Ricky Church reviews the 4K Ultra HD version of House of the Dragon: The Complete First Season…

As the first spin-off of HBO’s massive and successful series game of thrones franchise, Dragon House had a lot to do – especially following the bitter taste game of thrones‘ conclusion left to many audiences. Fortunately, Dragon House exceeded expectations with a very strong first season that focused on its characters and the changing dynamic between them as the game of thrones plays out within the Targaryen dynasty. With the first season now collected on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray and a ton of bonus features included, fans have even more reason to dive back into Westeros as we begin the long wait for season two.

Just like the first season of game of thrones, Dragon House captivating from the outset by its characters, interpreted by an excellent cast, and its story. While Obtained was a sprawling epic told across and beyond Westeros with many houses in conflict, Dragon House instead focuses on the Targaryen family at the height of their power, but also at a critical time in their reign that will define Westerosi history going forward. There’s also an irony because the show features more “game of thrones” than game of thrones did as several characters schemed, lied and manipulated for more power and a chance to sit on the famous Iron Throne.

Everyone’s cast is brilliant, but special praise has to go to Paddy Considine who plays King Viserys Targaryen. Anyone who’s watched the original series will be used to some pretty ugly or downright evil kings and queens ruling over Westeros, but Viserys is different in how he’s a kind, capable king who feels the weight of the crown every day and tries to fight back. balancing his duty to the kingdom with his family.

Considine is terrific in his portrayal of this complicated and tragic figure, having great chemistry with everyone in front of him, but most notably Milly Alcock and Emma D’Arcy as his daughter Rhaenrya, Emily Carey and Olivia Cooke as his second wife. Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith as his brash brother Daemon, and Rhys Ifans as his advisor Otto Hightower. Two other notables are Eve Best and Steve Toussaint as Rhaenys Targaryen and her husband Corlys Velaryon as jokers, Best embodying Rhaenys’ wisdom, intelligence and ability to recognize the world and a person’s character for this they are.

This main cast brings to life the complexities of the Targaryen dynasty and their own motivations. thrones had a pretty clear line between its heroes and villains – infamous for its villains – but Accommodation is on the contrary where all the characters are capable of morally gray actions. As the family splits into two factions, each side has their own valid points for what they do, which blurs the line between good and evil and the cast delivers these layered performances incredibly well.

The production of the show is on a grand scale with its costume design, sets, locations, and cinematography. Each element adds to the immersion of the series and gives it its own distinct aspect of game of thrones. The visual effects also stand out as there are a lot more dragons in this show, each with their own distinctive characteristics, and a few fight sequences that showcase the devastating dragons add to the chaos. It’s visually stunning, especially with the 4K presentation making everything pop, but the story is gripping even with some of the abrupt time jumps that the season introduces and expects you to see. He points out that the biggest draw isn’t necessarily the plans for the Iron Throne, but the characters and how their motivations and viewpoints put their families and friendships to the test.

House of the Dragon: The Complete First Season offers a host of bonus features that aren’t seen much on physical media these days. There are over an hour of bonus features, most of them between 3 and 6 minutes long, but the longest is “Return to the Seven Kingdoms” which is 25 minutes long. This follows a fairly comprehensive look at the series’ timeline, from initial launch through production, with showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik, series creator George RR Martin, and plenty of cast and crew discussing what makes them tick. attracted to the idea of ​​this series.

There’s great depth in what they were looking for in terms of casting, how to differentiate it from game of thrones and the filming locations, including the building of the red keep which is just a giant set with multiple levels and rooms, showing Rhaenyra’s ascent to the queen’s chamber in episode six was not achieved through visual trickery, but following Emma D’Arcy from one room on the set to the next.

The features also highlight how the creatives wanted to showcase the visual style of sets like the Red Keep and the power of the Targaryen Dynasty, with the architecture being more complex than game of thrones. Giant Targaryen statues stand in the throne room while the Iron Throne literally expands with more molten swords or dragon skulls placed in religious reverence, something very different from the original series.

Some features just scratch the surface and can be repetitive with the same soundbites used, but overall you get a ton of intriguing information about Dragon Housedevelopment. It’s a shame, however, there is no audio commentary on any of the episodes from Condal, Sapochnik, Martin, or the cast. It would have been great to hear their perspective on episodes such as “Heirs of the Dragon”, “We Light the Way”, “Driftmark”, “Lords of the Tides”, and “The Dark Queen”.

House of the Dragon: The Complete First Season is a fantastic first season of television to feature game of thrones audiences into a whole new time with a gripping cast and a conflict that it’s hard to tell where it will go due to the gray morals of most of its characters. From the cast to the production team, every aspect of the show is fantastic, and the bonus features give great insight into Martin’s hard work and passion for the material in creating it. Any fan would do well to pick up the first season on 4K Ultra or Blu-ray.

House of the Dragon: The Complete First Season is now available on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray.

Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.