Game of Thrones lives up to reputation and pleases its fan base

I was a bit tentative about watching Game of Thrones, the HBO adaptation of the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin, mostly because of the extremely good reputation it has. In general, any form of media that receives a great deal of hype is setting audiences up for disappointment; there comes a point where nothing can live up to such high expectations.

At first glance, the series exhibits all of the common symptoms: A grand, if a bit clichéd premise, a cast ranging from award-winning to unknown actors and a huge fan base devoted to the lore of the series.

I thought that it was completely impossible for this television series to live up to its massive hype. And, after watching it, it’s my opinion that it doesn’t, to be honest; it has more flaws than its proponents may be willing to admit. However, that by no means implies that the series is bad; it is extremely well-written and well put together.

The story itself is quite complex, involving many different stories that weave together to create the overall narrative. The story is mostly set in the fictional kingdom of Westeros. Several years prior to the start of the series, two men of noble houses, Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) and Eddard Stark (Sean Bean), led armies in a violent rebellion fought to overthrow the previous king of the Seven Kingdoms.

Following the war, Robert assumes the role of King, while Stark returns to the city of Winterfell, where he lives with his family and acts as the city’s Lord.

Following the death of one of the king’s closest advisors, Robert asks Stark to relocate to the capital and serve as his Hand of the King. Suspecting foul play from one of the prominent noble families, the Lannisters, Stark agrees, and sets in motion a chain of events leading to a grand struggle over claim to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms.

Meanwhile, to the North, a great Wall separates the kingdom from the inhospitable, frozen wastes beyond. Members of the Night’s Watch, a group bound to defend the country from whatever lies beyond the Wall, begin disappearing, upsetting the Night’s Watch hierarchy, and suggesting the growth of an unseen threat. Furthermore, to the east, Daenerys Targaryen, daughter of the deposed king, prepares for a marriage to a native leader, in the hopes of amassing a military force strong enough to reclaim the Iron Throne.

These are just a couple of the plotlines put in motion in just the first episode of the series alone. As the story continues, progressively more stories stem from these basic plotlines, causing the story to explode into a web of actions all of which weave in and out of one another.

Part of the story’s complexity may be attributed to the fact that it is (extremely) loosely based on the English War of the Roses, fought in the mid-to-late 1400s between the English House of York and House of Lancaster, which somewhat mirror the houses of Stark And Lannister, respectively.

However, while loosely based on an actual historical conflict, the story derives much of its plot and storytelling from numerous fantasy elements: magic, extraordinary creatures and even dragons. Although, unlike most fantasy-style stories, the usage of these elements is comparatively subtle, and only appear rarely, hinting at grander stories and happenings beneath what is initially visible to the viewer.

Additionally, the story moves in very complex and believable ways; much of the action in the plot is mired in politics, with many hidden meanings and stories behind everything that happens.

For fans of the book series, yes, the television adaptation cuts out some storylines and details from the books. However, these cuts in no way hamper the storytelling of the series and were clearly necessary to help Martin’s stories better suit a television series.

Regardless of any cuts, viewers can still feel the weight of every decision, and the impact of every action taken throughout the story. This impact can be greatly attributed to the characters of the story. The characters of Game of Thrones are nearly as complex as the plots themselves.

The main cast is made up of roughly a dozen characters at any given time, from Jon Snow, illegitimate son of Eddard Stark and member of the Night’s Watch, to Tyrion Lannister, a lecherous and cunning member of the Lannister family, nicknamed “the Imp.”

Additionally, at any given time the plot supports any number of minor, supporting characters. Each character, major and minor, is given a distinct personality; they have backstory, motivations and (more often than not) hidden, personal agendas. While the cast is quite large, not a single character is wasted.

It is easy to connect with, and, in turn, come to care about what happens to these people. This connection is likely what makes the plot so strong, while also making it unabashedly brutal.

Unlike most stories in this vein, audiences will be hard pressed to find a character with “plot armor,” the sort of protection main characters often have that protects them from permanent damage or death. As the tagline for the series reads: “when you play the game of thrones, you live, or you die.” And people die a lot.

The sets are fantastic, reflective of the show’s high production value. The castles and cities are beautiful to look at, and the plains, deserts, seas and forests of the world are a wonder to behold, easily among the best in television, or even film.

As grand as the series may appear, though, it is not without its faults. While each storyline is relatively easy to follow, the cluster of storytelling occasionally disrupts the pacing of the plot.

The episodes sometimes shift scenes and storylines rather abruptly, and occasionally let some portions of the story sit untouched for so long that one may forget that they exist. Additionally, the first season contains a great deal of nudity and numerous sex scenes.While not necessarily a problem, and always done tastefully, these scenes occasionally appear more gratuitous than anything else. However, past the first season, these taper off somewhat.

The cinematography can be a bit overdone at times, again especially in the first season. It is prone to slow motion scenes and an occasionally uncomfortable amount of close-ups.

The acting can also feel a bit melodramatic at times. Quite often, lines will be delivered in such an over-the-top way that they simply cannot be believable, and may leave one laughing at moments that are intended to be serious.

A bigger issue for some may also be the price of entry for the series.While not typically an attribute I focus on when judging a work, this deserves mention because this series is not quite as readily available as others. Watching it normally requires a subscription to HBO which, frankly, is not worth it for just this series alone. The series is also available in very nice DVD and Blu-Ray box sets, filled with extras, but these too are rather expensive.

While well worth it to fans of the series, or enthusiasts of the fantasy genre in general, the high cost may make the series less appealing to skeptics or those not used to the genre. Because of this high price of entry, I would suggest uninitiated audiences research this series before deciding whether or not it’s for them.

Though some issues with pacing, cinematography and pricing cause the series to fall just short of its great reputation, the story and characters are remarkably well written, the sets are stunning, and the series itself is nothing short of fantastic.

While it may not live up to the perfection its hype would suggest, it comes as close as anything possibly could. Much to my pleasure, my initial preconceptions before viewing Game of Thrones were, for the most part, proven extremely wrong.

Overall score: 4/5