Game of Thrones

I must be one of the last people to get stuck into this series. Most folks are waiting for series 8 to be released in April, while one is just commencing series one on my Now box. I have 1 to 7 to get through till the end of May. Will need to become a recluse for a while! Oh by the way, no spoilers please! :surprised::surprised::surprised:

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I watched the first episode of the first series - wanted to see it because a friend of mine was in it. Couldnā€™t stand the foul (and unnecessary) language - turned it off after ten minutes.

I never fancied itā€¦it looked so violent and cruel.
And my daughter and her husband (who is mad about it!)
said, ā€œMum, itā€™s not suitable for youā€!!! :smiley:

I did watch some of it as I like fantasy, I enjoyed seeing the parts with the dragons, but it was all too complicated a plot or plots & I couldnā€™t really get into it.
I prefered Britannia, but they havenā€™t made any more of that series.

Well I too have never yet seen GoT

I keep wondering whether to get a boxed set and binge it.

My problem . . . .

I am a keen Fantasy fan but by that I mean proper fantasy and for me Tolkeinā€™s Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings are my Bible. The best. Untouchable in their depth of Lore, depth of characters, the mix of adventure and love story and so on.

US TV is sadly awash with pathetic series that all follow the same formula. Special effects, lots of blatant nudity and no depth, no thinking, just dumbed down crap. The recent series Spartacus is a prime example.

Iā€™ve seen snippets of GoT and at face value it appears to be a ā€œSpartacusā€ type of thing. Thatā€™s why I have hesitated thus far.

I need a real Tolkein fan, someone who really understands and cherishes the books, to tell me whether GoT comes anywhere near Tolkein or whether itā€™s just US trash.

Anyone out there in that category?

It was recently on TV, every episode from the start so I decided to give it a go (with some encouragement from the forum). I think I watched three complete series but still had no idea what it was about. I gave up.

Good to know it will be out soon. Looking forward to the final season.

After seeing just 3 episodes, Iā€™m certainly going to be staying the course. Yes, lots of violence and sex, and swearing, but we are talking about a distant world in the past, where that was all commonplace. Once youā€™ve basically identified whos who, lots of families and dynasties to remember.( there is even a character called Jon Snow, but fortunately not that asshole from channel 4 !) HBO are behind it, and they rarely do stinkers, so I would recommend it completely. :-p:-p

I still need to know from a bonefide Tolkein LOTR fan.

How does GoT compare to LOTR?

I read Tolkeinā€™s books over 50 years ago, and have re-read them many times since. The GoT books stand up well in complexity to LotR, but to be fair you canā€™t compare the GoT TV series to the books, in the same manner you canā€™t compare the LotR films to the books. The books are always - to me at least - better than films or TV. The books have more time to flesh out plots and characters and (to use an old cliche) the scenery is better. :wink:

In the same way that the LotR films are cut-down, simplified and abridged versions of the books, the GoT TV series is also cut-down, simplified and abridged. The adult themes can put people off, true, but thatā€™s up to the individual.

Tolkienā€™s epic books cannot be compared with Game of Thrones surely?

Not at all Ruthio. Game of Thrones has fantasy elements but much of its plots are based on historical events.

Thanks for the reply Tachyon

The ā€œbook vs filmā€ issue is, for me, just complicating things.

Can we compare LOTR films with GoT TV then?

Even though the LOTR films are abridged (because the books are so long and involved) the films were nevertheless pretty brilliant and faithful to the book and to most avid readerā€™s interpretations of the books.

Is GoT acting and content comparable to LOTR films?

Or is GoT just like the Spartacus TV series, a load of dumbed down tosh full of nudity to keep viewers?

GOT acting is fabulous. The content is unique. The fantasy is really imaginative. It pushes boundaries in a way that Tolkien does not. But Tolkien is a work of fantasy art. The two are not comparable.

Definitely comparable to the LotR films regarding the acting and content, in my opinion. The plot is very intricate too, with intrigue and scheming everywhere - blink and you can miss something that seems unimportant but turns out to be crucial several episodes later. I like something that demands attention to detail but things slipped past me all the same though! :smiley:

There is a LOT less blood, guts, sex and casual nudity in GoT than in Spartacus - which I felt was over the top a lot of the time - but it does have its moments.

I havenā€™t seen any of it either John, not having Sky.
I do buy box sets but only when a series has completely finished - that is all seasons of it. I buy the actual DVD box as they are handy at the weekends when Iā€™m up most of the night (due to my night shift hours still lingering!) to throw on a full disc.
Iā€™m like you mate, not really into fantasy and preferring ā€˜real timeā€™ human storylines, but everyone I know who has seen it say itā€™s excellent.
I have it on my list as a future box to buy after Banshee and Better Call Saul. Deeply into the brilliant Homeland at the moment :slight_smile:

Too violent for me.

Wouldnā€™t it be fantastic if Quentin Tarantino made a TV series? Now that would be worth watching :071::021:

Right here, Realist, and - trust me - GofT is trash compared with Tolkien - should not even be mentioned in the same thread!!:smiley:

Ah

ok, such was my suspicion and worry

There was another TV series based on the Terry Brooks Shannara novels. Called the Shannara Chrionicles.

Again it was mostly trashy teen romance fodder. Nothing like the atmosphere I got from reading the books many years ago.

I might have to try the first series of GoT just to satisfy myself, that is if I can get hold of a borrowed copy.