DVD review: Game of Thrones

Lena Heady plays Queen Cersei.

THE DVD DOSSIER

GAME OF THRONES

SEASON 2

*****

Violent in nature and epic in scope, it’s for the Ringers and not the Trekkies.

FILM: Living up to its no person under 16 age restriction, the 10 episodes of season two of Game of Thrones feature lots of gross beheadings, nudity and sex. It is an HBO series, after all.

Based on George RR Martin’s best-selling fantasy novel series, A Song of Fire and Ice, this second tv series follows the second book, but it is starting to diverge on some points.

The plot is still pretty convoluted, but basically follows the three overaching lines: the first follows the major houses of Westeros as they fight to gain the Iron Throne, the second is the reaction to the impending winter which brings with it creatures from the dark, and the third is on the Essos continent as the last Targaryen heir to the Iron Throne struggles to find her way home.

Where the series remains true to the books is in the portrayal of the brutality of the medieval worlds of Westeros and Essos, and the characterisation of multi-faceted people who are not all good or all bad.

Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) is growing up to be a psychopath, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) takes a walk on the wild side, Robb Stark (Richard Madden) is becoming comfortable with the idea of being King of the North, while Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) shows his true colours. And that’s not even half of the characters – this series boasts one of the biggest casts on tv.

Now’s the time to catch up with Game of Thrones season two, in preparation for season three which starts on US tv screens at the end of the month, though we have no indication when it will hit South African tv.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Most of the episodes on the five-disc box set feature commentary from the actors, directors and scriptwriters. There are character profiles and the season one recap is handy.

The short feature programmes cover subjects such as the religion of Westeros (featuring comments from author Martin) and the special effects used in creating the Battle of Blackwater Bay.

The most interesting one is a discussion between different actors and the screenwriters about who exactly should take the Iron Throne – which mirrors so many water cooler discussions in offices all over the world. – Theresa Smith.

WIN! WIN! WIN!

Nu Metro have five Game of Thrones season two box sets to give away. All you need to do is answer one simple question: Who wrote A Song of Fire and Ice, the inspiration for Game of Thrones?

E-mail your answer to publicity@numetro.co.za, along with your name, surname and the city in which you live. Put the words: “Game of Thrones” in the subject line of your e-mail.

The competition closes on Thursday afternoon at 5pm. |Nu Metro will contact the winners to dispatch the dvds.