The Film
If you aren't a fan of Game of Thrones yet, it's hard to imagine that you'd start with this set. Maybe you don't have HBO. For many, this show is the sole reason to have HBO. Still it seems sort of late, seeing how the first season was already released on Blu-ray back in 2013 (and again as a box set earlier this year) -- and there was a lot of rejoicing about that.
However, what makes the Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season Limited Edition Steelbook Blu-ray so special is that this new set includes a Dolby Atmos audio track. It's actually the first TV show to get one of those. We will get into that in a minute, but first, on with the show...
Based on George R.R. Martin's insanely popular A Song of Ice and Fire series, the insanely popular first season lays a lot of groundwork. After all, there's a lot to know about what goes on in and around the Westeros. Much of the action revolves around the Stark and Lannister families.
Ned Stark (Sean Bean) is one of the main characters this season. He's the family patriarch, who is called upon to help King Robert (Mark Addy). After all, the king has got a lot of drinking to do! This doesn't please Queen Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) too much, since she was saving that position for her brother/lover Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). Both families have multiple children and even some of those children have children. There are ones you'll love (Peter Dinklage's Tyrion Lannister and Kit Harington's Jon Snow) and ones you'll absolutely loathe (Jack Gleeson's Joffrey Baratheon is a standout). Of course, there's also Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), who also goes by Dany, but is best known as the Khaleesi. It's hard to miss her since she's naked so much of this first season. However, her storyline is just as captivating, between her forced marriage to Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), her annoying brother (Harry Lloyd), and her dragon eggs.
Game of Thrones is the type of show where a scorecard would come in handy. There are so many characters. Most likely, I forgot your favorite. Stop complaining and start watching; this is a show that should not be missed.
The Picture
Game of Thrones is a dark show in tone and color palette. However, it's also a fantastic looking show. The black levels are stellar and the colors are spot-on. There aren't a ton of bright colors, but Sansa's hair, stained glass, red tents, and the blood all pop when they appear on-screen. Oh-so-much-blood. However, the 1.78:1 image is most impressive when it comes to the detail. It's so very pretty -- at least, when it's not bloody. Falling snowflakes, flickering flames, lush scenery; I could go on... and I will. That's because the costumes are just so fantastic and that's really evident on Blu-ray. There are so many and they are so varied. However, each one of those costumes is insanely textured and detailed here, whether it's made of fur, leather, armor or silk.
The Sound
With Dolby Atmos, the dialogue is always crystal-clear, which is a good thing, since it's easy to get lost in what people are saying here. Of course, the show's thunderous soundtrack and the action is what makes this worth another release. The surrounds deliver the galloping horses, as well as swords clanging, piercing, and impaling many bodies. However, the Atmos is what puts you in the middle of the whole thing. There are overhead creaks, cackling ravens, whipping winds, raging fires, and echoing castles. Enjoy.
The Extras
Once you're done binge-watching the season, you'll want to devour everything you can about this show. Luckily, there are a lot of extras across the five discs in this set. There are 15 character profiles and several super-short featurettes, including one about bringing the book to the screen. There's also a really interesting, slightly longer making-of featurette. Every episode has its own in-episode guide to help you along, while seven of the 10 episodes include an audio commentary track. There's also a collection of "Dragon Eggs" sprinkled throughout the set, with extra snippets. Also worth mentioning is that HBO has given this set collectible packaging, with cover art by Elastic, the same team that created the acclaimed show's opening credits. Season 1 has Winterfell on the cover and comes with a magnet with the direwolf sigil of House Stark.
Final Thoughts
We're not here to dispute the merits of Game of Thrones. The show has legions of fans, as well as 85 Emmy Award nominations and 26 wins. Yeah -- it's a good one. But is Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season Limited Edition Steelbook worth another purchase? If you have Dolby Atmos, then please indulge. The show is an engaging, stunning piece of eye candy, but that new audio track is what makes this worthy of the throne.
Product Details
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