Game of Thrones: Season 6 [DVD] [2016]

Game of Thrones continues the outstanding HBO fantasy narrative of the rival factions competing in the world of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Continuing to stretch beyond the novels, Season 6 is as dramatic and compelling as any of those which have come before. It features incredible battle sequences, plot twists, and assassinations. Most of all it continues the development of some of the richest characters on television. The Blu-ray version contains several decent extras including those on a bonus disc. Unfortunately the packing is truly awful so it does not sit as well on a shelf next to its predecessors.The huge cast is used well during Season 6. Picking up from where Season 5 left off, every single one of the 10 episodes is crammed with either intrigue, action, and emotion. Season 5 was not the strongest of the seasons so far but Season 6 is truly excellent. It kicks off with a couple of episodes featuring assassinations which set up some of the factions for changes in alliance or direction. Most crucially though the start of the season handles the fall-out from the shocking end to the previous season at The Wall.The plot throughout is rich and rewarding. From initial episodes dealing with the consequences of the most recent events it moves seamlessly through all quarters of the Westeros world. There are so many locations and people involved in this season, it could have added several more episodes and still not felt like enough. The activity at each of the points is intense but there is still plenty of time for characterisation. Some of the clever pieces of characterisation that are just played out for the viewer without necessarily being direct plot points include a wonderful reveal for the Red Witch Melisandre. The use of a trope from Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady is told beautifully without words. It is also one of the rare occasions in which a character is shown semi-naked, a much rarer occurrence compared to the early seasons of the show.It can be a little hard to keep track of all the characters and places but this is a show that does not dumb itself down. The characters are so memorable that when they crop up again it is easy to recall their past.One thing a bit lacking in this season is wit. There is not a huge amount of humour as things seem to have taken a turn for the more serious. Tyrion has quite a few lines but he is not especially funny, perhaps because of a slightly odd decision to have awkward silent moments between him, the gorgeous Misande, and Grey Worm. It is a shame Misande is characterised so much as an introvert when her entire purpose is to be able to speak articulately in so many languages. Perhaps the funniest moment of the season is young Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont as she rallies her small house to the Stark cause.What is definitely here in spades though is emotion. Perhaps the most emotional moment of all is episode 5 featuring Bran and Hodor. The combination of discovering Hodor's last actions and what caused him to become so mentally disadvantaged is as moving an experience as anything on television. Where something like Red Wedding was shocking, the Door episode is so desperately sad. Such a clever and meaningful piece of characterisation.Some of the best combination of plot and character happens in King's Landing. The psychological battle between Cersei and the High Sparrow is fascinating. Having seen Cersei humiliated at the end of the previous season, the clever way the High Sparrow wins allies to his fanatical cause is great to watch. Neither Cersei nor the High Sparrow are particularly likeable, yet they are so great to watch. The eventual denouement is shocking and brutal. The long-term effects of the battle no doubt will rebound next season.One of the best things about King's Landing is seeins The Mountain. The physical form of the giant sized Hafthror Julius Bjornsson does not need any words. Such an enormous human being makes a real impression on screen.The visuals are of course outstanding. The costuming and set remains excellent. The use of CGI is seamless. The dragons fly around in believable form. There is no indication of CGI for instance at the Battle of Mereen which turns out to be almost fully CGI. The giant Wun Deg Wun Dar Wun is a completely believable character. His role in the Battle of the Bastards is spot on.The Battle of the Bastards in episode 9 continues the theme of having the biggest set-piece conflict take place in the penultimate episode. It is an incredible sequence. The opening with Ramsey openly displaying his psychological and tactical prowess is brilliant. The combat itself is intense. There is a real sense of a battle here, it is grimy and suffocating. The small space the combatants occupy and the crushing techniques is as good a combat as any television show has displayed. The blending of CGI and live action uses top notch horse control as they thunder into one another.The other main battle of the season is at Mereen. It is a superb naval bombardment and is helped by using the slightly spooky Sons of the Harpy music in the background.Daenerys features as perhaps the strongest character this season. Her outwitting of Dothraki captors takes quite some effort and includes excellent banter. The existence of a Dothraki home capital is presumably based on the Mongol capital Karakorum in the time of Genghis before Ogedei upgraded it to a real city. The emergence of Daenerys as unburnt replicates her initial rise to power but this time there seems to be no stopping her.The two main companions of Daenerys are well handled. The interaction with Jorah Mormont is honourable like he is. The dismissal of Daario Naharis is somewhat overdue - Michiel Huisman has never been able to fill the role in the way Ed Skrein did for a couple of episodes in season 4.The season also goes in-depth into activities elsewhere which is a reminder of the dizzying array of people and places. Some seem quite far from the main action such as Arya in Braavos. Others such as the siege of Riverrun give character exposure for Jaime Lannister who it has to be said looks incredibly heroic. It is also good to see more Yara Greyjoy even if she has a different accent to that of her brother Theon and to her uncle who makes his mark in this season.The quality of the acting is almost universally outstanding. In particular Liam Cunningham is a joy to watch on screen with his subtle use of expression.The Blu-ray extras are excellent. The bonus disc carries two quality features. One covers the Battle of Mereen but is much more than just a technical exposition of the combat. The technical exposition is great but it is excellent to see the actors explain the dynamics of wider activity in Mereen and what their characters are thinking at various points. Other extras include a long sequence focussing on the Battle of the Bastards which is awesome behind the scenes coverage. An excellent day in the life of Game of Thrones opens the door to a hectic part of the late-schedule activity and is first rate. A narrated section on the lore is like hearing another story in the same universe and is remarkable in a couple of areas, particularly explaining Jaime's actions as the kingslayer and the segment on the great warrior who had been guarding/imprisoning the infant Jon Snow. it is a bit odd to see Emilia Clark swearing profusely because it does not seem to come naturally - perhaps she had a bet to fulfil as she does seem a lot of fun in the extras.The downside to this season is its appalling packaging. It is terrible. The package includes a bonus disc literally sellotaped on. There's nowhere to put it so it has to be tucked into the back. The paper packing is flimsy and falls apart easily. It does not stand up well to any use and is a disappointment on a shelf next to the other seasons. What a great show and what a worthless choice of packaging.Season 6 of Game of Thrones is superb. It ranks as one of the best the show has offered so far. A wonderful show with great extras on the Blu-ray.

Jaws dropper. Must see

A five disc dvd box set containing all ten episodes of season six of fantasy drama Game of Thrones.This is not a jumping on point. New viewers should start with season one.Season six does present you with a couple of dilemmas. The packaging style has changed from the first five years, and is a bit cheaper and thinner. So it won't all match up on your shelves nicely. Wait for the inevitable complete show box set instead? Or find more important things to worry about and just get it now? That's up to you.Also, the show has now gotten beyond the point that the books from which it has been adapted have gotten up to. Even though it has diverged a fair bit from them, there are still major revelations here that probably won't be any different whenever the next book should come out. So book readers; risk dying of old age waiting for that rather than watch this? Or say I've been waiting long enough and find out all this stuff by watching the show? Decisions, decisions.Episodes run from fifty to sixty five mins [approx].Some said season five didn't go anywhere much. That is not a criticism that you can level at this one. Consider that there will only be thirteen more episodes in total after this season, so the story really has to go somewhere now. And it certainly does. All the storylines move along. A lot. As ever you will get weeks when some aren't touched on, and often you only get back to them every other episode. But things really have developed and moved on so far by season end. Even Daenerys' storyline actually does that.There's the most impressive battle sequence the show has done yet. Some real punch the air moments. We get back to Bran's story. And a whole lot of characters who haven't been seen in a while all pop their heads up again as well. All ends with the biggest cliffhanger the show has done so far, that will make you really eager to see what is going to come next. This is far and away the best season yet.The dvd has the following language and subtitle options:Languages: English, French, Castilian Spanish, German.Subtitles: English, French, Castilian Spanish, German, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish.Extras:On disc two, a twenty minute feature: 'recreating the Dothraki World.' Looks at the show getting back to the tribespeople seen in season one. A fascinating watch, both for the world building on display and the character insights it offers.On disc four, three deleted scenes. The first and third of these are actually extended ones though. They can be watched all in a row or individually. If the former they run for ten minutes. If the latter, two four and four respectively. The first is pretty good. The second is excellent and funny, and does fill in one small plot hole. And the third takes a fun scene and makes it even more fun.Disc five has two more features:An in depth look at the making of the ninth episode. Which runs for twenty eight minutes. And is very engrossing watching.As is the twenty five minute long 'eighteen hours at the paint hall', which shows production of the show at it's main base on one busy day indeed. An excellent look at life behind the scenes.

Perfect thank you