Rent Game of Thrones: Series 8 (2019)

Enoyed it more than I expected - Game of Thrones: Series 8 review by Other Worlds

Having heard all the fanboi feedback on the final series I had pretty low expectations of this one.So consider me surprised but I enjoyed it. Maybe it helped that I binge watched it so some of the momentum of the mid-series episodes was still being carried forward into the conclusion , I don't know. Maybe people took against it because the series makers decided against the more predictable fairytale and consequently denied the fans what they they craved for. Although I can't, for the life of me , undersand how anyone who has been following the series should be surprised by a storyline with abrupt changes in the story arc of major characters.

Anyhow , whatever the issues you might have read about , give this series a chance ; there were a lot of story threads together and it did a pretty good job of it

Watch in a dark room - Game of Thrones: Series 8 review by JF

Episodes 1-2 preamble to zombie battle Episode 3. Unfortunately, I couldn't see much detail in episode 3. Got the general idea, though. Episode 4 preamble to battle in 5 and then 6 provided a neat ending. Maybe some fans did not like this series because they knew it was the last series and the production had already delivered so much. Perhaps also some were unhappy with a lack of justice; but that's life, and GOT. It was faster moving and less subtle than previous series. Varys and Tyrion were not quite displayed as the intelligent characters built. As if the idea that the best leaders are not those who seek power had not already been reflected upon by Varys and Tyrion; obviously, they both would be very well aware of this fact. Daenerys turning into a mad tyrant was also a bit blunt but I guess there was no time.

For me, the most disappointing aspects have been the supernatural elements. I enjoy much sci-fi and fantasy but the problem for me was that there was no pseudo logic to much of it. The Night King's zombie magic was used to create an external force everyone would (almost) unilaterally army against. Other than that, he was not relevant. It could have been done in a less crazy supernatural way. I was reminded of Jason and the Argonauts. I am guessing the detail is in the books that I haven't read, but the magic in the TV series has come across as being pretty random and spurious (I guess it supports an idea of some unpredictable omnipotent being running the show and keeps the world firmly in fantasy land rather than overlapping with our own). The never-ending dragon fire seemed to vary in strength, often shown instantly blowing away solid bricks and mortar as if straw. It just seemed like the magic was inconsistent and a bit of a cop out.

Come on, though, surely you make a movie dark when you want to hide bad set and SFX detail. Was it really so bad? It was a very self indulgant editing decision. If I like I can turn my screen brightness down. But I cannot turn it up high enough.

The televised GOT has been an outstanding epic story telling display. The grit, gore and grimness have really been special.

Sleep soundly - Game of Thrones: Series 8 review by JT

Why some (most?) fans thought this an anti-climax when it first came out, I'll never know. After all 8 seasons of GOT, and the constant build up, it gave me the ending I wanted - a satisfying one. There were shocks (in typical GOT style) right up to the end - which was as unpredictable as the story has ever been, but if it had left even one tiny aspect open ended, I would have requested a refund. I can now, after years of torment, sleep soundly.