flow, is layered and thought-provoking and demonstrates a wide range of emotions such as suspenseful tension, poignant pathos and witty humour. The story is paced beautifully, structured with such nuance and attention to coherence, a high emotional level and is done with intelligence, passion and sensitivity.
All the characters are wonderfully written and layered and the acting, especially from Peter Dinklage and Maisie Williams here, is uniformly superb. Charles Dance couldn't have been more spot-on casting and Jack Gleeson relishes portraying one of the most evil characters in television.
In short, perfect conclusion to a great first season. 10/10 Bethany Cox