The first season of the fantasy drama television series begins to explore history as power is been battled for and every family defends it family name. it is really the game of thrones.
Game of Thrones, one of the supposed biggies this spring, is a big letdown. Why is it so convoluted and punishing? It is to television what the Spider-Man musical is to Broadway.
There is the sense of intricacy having been confused with intrigue and of a story transferred all too faithfully from its source and thus not transformed to meet the demands of the screen.
There's great potential here, and even if it fails to draw more than the fantasy contingent, Martin has sold more than 15 million copies of the books, and it's a rabid fanbase.
I mostly loved Game of Thrones, but occasionally grew a little weary of it as well. (And just to answer the obvious question, this is not a small-screen Lord of the Rings.)
But the story at hand regularly slows to a crawl, making HBO's at times pokey but otherwise magnificent five-hour Mildred Pierce re-do seem like a 100-meter sprint in comparison.
It's the stuff of fantasy geek heaven; a gritty period drama with letter-perfect clothes, weapons and lingo, yet unencumbered by historical facts or the weight of real events.
The main accomplishment of Game of Thrones is that, while it should keep the hard-core fans satisfied, even viewers who don't care whether Theon is a Greyjoy or a Tully can play along and have a good time.
