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Post by boomzilla on Sept 4, 2012 20:25:57 GMT -5
Game of Thrones – 3 out of 5 stars
This is one of those television (HBO) series that has massive buzz. No matter where I go, there is a gaggle of girls oohing and aahing about the latest “Game of Thrones” episode. This is also a series that starts off exceedingly slowly and then builds. If you watched only the first half of the first episode, as did some of my friends, and concluded that the series wasn’t worth watching, then you can be forgiven for your conclusion although you may (or may not) have been a bit hasty.
In a nutshell, this is a soap opera with tits. It also has an excessive amount of gratuitous violence and gore. This is strange, because as my better (and smarter) half pointed out, this could have been a children’s tale to rival Harry Potter. All the same thematic elements are in place and children/young adults of both genders populate the cast. The same issues of loyalty, family, and justice (including the conflicts where these values collide) provide the drama in the story; a rich and varied fantasy environment provides the venue. Unfortunately, the question of whether this could have been a children’s tale for the ages will never be answered; the gratuitous nudity and violence that occur multiple times in every episode will prevent the question from even being asked.
If you manage to hang on until the middle of the first season, then the story begins to involve you sufficiently that you’ll want to watch “just one more episode” before giving up on the series. Overall, nothing substantive, but a fun guilty pleasure if (and only if) you’re willing to overlook the gore and nudity.
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Post by Dark Ranger on Sept 4, 2012 20:58:43 GMT -5
Great summary! I finished watching Season 1 from Netflix a few weeks ago. I walked into the series with no expectations except knowing that it was a popular show. Sean Bean was in it, and I'm a fan of his stuff, so it had to be good...right?  The violence and nudity surprised me at first since I hadn't expected that. But the more I watched the show, the more the story, characters, and anticipation hooked me in. The realism and drama of the story is refreshing, actually. There were scenes and plot forks that I didn't expect: real choices with real consequences. Guilty pleasure indeed. I can't wait for Season 2. |
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Post by paintedklown on Sept 4, 2012 21:21:07 GMT -5
This is also a series that starts off exceedingly slowly and then builds. If you watched only the first half of the first episode, as did some of my friends, and concluded that the series wasn’t worth watching, then you can be forgiven for your conclusion although you may (or may not) have been a bit hasty. That is what I did. I watched about half of the first episode and put it down. My cousin absolutely loves the series, and keeps telling me to give it another shot. He didn't mention the excessive gore or nudity though, but similar to me, he sees things like that as just "part of the show" and not necessarily a reason to watch/not watch a show or movie. I like to recommend films to friends a lot, especially if it is something i enjoyed quite a bit. If it is filled with excessive violence or disturbing scenes, I like to recommend with a "disclaimer". ;D |
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Post by jerrin on Sept 4, 2012 21:35:46 GMT -5
Game of Thrones – 3 out of 5 stars This is one of those television (HBO) series that has massive buzz. No matter where I go, there is a gaggle of girls oohing and aahing about the latest “Game of Thrones” episode. This is also a series that starts off exceedingly slowly and then builds. If you watched only the first half of the first episode, as did some of my friends, and concluded that the series wasn’t worth watching, then you can be forgiven for your conclusion although you may (or may not) have been a bit hasty. In a nutshell, this is a soap opera with tits. It also has an excessive amount of gratuitous violence and gore. This is strange, because as my better (and smarter) half pointed out, this could have been a children’s tale to rival Harry Potter. All the same thematic elements are in place and children/young adults of both genders populate the cast. The same issues of loyalty, family, and justice (including the conflicts where these values collide) provide the drama in the story; a rich and varied fantasy environment provides the venue. Unfortunately, the question of whether this could have been a children’s tale for the ages will never be answered; the gratuitous nudity and violence that occur multiple times in every episode will prevent the question from even being asked. If you manage to hang on until the middle of the first season, then the story begins to involve you sufficiently that you’ll want to watch “just one more episode” before giving up on the series. Overall, nothing substantive, but a fun guilty pleasure if (and only if) you’re willing to overlook the gore and nudity. Overlook it?? That's two of the best reasons to watch! ;D |
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jamrock
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Post by jamrock on Sept 4, 2012 21:51:34 GMT -5
I've watched The Book Of Eli about 4 times because I like the kill scenes so much. I don't believe that I've seen a better blade handler than Denzel in this movie. But I don't know anything about 'Game of Thrones" The longest movie that I have and will watch is the The Ten Commandments. If this is a series, I'm out. Short attention span is my gift from birth ;D
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Post by boomzilla on Nov 23, 2012 15:41:25 GMT -5
OK, while waiting for HBO (those greedy dastards) to release the second season of "Game" on Blu-Ray, I bought the books and have begun reading.
In all my life, I have NEVER seen a screenplay that so closely followed the source book! Every twist and turn in the book is faithfully reproduced in the TV series. Astounding! Either the books were written with a screenplay in mind or the show producers were the world's biggest fans of the books. I don't know which.
I've finished the first book and am beginning the second. If the plot twisting continues to be as engaging as what I'm reading, I'm VERY eager to see the successive seasons of the HBO series.
Why do y'all suppose that HBO is delaying the release of their second & third seasons? I know that many on the internet are pirating the successive seasons because they can't legitimately purchase or rent them. Seems to me like HBO is throwing away money, but to what end?
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Post by danr on Nov 23, 2012 16:37:46 GMT -5
I picked this up on Blu for 36.99 when it was on sale a few weeks ago. I agree it was somewhat slow in gaining momentum, and also agree about all of the nudity/sex.
That being said, once this series got rolling, it really pulled me in. Now I cannot wait for the Blu of Season 2, which I pre-ordered from Amazon.
I've also been considering reading the books. But they are over 700 pages, and given all of the twists and characters...it's hard for me to find the time for something that big and plow through it. More likely, there would be stretches where I have to put it down for a week, and I'm concerned I'll forget all the little stuff in between reading sessions.
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Nov 23, 2012 18:41:12 GMT -5
My wife loves this series. Too much of a soap opera for me, but to each his own. |
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