After watching the trailer preview for 15 minutes with notepad to write a good review I look down and see I have written one word only…. bleak.
What does this mean?
- Bleak is that only word that can sum up this first 15 minutes. There is bleakness in the plot, the imagery, the scenery a stoeic hardness to the characters and even the demands of duty.
- That its is captivating, for 15 minutes I have been drawn in and not been able to do more that scrawl one word ona peice of paper as the preview has grabbed me. I was drawn in and lost in the world of death and ice.
- That time went faster than I thought, nothing dragged, and I could not believe we had covered all 15 minutes already. I do not expect this series to drag often point.
Beyond my lack of note taking what else struck me about the preview?
- The acting, I have to say that I was impressed with every performance brief though they were, I was suprised I wasn’t annoyed by Sean Bean ever present Yorkshire accent, in fact I was suprised I managed to distinguish this character from Richard Sharpe and Boromir in a very limited amount of screen time, I think we may get more here than Sean Bean being Sean Bean. However three performances stood out for me in the preview and I think we will all be delighted by them going forward these were Michelle Fairley as Cat, Kit Harrington as Jon Snow and Maise Williams as Arya Stark.
- The use of silence and lack of score, I actually found the silences and the limited use of a score very nervey. I think I was supposed to, but being more used to a heavier use of music or soundscape I am still unsure how this is going to pan out.
- The look and feel is gorgeous, from costumes, to props, to scenery and CGI. I have been almost immediatley pulled into a world which is rich and believable in its detail. Not quite movie standard but a very high standard for TV nonetheless.
- Also I think the cinematography has shown flashes of inspiration. Nothing mindblowing but a few interesting and creative shots which make thing smore watchable and at times a little edgier, the two that spring to mind are the the shot where the riders come from behind camera, and also the shot starting from the headsmans block.
- I have also got to comment on the headcount, thats alot of beheadings for 15 minutes, let us see if it can be bettered at any point in the series?
Anyway those were my impressions I will welcome yours comments below.
The use of silence and lack of score, I actually found the silences and the limited use of a score very nervey. I think I was supposed to, but being more used to a heavier use of music or soundscape I am still unsure how this is going to pan out.
I’m going to start rndaieg Game of Thrones soon as well. My first introduction was through the HBO series, but I’m curious about how my perception of events will be different without the backstory and nuance of the books, so I’ve been meticulously avoiding rndaieg until the season ends.The way a book is adapted for the screen fascinates me, as does the way book readers vs non-book readers view the screen versions. In this case, I find myself on the other end from where I usually am and its been quite interesting. Having not read the books yet, I have to say that much of what my book-rndaieg friends think is missing from the show has still been pretty deducible to an attentive viewer (many a “how did you guess that?” from them), so I think the show producers are doing a superb job. Admittedly, however, I rewatched the first few episodes a couple of times until I had the names down and that has given my theory-crafting bent some room to work with.I wonder how much my opinion might change once I read the book for myself. I’m looking forward to it greatly!But first I have to finish the other set of books I started. I just polished off The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and I think there are 2 more books there waiting for me. Quite a different type of book, but a good read nonetheless.