BY: Kodi Robertson
With the resurgence of Game of Thrones Season 8 comes the spectacle of a lifetime. I won’t try and tell you to read the books by George R. R. Martin, but I will encourage you to take the dive with me as we start backward.
On April 14, 2019, Season 8 premiered on thousands of HBO accounts across the country, and no doubt millions of people sat in to watch it. I myself haven’t started Game of Thrones (GoT), but I’ve always wanted to (believe me with my busy theatre schedule there was never enough time to sit down). Scenes of councils gathering around for wartime, mid shots, and establishing shots helped tell the story in almost storybook fashion. I was captivated by the cinematography of it, even though I had no idea what was going on or why.
This review will not be like my other ones. I won’t pretend like I know all there is to know when it comes to GoT, but I will encourage any and all to start that free trial of HBO just for the sake of this show. Admittedly, I start a lot of great HBO shows late, such as my late arrival to Sons of Anarchy. However, I regretted nothing from watching it regardless of when I came into the series.
Surprisingly enough, nothing was spoiled as I watched scenes unfold before me. The Director of Photography (DOP) did an incredible job of using establishing shots in combination with mid shots to give characters a sense of power that I could easily understand.
Throughout the little GoT party I went to, people were constantly scared of characters dying. Of course, I was immediately drawn to Jon Snow (I mean who isn’t?), but what captivated me was knowing in the back of my head that he supposedly died many seasons ago (I never asked my friends to confirm this). I soaked in all the scenes, camera angles, characters, and even the audiences’ reaction to lines and dialogue.
It didn’t take too long for the action to begin. The complexity of the characters, despite being related or love interests, were fascinating to me. Some of the characters even had matching costumes, which helped me understand character relationships. Out of all the shows or movies I’ll break down and analyze, Game of Thrones might just be more compelling than most movies I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying (okay maybe not Empire Strikes Back, but they are pretty close).
Fans have waited a whole year for this final season. Sure, there are some fans who are against the typical, “Yes I haven’t watched Game of Thrones nor do I care,” crowd, but that shouldn’t shy you away from the stacked cast of actors performing some of the best-written characters I’ve ever seen. If you cannot get behind dragons, war, fight scenes, and compelling stories, then maybe GoT isn’t for you. I strongly encourage everyone who reads this to give it a try. I do apologize if this critique isn’t as in-depth as I’d like it to be, but as with anything I start, I do my best to finish with my full attention. One day maybe I’ll have a compelling article written for you in another magazine, or maybe I’ll send the Aumnibus one just for fun even after I graduate.
For now, I’m going to finish this first episode, until then: Let the games begin…
