Game of Thrones

2011

Original language: English

sci-fi & fantasy
drama
action & adventure

The story

Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night's Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond.

What it’s like

Cold stone and candlelight dominate this fantasy drama, with interiors lit by torches and hearth fire, grey northern skies over snow-dusted forests, and sun-bleached dunes and red-earth gardens in the south. Its camera moves with sweeping crane shots over armies and castles, then settles into tight, close framing for whispered councils and sudden flashes of violence. The score, built on strings and low brass with a recurring hypnotic theme, gives the long stretches of scheming a grave, ceremonial weight, while battle episodes swell into percussion and choral dread. The pace is deliberate across a season, loosening into rapid cuts when a story turns. Its tone is brooding, political and often bleak, with a steady undercurrent of dread and a sense that power is always one betrayal from collapse. Violence is frequent and sometimes graphic, including beheadings, battlefield carnage, sexual violence and nudity, and occasional gore, landing hard rather than lightly. It suits long binge sessions for viewers who enjoy sprawling political intrigue, morally compromised characters, and big-scale fantasy spectacle, and is a poor fit for anyone wanting something gentle.

More TV shows like Game of Thrones

People love Game of Thrones for its political scheming among rival houses, its honor-bound lead who pays for trusting too easily, and the dread of an ancient threat building beyond the wall.

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