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Ok, there's lots of (paid?) hype here, but 🤞 fingers and swords ⚔️ crossed for 21 August (HBO Max) ...
I'm, still not decided if I want to watch the trailer/s yet ...
> That first episode is fantastic! Can’t wait to see what’s next. Fingers crossed it’s no repeat of the final season of GoT.
> it still feels epic in scale and scope while telling a personal and intimate story about one family
> Efficiently explains context in relation to GoT, introduces its core characters, and lays out the central conflict of the series.
> I think they've earned a season of fans' continued loyalty, if they deliver on the promise of the 1st episode I saw for the whole of this season.
> This show is a HEAVYWEIGHT. They’ve really nailed it. Just wow!
> After the episode ended they showed an extended preview of the season and looks cool.
https://hypebeast.com/2022/8/hbo-max-house-of-the-dragon-initial-reviews
No - GRRM is not even close to finishing the GoT story yet, so this is all in the hands of others, and apparently he's ‘apprehensive’ about House of the Dragon but pleased with what he's seen.
This is looking and sounding very promising ! ?
House of the Dragon premiere is “absolutely spectacular”
Javier Marcos, who runs the fansite Los Siete Reinos, called the House of the Dragon premiere “absolutely spectacular, on a par with the best episodes of Game of Thrones.”
It has absolutely everything. There is a lot of drama, action and tension….The performances shine, especially Matt Smith as Daemon, Paddy Considine as Viserys…and a sensational Sian Brooke as Aemma Arryn.
The technical aspects are formidable, as we already suspected: costumes, music, photography and special effects: Syrax and Caraxes look scary.
Wow !
Despite all the anti-woke brigade (too many women!) and the S8-haters (fair!) that are likely voting this down, the IMDB votes have now hit 50k and it scores a massive 8.9 after the first episode, with 61% scoring it a 10/10 !
And Rotten-tomatoes is currently at 83/85%.
Finished this last night, and I have to say ... disappointed!
There are of course some superb scenes, including most of the dragon ones, and the acting is decent enough - even Matt Smith, as I wondered if he'd have enough gravitas (he does, in spades). It also looks superb, even if I needed to recalibrate my projector with some test cards, to make sure I was viewing the (very) dark scenes as intended! You need to watch in a pitch black room.
2 main criticisms -
- the dialogue is very average, and certainly not gripping like I remember from GOT, when you'd be hanging on every word in the conversations between Littlefinger/Dwarf/Eunuch.
- the plot wasn't very interesting - just the usual succession issues and dramatic childbirths - if you've seen the STARZ period dramas, you've already been through all this many times with 'The White Queen' > 'The White Princess' > 'The Spanish Princess' > 'Becoming Elizabeth'.
Comments -
- I dislike when they use a different actor - obvious why they need to, but it takes a while for my brain to adjust!
- it's so much 'nicer' than GOT, which went out of its way to punish the good guys! Much less nudity too, and what there is, is shot too artily rather than matter-of-factly. (I can understand the GOT argument for fewer rapes, though!)
- it's all fairly predictable, with no real shocks, apart from that one quick beheading (which could be out of a horror film).
- I love ? Sonoya Mizuno, but a shame she didn't have more to do - see DEVS, Ex Machina, Annihilation, and that excellent Chemical Bros video.
Very watchable, but little real excitement and didn't push any boundaries. Scrapes a 7/10 from me.
- final episode - looking for the missing king to crown went on way too long; the reactions to the dragon exploding up through the floor were rather muted!!
The World of Ice and Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones - by GRR Martin
I'm just over half way - last watched episode was the one with the new 'grown up' actors. The young ones were doing just fine - as a dragon riding princess Milly Alcock effortlessly kicked GoT's whatserface right over the horizon, but she did look about 12 and the plot had to move one at least 10 years so... I like the replacements too. But like you I am disappointed. I haven't got to the end of any episode and felt as if I HAD to watch the next one.
I like the gloom (unless there is some real problematic darkness in the episodes I haven't seen yet). The interiors are all lit by candles and flaming chandeliers and the photography captures that. But as for Sonoya Mizuno, I have to disagree. I hope she doesn't get a lot of screen time. I stopped watching the intriguing Devs because her zombified performance drained it of all life. Anyway... four to go.
Finished it - it picked up in the latter half so I watched the last 4 in a row. On the whole, though, disappointing. I like Emma D'Arcy as dragon lady (if only we could go back and recast Game of Thrones, but that's another thread for a more populated forum). Matt Smith I've always been 50/50 on, rest of the cast generally fine though Whateverhisname Targaryen was rather cartoonish with his patch and chiselled chin, and the blond dreads just look silly. I found it difficult to keep track of the family lines and it didn't help that the names all sounded similar. The scripts could have done with a bit more life here and there; and speaking of life, Mizuno seems to either have have woken up or gone to a good acting school since Devs, because in the little screen time she had, she actually wasn't bad.
Regarding your spoiler comments:
I thought the king's final scene was the most moving in the whole season (the bit after the queen left him), though the little dragon falling in pieces was quite jarring.
So the still-birth had dragon blood? Oh ffs. Sadly I'm not interested enough to read up on how that happened. I just thought it had got a bit squished on the way out because it was premature.
Can't find the edit button!
This is of course a big rival to Rings of Power. I much preferred this to Amazon's messy Tolkien-mangling - which, purely coincidentally, was free of proper violence and swearing.
a bit squished on the way out
hehe ? ... Apparently in the book, GRRM describes this to leave no doubt, so we can't blame the TV people (who toned this aspect down).
Remember that the Targaryens are "closer to gods than to men" and in GOT, Dany survived fire, so not totally daft.
Milly Alcock - agree, she was was excellent, with such a quirky cute face - it took me several eps to get used to the new actor. (But hey, I like Emelia Clarke and don't understand the hate she gets!)
Can't find the edit button!
Aah ... it only lasts 5 mins, so as not to confuse the conversation.
I much preferred this to Amazon's messy Tolkien-mangling - which, purely coincidentally, was free of proper violence and swearing.
Interesting ... I'd actually rate the 2 shows about the same! Also, I was actually surprised at some of the blood/violence in LOTR (albeit very quick), which means it's not really for young kids, despite the cutesy hobbity people.
