Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 3, 2020

Note: This release does not include 1080 discs for the series itself, and so the 2K video score above is an average based on reviews of the 1080 releases of individual seasons. For scores of the 1080 releases, see the links to reviews below.

When Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season 4K appeared in 2018, I joked in our review that considering how many different editions of the first season had already come out on (1080) Blu-ray, the release was evidently HBO's latest gambit to further divorce fans from their hard earned cash. It's a little ironic in that regard that, contrary to what I expected would be 4K UHD follow ups beginning with the second season and continuing on, HBO actually didn't end up releasing the subsequent seasons of the beloved series in 4K UHD, with the exception of Game of Thrones: The Complete Eighth Season 4K late last year. Of course, there were other ways HBO sought to convince fans of Game of Thrones to throw a little (or quite a bit of) moolah their way, with deluxe editions like the extravagantly packaged Game of Thrones: The Complete Collector's Set, which also came out late last year. In what might be seen as an early ploy to provide some holiday gift giving ideas, HBO is now bringing out the entire Game of Thrones series in 4K UHD, with many but not all of the previously released supplements and with Atmos audio. This review will be centered mostly on the technical aspects of the release, but I'll point to various previous reviews for those wanting to dig into things more thoroughly. In that regard, for anyone wanting information on both the two previous 4K UHD versions of individual seasons as well as the many 1080 releases of the series, you can start by clicking on the review links in the following section.

Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray review

Game of Thrones: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray review

Game of Thrones: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray review

Game of Thrones: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray review

Game of Thrones: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray review

Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season Blu-ray review

Game of Thrones: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray review

Game of Thrones: The Complete Eighth Season 4K Blu-ray review

Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from 1080 Blu-rays, though be aware this set does not include 1080 discs for the actual series (other than the three Bonus Blu-rays, as mentioned in the Special Features and Extras section, below).

Game of Thrones is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of HBO with 2160p transfers in 1.78:1. Our reviews of all the previous seasons (including the 4K UHD releases of the first and last seasons) have a lot of salient information about cameras and DIs and other relevant datapoints, but the bottom line here is that the 4K presentations are in general a commendable, and in some cases pretty awesome, improvement over already generally excellent 1080 presentations. While the show relatively quickly though not instantaneously upped its digital capture technology over the course of its eight seasons, there is still a noticeable improvement in fine detail in particular starting about halfway through the run, a quality which improves at least incrementally as the subsequent seasons unfold. (You'll note that my 4K score for the previously released UHD version of Season 1 was "only" 3.5, and I'd say that while things are better in seasons two and three, they're not quite at the lustrous levels seen throughout the later seasons).

There are any number of standout elements in the 4K UHD presentations in terms of detail levels and especially fine detail levels. The often almost Byzantine and ornate costumes look fantastic throughout, especially (again) in the later seasons, where some of the intricate designs and even textures on fabrics is fantastically precise looking. Practical props and some of the location footage outside can also look impeccable, with virtually palpable renditions of fortress masonry or things like the wood grain patterns on some of the ships. I'm not sure the 4K UHD presentation always helps some of the CGI (especially in the earlier seasons), and there are some relatively soft looking moments in that regard, though as things progress the detail and texturing of CGI characters like the dragons enjoys a noticeable uptick.

The grading differences courtesy of HDR and Dolby Vision are at times subtle, but noticeable. The many blue tones that are employed in some of the wintry scenes in particular look slightly cooler now, and there are some beautiful orange-amber highlights to some of the almost sepia toned material. Black levels are stable and I'd say shadow definition is improved if not always flawless, with some of the darkest scenes still offering little in the way of detail. I had mentioned in my review of the eighth season in 4K UHD that I was not always totally blown away by black levels and at times even general detail levels, but I found the sixth and seventh seasons in particular to be quite good in both of those regards.

Note: In order to get this review out in a timely fashion, I did not re-watch the first or last season, since reviews of those 4K UHD seasons already exist. I spot checked each and every episode of seasons two through seven, and watched four to five episodes in their entirety for each season, and my comments above are based on that. I see one member has already mentioned playback issues in our thread about this release (an issue I didn't encounter), but if anyone experiences that or other glitches, Private Message me with the season, disc and timecode, and I'll check my copy to see if I can reproduce it and will report back here as needed. I am also continuing to watch all of the episodes in their entirety and will similarly report back here if I encounter any issues.

Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Perhaps as much of a selling point to some 4K UHD aficionados as the video element will be the series' upgrade to Dolby Atmos throughout all of the seasons, though as I've mentioned in many of my previous reviews of (1080 and 2160) seasons with Atmos tracks, for some reason HBO keeps authoring its discs to default to lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, so have your remote handy if you're set up for Atmos. I really enjoyed the Atmos tracks on both the first and last seasons, as my reviews of those releases get into, and the attention to detail in the sound design continues to impress throughout the intermediary years in these new Atmos renderings. There are obvious and probably expected uses of the Atmos channels in terms of things like flying dragons, but there is also some really evocative use of "elements" (used in both senses of that word) like wind or other stormy situations, which can offer really nice wafting effects. Outdoor scenes in general and some of the battle scenes in particular provide immaculate immersion, with incredible amounts of side, rear and overhead activity, and (in the other direction) some at times startling LFE. Panning effects are utilized frequently and help to establish spatial dimension. Dialogue is always rendered cleanly and clearly and can be effectively directional. Optional subtitles in a glut of languages are available.

Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: Rather than re-list every supplement with timings and descriptions in this review, I'm opting to simply provide a basic accounting of what's included per this set's insert booklet, with links to appropriate reviews which do contain timings and descriptions. The reviews of the individual seasons can also provide information on the missing supplements, as is the case with the In Episode Guides and some other interactive or PiP material.

Season One (for complete details, please consult our Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray review)

• Histories and Lore (Disc 4)


• Making of Game of Thrones (Disc 4)


• Character Profiles (Disc 4)


• Creating the Dothraki Language (Disc 4)


• The Night's Watch (Disc 4)


• From the Book to the Screen (Disc 4)


• Creating the Show Open (Disc 4)


• Cast Auditions (Disc 4)


• Anatomy of an Episode: A Golden Crown (Disc 4)


• 7 Audio Commentaries (Discs 1-4)

Season Two (for complete details, please consult our Game of Thrones: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray review)

• Histories and Lore (Disc 4)


• Deleted Scenes (Disc 4)


• Creating the Battle of Blackwater Bay (Disc 4)


• Game of Thrones: Inner Circle (Disc 4)


• The Religions of Westeros (Disc 4)


• Character Profiles (Disc 4)


• 12 Audio Commentaries (Discs 1-4)

Season Three (for complete details, please consult our Game of Thrones: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray review)

• Histories and Lore (Disc 4)


• Deleted Scenes/Extended Scenes (Disc 4)


• Inside the Wildings (Disc 4)


• The Politics of Marriage (Disc 4)


• New Characters (Disc 4)


• A Gathering Storm (Disc 4)


• 12 Audio Commentaries (Discs 1-4)

Season Four (for complete details, please consult our Game of Thrones: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray review)

• Histories and Lore (Disc 4)


• Deleted Scenes (Disc 4)


• The Fallen: A Roundtable (Disc 4)


• Behind the Battle for the Wall (Disc 4)


• The Politics of Power: A Look Back at Season 3 (Disc 4)


• Bastards of Westeros (Disc 4)


• New Characters & Locations (Disc 4)


• Season 4 Blooper Reel (Disc 4)


• 11 Audio Commentaries (Discs 1-4)

Season Five (for complete details, please consult our Game of Thrones: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray review)

• Histories and Lore (Disc 4)


• New Characters / New Locations (Disc 4)


• Anatomy of an Episode: Mother's Mercy (Disc 4)


• The Real History Behind Game of Thrones (Disc 4)


• A Day in the Life (Disc 4)


• Deleted Scenes (Disc 4)


• The Dance of Dragons (Disc 4)


• 12 Audio Commentaries (Discs 1-4)

Season Six (for complete details, please consult our Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season Blu-ray review)

• Histories and Lore (Disc 4)


• The Battle of the Bastards: An In-Depth Look (Disc 4)


• 18 Hours at the Paint Hall (Disc 4)


• Recreating the Dothraki World (Disc 4)


• Deleted Scenes (Disc 4)


• 13 Audio Commentaries (Discs 1-4)

Season Seven (for complete details, please consult our Game of Thrones: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray review)

• Histories and Lore (Disc 3)


• From Imagination to Reality: Inside the Art Department (Disc 3)


• Fire & Steel: Creating the Invasion of Westeros (Disc 3)


• 11 Audio Commentaries (Discs 1-3)

Season Eight (for complete details, please consult our Game of Thrones: The Complete Eighth Season 4K Blu-ray review)

• Histories and Lore (Disc 3)


• When Winter Falls (Disc 3)


• Duty is the Death of Love (Disc 3)


• Game of Thrones: The Last Watch (Disc 3)


• Deleted Scenes (Disc 3)


• 10 Audio Commentaries (Discs 1-3)

Additionally, a separate keepcase houses three 1080 Blu-rays which offer the same supplements I detailed in our Game of Thrones: The Complete Collector's Set Blu-ray review.

Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Let's face it: for fans who have been collecting various releases of Game of Thrones over the course of many years now, it may in fact be hard not to see this release as yet another cash grab, but the point is, is it worth it? I'd say inarguably yes, since this series which is so often rightly cited as being "cinematic" benefits hugely from both the uptick in resolution and increased palette highlights in the 4K UHD video presentation, as well as from the incredibly effective Dolby Atmos audio mixes. This release ports over the vast majority of previously released supplements, but not everything. Highly recommended.