HBO A Game of Thrones review

If you’ve read George R R Martin’s ongoing fantasy series “A Song of Ice and Fire” then you’ll know it to be a very intense thriller, with dozens of major characters, many intricate and often interlinking plots and a huge smattering of intrigue, treachery and lust.

The series is a very difficult one to read as there are many adult themes, disappearing characters and evils to understand and compute as you wind your way through the excellent novels – however the effort of deciphering these books is well worth it for the hardened Fantasy fan, especially those who love J R R Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings.

When I heard that HBO were planning a series based on the first book of the series “The Song of Ice and Fire” I was totally perplexed – how could they bring a complex novel like this to the TV and not confuse the majority of viewers – the danger being that many would watch the first episode and simply feel it was far too complex to follow.

However, after realizing that HBO had produced such wonders as “Rome”, “Wire” and “The Sopranos”, then I began to realize that if anyone could bring the complexity and make it work, then HBO could.

Did HBO do justice to this fantastic series, or is this just another failed fantasy series? Find out more below:

Many would call Game of Thrones a traditional adventure of Sword and Sorcery, but they'd be wrong. It's more a detailed and indepth look into all aspects of the human character, and the Sword and Sorcery element is really secondary. To understand Game of Thrones, you really have to understand the characters, the lands and the intrigue.

The first thing you have to understand about Game of Thrones is the complexity of the land. It’s not simply one wonderful lands, but a series of seven diverse and different kingdoms that link together to make Westeros – the scope and size isn’t particularly obvious at first, but as the plotlines develop you will begin to understand the vastness of the world.

Interestingly, the opening scenes of A Game of Thrones, which are taken directly from the book, are more about outside forces that have deep consequences for all of the kingdoms; this underlying plot will be subtle, and you’ll forget about as you move through the series, but it is the most important plot to follow – you have been warned.

As the series open, you watch as a group of the Night’s Watch move out of the ice wall that defend the frozen border of the northern kingdoms and come across a clearing full of horrifically mutilated bodies. The bodies suddenly come to life and kill all of the Watch with the exception of one boy who manages to live to tell the tale.

This boy ends up in Winterfell where Eddard Stark beheads him for deserting the wall, despite the horrific tale he has to tell – thus is the justice of the world. The main characters are well defined in the opening episode of the series. Eddard Stark is the brutal leader of the kingdom of Winterfell; his brutality is one of need, not of cruelty and he portrays a very stark and dominating figure as he teaches his family the need for the brutality.

His wife Catelyn and his five legitimate children will be very prevalent in the series, and while they were not fully explored in this episode, their characters will grow as the series moves forward. Jon Snow, his one bastard son is serving in the Night’s watch and is generally kept apart from the family.

As the first episode progresses we meet the King of all Westeros, Robert Barathoen, and his queen Cersai from the Lannister house – this is where the plot really becomes intense and you may need to re-watch some of the early episodes.

The Lannister’s are in charge of another kingdom and are based in Caterly Rock – Cersai’s two brothers, one a hardened killer the other a deformed dwarf will wind a dastardly weave over all in the kingdom.

To make things even more confusing, Daenerys Targayen and her brother, who were exiled when Cersai’s brother killed their father (the former king) and gave power to Stark, the Lannisters and Baratheon (amongst others), are intent on recovering their throne.

Believe it or not the plot will get far deeper and complex than we glimpsed in the opening episode, but if the quality of the first episode continues, and the writers manage to untangle the plot so that the viewer can follow, then this could be one of the great HBO series.

Well as someone who has struggled through the books I say yes. The first episode was intriguing and a little confusing, but it contains all the elements of a masterpiece. Game of Thrones is built around characters, and be prepared for some shocks along the way. The casting so far is excellent, and the quality of acting really brings the characters to the fore.

While the series is full of action and nudity, it’s more about the underlying plots, the deceit and the way in which the major characters deal with the subtleties (or not as the case may be). The series does look amazing through, from the very first scene where the ice wall pops right out of the book, to the vast landscape you get a true feeling of the epic quality of the land, and this quality really enhances the story telling and action.

While the series has a fantasy feel about it, this is secondary and once you begin to understand what drives the characters, and find out their flaws and strengths you’ll wait in baited breath for the plot to unfold; be warned, don't blink or you may just miss an assassination or two!

I realize that many who have not read the books will be very daunted after the first episode. There are a whole host of different characters to come to terms with, and the lay of the land, and who are the bad guys aren’t evident – this is in fact part of the beauty of the series – there is no black and white, but rather a lot of gray.

Each character can at times be good or evil. I’d say keep watching for at least three episodes - if you are still confused after three episodes, then you’ll probably not like the series – I suspect that by then though most viewers will be sucked into the plot and intrigue and will love this series.

With the quality, the great acting, the superior plot and the amazing cinematography, this promises to be one of the best HBO series of all time.

No - Game of Thrones is an adult show that has a lot of violence, and some nudity. It tackles many difficult adult situations and at the very least I would advice parents to view the show before deciding if it is acceptable viewing for their children.

I suspect that it is generally suitable for ages 13+, but parental discretion should be used.