Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season [5 Discs] [DVD]

Game of Thrones is a well-acted show with great sets, great costumes, great visual effects and interesting storylines with unexpected plot twists. Based upon George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of books, it's been nominated for and has won numerous awards and is, without a doubt, for mature audiences. Season one is apparently based on the first book in this series, "A Game of Thrones". I haven't read the books so I cannot say how strictly the show adheres to the book. I have heard, however, that it is a near-faithful adaptation. Despite all of the accolades that the show has received, there are some issues which may make viewers who have never seen the show think twice before purchasing this season one set. First, there is a lot of graphic violence. While the setting of the show, a mythical land of kings and knights, dragons and dark forces, would seem to indicate that a certain level of violence is to be expected, some of it may be too intense for certain audiences. Second, there is an abundance of graphic interpersonal situations and full frontal nudity, both male and female, though more female. Third, there is a lot of vulgar language. For me, this is the biggest problem with the show. It's not that I have a problem with occasional foul language, it's that the words seem too contemporary for a show that is seemingly set in a certain era. Every time one is used, it pulls me out of that fantasy world. It breaks my "willing suspension of disbelief". Perhaps it's just me, but if they had created words, like Battlestar Galactica's FRAK or Farscape's FRELL, then I might not get that jarring feeling. Who knows. Finally, my biggest gripe is not with the show itself, but rather with the box set of the season. The season consists of 10 episodes and there are 5 discs in the set. There are only TWO episodes per disc which means that you have to get up and change the disc EVERY TWO EPISODES. This is NOT conducive to binge watching. Sure, there are extras on each disc. There are character profiles on disc 1 and behind the scenes documentaries on disc 5. Aside from the episode commentaries, however, the additional extras are the same on all discs. This could have easily been a three disc set (5 episodes on disc one, 5 episodes on disc two and all extras on disc three) but I feel that the 5 disc format is used so that more money can be charged for the box set. With that in mind, I advise waiting until it goes on sale for less than $10. All in all, I'd say that if you enjoy the fantasy genre and don't mind some adult situations, then Game of Thrones - Season One might just be worth checking out.

First off, I'm writing this for any others who might be like me & unsure on the new packaging and contents of this set. I already had the dvd, and wanted the blu-ray extras but not at the $30+ price for just a few extras. This packaging is smaller than the original (the size of a normal blu-ray/dvd case). The back sleeve doesn't list anything, I couldn't find any write-ups online either, but this DOES have all the same extras and exclusives as the normal set. With the 5 discs I thought it would but my local BB wasn't sure so the associate just asked another employee who said if it doesn't say it on the back , it doesn't have it, and when I wrote BB.com they said no (I guess no one was willing to just open 1 copy to make sure they have correct product info). I actually got my copy from Amazon just because they said it had them and if they were wrong, they would refund me. Much as I prefer supporting my local BB, in this case their service lost them a small sale. As for the show itself, this isn't your typical fantasy show. While it does have some magical elements (like dragons) and your typical fantasy setting unusual names, it is more grounded in reality (our middle ages) than many others. Instead of just being about swordplay and fighting (which picks up later on), there is a good amount of political drama, done by a great cast. Good guys don't always win, bad guys don't always get their comeuppance, but don't always win either. It centers around a number of families who essentially rule smaller areas of the country, all with their own agenda to gain more and more power and hopefully gain the Iron Throne to be king over the entire country. with alliances, backstabbing, and scheming. Whether it works or backfires, the status quo rarely stays as it as for long (at least early on). No character is safe, and not everyone plays by the rules. In the Game of Thrones, you either win or you die.

I would recommend only getting it if you have Dolby Vision. Otherwise it’s not worth it. Resolution is about the same as the blu ray version. Note that it is upscaled 4K, not native. So they could only improve so much. Where it really shines is with HDR Dolby Vision. It’s not going to WOW you, or I have yet to see a wow moment. I’ve only seen the first episode to help out people decide if they need to upgrade or not. But it does provide a slightly better image. I was cycling through the 4K and blu Ray version on my oled and like I mentioned before the 4K version is only slightly better, and it had almost entirely to do with Dolby vision. Also if you bought the original blu Ray set it lacks Atmos support. This 4k set contains the same atmos track as the second blu ray release, so if you don’t have atmos on your old blu ray that is another reason to upgrade. Overall I’m a little dissapointed, but I’m glad that they are giving us the best picture quality they have. The later seasons were recorded at a higher resolution so i have hope that it will get better. I’m a huge fan and will buy these the moment they come out. I just hope the changes are more noticeable next time.

Given the tremendous popularity of this series, I will be in the minority on this opinion and that's okay. I am a big fantasy fan and in fact the Lord of the Rings is my favorite film. I expected this series to fit my tastes perfectly and I think it most likely would had I been able to continue watching it. The problem I have with the show is its extreme overuse of mature content. In the first episode alone there are at least 4 or 5 instances of nudity. There's multiple scenes of incest (once in front of a child), and other scenes for which Best Buy will not even let me write a description in this review. I understand this is an HBO show and I find that when writers put a show on HBO they use these kinds of tactics simply because it's not on regular cable and they can get away with it. Maybe it wouldn't be a problem if it served a good purpose in the plot but it really feels like they just shoehorned it in to grab attention. I know they could tell this same story and setup these same characters without these kinds of scenes. The rebuttal will be that they wanted to portray realism. However, take a show like Netflix's Daredevil which I really enjoy and is one one of my favorite series, period. The writers have the same leeway on Netflix to get away with mature content. They use plenty of language and violence, but they don't need to stoop down to the cheap overused tactics used in Game of Thrones to portray the very gritty, real feel that the Daredevil series has. There may be a good story underneath it all here, but it's hard to ignore the constant shock tactics. Maybe that's how the book series is and it's just not my thing. I found it very dissapointing and I know there are others who share these types of concerns, so be warned.

My only complaint is we can’t buy the entire first 7 seasons at one time. Also the digital version you get is not in 4K. That being said the 4K version season 1 looks and sounds absolutely amazing in 4K with HDR and Dolby atmos or 7.1 surround sound. Any fans of the series will know that as the show became more popular they spent more money on special effects and large scale battle scenes etc. I can only imagine what the battle of the bast*rds, hardhome, and the beyond the wall epsiode of season 7 will look like in 4K HDR. For people who want something close, if you have a great 4K TV, download the HBO GO app and watch game of thrones episodes using the app and not on demand from your cable company. For some reason, the HBO APP is way way clearer and crisper when your 4K tv up scales the image compared to when your tv upscales the live episode or the on demand episode your cable company offers. Try It our you’ll see what I’m talking about. You won’t get HDR but you’ll have amazing 4K upscaled episodes.

First and foremost - Season One was not shot in native 4K, so the picture is upscaled to 4K for this release. I originally watched GOT via HBO streaming, so I can’t compare the quality of these UHD discs to the original Blu-ray discs. However, I can say that I saw an immediate upgrade in detail over the 1080p stream. The Dolby Vision (DV) is a nice bump over standard HDR and the Dolby Atmos (DA) track is way more robust than the 5.1 mix. Quiet talking scenes come through clearly without the need to turn the volume way down during louder scenes. If you have a DV with DA setup at home then these discs are a must buy. The black levels are as deep and inky as they’ve always been. I can’t wait for them to release the rest of the seasons on UHD. The picture and sound quality can only get better with each season. Hopefully they’ll show some mercy and offer a complete series box set after the last season is over next year. Enjoy!

The Game of Thrones is just what you would expect from HBO. It is full of great acting, great plots and left me wanting more episodes. No, I'm not a shill for home box office but I like most of what they put on their network. Game of Thrones has everything you would want in a fantasy world where winters last as long as an old dude on perpetual viagara. Actually that isn't that long so their winters last a lot longer, a decade or more and frozen guys come back to life and wolves eat arms and heads get separated from their owners. Sisters and brothers living in sin and dragons are born in a funeral pyre. Yeah, G.O.T. rocks. Get it. I watched the entire series in a day and a half. Now my wife won't let me get HBO for the second season but such is life in these tough economic times. The only drawback is the fact there aren't enough extras in the box set. A minor complaint admittedly. We just bought the books now so I personally recommend getting this set of DVD's. Get the blu ray discs. I can't even watch regular DVD's anymore. In any case it was worth every penny I paid for it which was no pennies since it was on a gift card but still i would pay real cash money for this set of DVD's. Take my word for it.

The new golden age of television continues with this absolutely spectacular HBO series, based on the brilliant writing of George R.R. Martin. You cannot help but be drawn into the bleak, yet richly colorful world of these fantasy/medieval style characters when the writing is this good and the actors so unforgettable. The sets are often exquisitely beautiful, and the costumes dazzling. At times the whole looks like pre-Raphaelite painting. ---- Having not read the books, I was now and then confused as to who is who. But I came to realize that the series would eventually give me all the information I needed to remain fully engaged and fully delighted. --- There isn't a false note in the cast, nor a false line in the dialogue. And one has the feeling, no matter how fantastic the kingdoms and their warring monarchs, that one is delving into our history and our evolution as a moral species. Speculative fiction at its best --- which this most certainly is --- is always about us and always about us now as well as "long ago." Games of Thrones is setting a whole new standard for daring, complexity, and sumptuous execution of the vision. Highly recommended.