Most of us here are weeping in anticipation of April 1. That’s when Season 2 of HBO’s award-winning series Game of Thrones returns to the network. We can’t wait to see our favorite characters return and find out where their stories go next (that is, if you haven’t already read George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series) but some people will be watching the show for the first time today. Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season is out on dvd and blu-ray today. Read on for our thoughts, the specs, and as an added bonus, what it would look like if Walt Disney had made Game of Thrones.
I was fortunate enough to be sent a review copy of the blu-ray and well, I’ve been cradling it like a baby dragon ever since it got here. But I did let the discs out to get some air a few times. Here’s what you can find.
Only the blu-ray set comes with the following features:
- The Complete Guide to Westeros: an interactive guide to Westeros and Essos, their key locations and noble houses etc. There are also 24 exclusive histories of the Seven Kingdoms told by the characters. (This feature is particularly cool, you’ll spend a while on it. I’m no blu-ray snob but if you’re trying to decide between blu-ray and dvd, this is a good selling point.)
- Anatomy of an Episode: a guide to the creation of an episode from start to finish, in this case the sixth episode, A Golden Crown (written by Jane Espenson).
- In-Episode Guides: in-feature infoboxes that provide information about characters, locations and histories whilst each episode plays.
- Hidden Dragon Easter Eggs: find the hidden dragon eggs to unlock more exclusive content. (If only it had come with REAL dragon eggs!)
These extras are on both dvd and blu-ray copies:
- Making Game of Thrones: a 30-minute documentary about the series.
- Creating the Show Open: a featurette about how the opening title sequence was crafted. (ahem, the award-winning opening title sequence)
- From the Book to the Screen: George R.R. Martin, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss discuss the issues involved in bringing the novel to the screen.
- Character Profiles: profiles of fifteen major characters, provided by the actors playing them.
- The Night’s Watch: an in-depth look at the men of the Night’s Watch.
- Creating the Dothraki Language: a feature on how the Dothraki language was created for the show. (Loved this!)
- Audio Commentaries: Seven audio commentaries with cast and crew including David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, George R.R. Martin, Emilia Clarke (Daenerys), Peter Dinklage (Tyrion, Emmy/Golden Globe winner), Kit Harington (Jon Snow) and more.
And yes, of course they both come with all ten episodes of the fantasy series. A particularly nice touch? Each of the discs is emblazoned with a different house sigil from the series. Amazon has some great deals on the sets of course but they will be just about everywhere by now. So happy to have this as part of my collection, the series is certainly re-watchable and those who have heard about the series but haven’t been able to watch yet, won’t be disappointed. The best part? The first season is out with enough time for viewers to catch up before season 2 begins.
And yes, we promised you a Disney/Game of Thrones mash-up, here you go (via io9).
Sorry, the video is currently unavailable.
Previously in Game of Thrones
- The Simpsons Parody Game of Thrones’ Title Sequence
- This New Game of Thrones Trailer Is Even Better Than The Last
- Feast Your Eyes On These Game of Thrones Character Posters
