Reviews by:
@the_owlseyes
RATE THIS SERIES
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“Laments of an Icarus
The paramours of courtesans
Are well and satisfied, content.
But as for me my limbs are rent
Because I clasped the clouds as mine.
I owe it to the peerless stars
Which flame in the remotest sky
That I see only with spent eyes
Remembered suns I knew before.
In vain I had at heart to find
The center and the end of space.
Beneath some burning, unknown gaze
I feel my very wings unpinned
And, burned because I beauty loved,
I shall not know the highest bliss,
And give my name to the abyss
Which waits to claim me as its own.”
Charles Baudelaire
PLOT
"Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia" or "Everyone wants to sit on a chair, everyone dies, everyone has sex, everyone schemes like a politician...all of it for a chair".
SCRIPT
It's a masterfully crafted show for four seasons but after the fourth the quality starts to drop. Characters who were interesting and sharp slowly becomes blurs and dumb, like Tyrion Lannister or Lord Varys, characters who were beacons of hope and revolution turn into homicidal maniacs and unuseful henchman with one line. The characters archs are generally interesting but in the last season all of them are out of the window, shredded and given to the dogs. The main villain is defeated in a cliche and boring way by a character who doesn't have any connection to him. The series theme becomes irrilevant and puzzling during the last season and it makes all unworthy of the multitudes of time we spent after it. The show falls during it's climax and becomes a meme and a shadow of his former self, pooping all over its past. All because the writers, Dumb and Dumber, were more focused on their next project and wanted to cut the series short and wrap up everything in only 8 episodes. This is hubris and indifference. And the show deserved more. It's hard to value it because I'm so conflicted between punishing it and recognizing it's worth. I'll do what's right instead, because this show deserves to be acknowledged for what it is.
Script: 8/10
ACTING
Every actor poures is heart and his passion in his character, this is why each of them is memorable and original. I'm not just talking about the leads but about everyone involved here, even the ones who have less screen time are able to shine and elevate this series from a simple show to an epic one. It's hard to say who is the best one but I like a lot Peter Dinklage and Aidan Gillen because they're able to give depth and charisma to characters which aren't righteous, by making them sympathetic. I think that the quality tends to dwindle a little bit while moving toward the last series. I find Sophie Turner an overrated actress and she isn't the best fit for her character, because she lacks facial expressions and emotions.
Acting: 8/10
PHOTOGRAPHY
There're a lot of breathtaking scenes here. You'll be able to appreciate differe t kind of landscapes: desert's warmth, mountain's coldness, wood's darkness, castle's magnificence and more. Almost every scene is an eye's delight . War scenes are my favourite but I think that photography here is able to enhance the beauty of a world which is fascinating, large and unknown. Light isn't used in a corny way and colours are pretty relevant to make us understand the difference between every setting and its characters.
Photography: 8/10
EDITING
Sometimes it's impressive, sometimes is awesome and sometimes is just mediocre. Overall I don't think that it's high class but I don't even think that it's bad or low quality. It works without taking a lot of risks and doing something original. This isn't the worst section of the bunch but for sure it isn't the best.
Editing: 6/10
SPECIAL EFFECTS
As a series it has an impressive cgi, I could say that it's on the level of what you can get from a movie with a professional production. The dragons are the best thing about it and a lot of work and money has been put to make them as believable as possible. Sometimes the quality is a bit lower but I think that it's hard to do better than that. I could say the same about the practical effects which looks amazing and are pretty effective. Consider that all of them are related to the multitudes of deaths present in the show, because the series likes to have fun with it. There're also some grandious VFX which are marvellous, because the producers wanted to go all in with the grandeur of landscapes and buildings, to give them a sense of stateliness.
Special Effects: 9/10
SOUNDTRACK
It's hard to define this soundtrack not iconic. The theme will be stuck in your mind for ages because it's pretty original. I like how every house has its own theme and how these themes mix up when the houses clash or ally. The villain theme is also interesting, because it infuses fear and a sense of threat, but the best one is Targaryen's house theme for me, especially the dragon part. Ramin Djawadi has previously impressed with the Iron Man soundtrack and here is at the top of his game. A thing which he will repeat in Westworld.
Soundtrack: 9/10
COSTUMES
A gargantuan production which delivers in this section. Every costume fits the world, the character and diversify every house from another. There's an attention to details which is remarkable....incredible. I like the fact that the character's growth is also reflected in his clothes. I think that this exceeds my expectations because usually fantasy adaptations are hard to pull off. I can say that it's on the level of The Lord of The Ring's saga in terms of variety and consistency, but I can't say that it's better than that. The threshold is too high to be passed.
Costumes: 9/10
CONCLUSION
Script: 8/10
Acting: 8/10
Photography: 8/10
Editing: 6/10
Special Effects: 9/10
Soundtrack: 9/10
Costumes: 9/10
AVERAGE: 8,14
This is an incredible show which could have been the best or one of the best ever produced. Everything is amazing about it and I think that it deserves to be remembered what it is, a masterpiece with a bad ending, and hwat it represents for the silvers screen and pop culture. Who says that this series is bad operates by following the halo effect, which brings you to value something based on last impressions and average ones. You have to see it because everyone should know about this sharp and subversive series which brings something new to the fantasy genre.
Valar Morghulis
Director: David Nutter, Alan Taylor
Screenplay: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Cast: Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Iain Glen, John Bradley, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Liam Cunningham, Gwendoline Christie, Aidan Gillen, Isaac Hempstead Wright
Soundtrack: Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography: Anette Haellmigk, Jonathan Freeman
Running Time: 71 minutes
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