Game of Thrones

The first season was a struggle. There’s so much empty dialogue, scheming that goes nowhere and raw fucking that it makes you tired. But as the episodes and seasons progress, you begin to marvel at the thoughtful interconnectedness of the individual fates, how everything fits together with surgical precision, how G.R.R. Martin, or rather the showrunners, are not afraid to shock and allow themselves the least predictable (and yet logical) twists that make your jaw drop, your back shiver, and all you can do is utter an involuntary "Bugger me!". The manner in which the fates of Arya, Sansa, Tyrion (and I could go on) unfold in the least predictable ways brings joy to the hearts of viewers who enjoy rich stories. A real viewer's delight that builds to a fantastic fourth season, and I really have no idea what they're going to top it with in the upcoming one. And the fact that the series has an unprecedented, by TV standards, large-scale set design, sets and atmosphere, where every thoughtfully invested dollar of the generous budget is evident, only confirms the quality of this exceptional achievement. (11/07/2014)

After dozens of recommendations, I finally watched the pilot. I have to say that it grabbed me right from the start so I watched the whole series in just three days. I think it's a perfect script full of quality intrigue and slightly erotic scenes. Some of the plot twists and betrayals are breathtaking. The music is also fantastic and often sent chills down my spine. A very good series all round. HBO rocks again. It's 99% for me. (08/07/2011)

I caught up on my absolute biggest series and film rest and although I wasn't at all sure for the first two seasons whether the fame of Game of Thrones was warranted, the remaining three seasons have convinced me otherwise. Admittedly, I was expecting a lot more sex, blood, action and the characters more or less start to rapidly diminish only in season 4. There are some deaf passages, but in the end as a whole it works solidly. Khaleesi is the best and the storyline around her kept me interested the most, Tyrion is solid and John Snow is pretty much likeable even though his story has been ramping up for four series. Of the supporting characters, I also liked Margaery and Varys. The best season is 4 and 5, then 3, 2, 1. (22/04/2016)

Game of Thrones is filmed based on a cult book saga, which is currently considered a fundamental work of the historizing fantasy subgenre. Fans often fall into the trap of mechanical comparison between the two media, criticizing the missing motifs, characters, and plots, or the deviation of film characters from their novel counterparts. This kind of conflict passes me by. I am unfamiliar with the book series, nor do I intend to read it, so I am spared the trauma of comparing both versions. Game of Thrones represents a complex alternative functional world, modeled after the peak of medieval Europe with elaborate mythology. The series has no competition and probably won't have for a long time. Think about Vláčil's Marketa Lazarová with dozens of characters, which financially exhausted the entire studio and clearly showed the limits of regional cinema. The imitation of the Middle Ages is simply a precarious and expensive affair, which only a handful of producers can afford on this scale. Tolkien fans will probably be upset, but compared to Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings feels like a fairytale for older children with flat black-and-white characters. Game of Thrones reeks of blood, burnt human bodies, sweat, and urine. It offers a much wider range of emotions and is much dirtier. Its weakness lies in its excessive ambition and sprawl. Some storylines will simply seem less interesting to you and you won't be able to identify with certain characters. If the plot simultaneously follows several characters in different environments, you may have to wait a while for the one you feel closest to. In any case, it is interesting to watch the tangle of intrigues and power struggles, where the author often found inspiration in the real rivalries of powerful feudal families in medieval England and France. You won't find many supernatural motifs here, the movers of the plot are not magicians, but people with their down-to-earth desire for power, glory, and wealth. Personally, I could easily do without the dragons and ghouls, as well as other favorite genre props. Overall impression: 90%. (03/10/2013)

So much fuss over of a single dwarf… No, Game of Thrones does not deserve such vitriol, though it’s true that it most convincingly triumphs in the most literary of disciplines – dialogue. The word rules, the images do not captivate. In my opinion, the actors aren’t suited to their respective roles (including the diminutive Tyrion), but I should blame that on my imagination, not on the people who adapted the book into a series. Game of Thrones is literature in film form, nothing more. Fortunately, it’s literature of extraordinary quality. 80% (20/09/2011)