7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Following King Aegon II’s coronation and the death of Queen Rhaenyra’s son, House Targaryen is divided in two. Civil war looms as both sides seek support from the great houses of Westeros, ultimately amassing armies. And dragons.
Starring: Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Rhys Ifans, Steve ToussaintAction | 100% |
Adventure | 97% |
Fantasy | 66% |
Epic | 46% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.00:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.00:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
German: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, German, Spanish, Dutch
Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (4 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Maybe it was a mistake to try adapting books by a still living writer who, well, writes. Fans of House of the Dragon are no doubt aware of the complaints of one George R.R. Martin about the prequel to the now iconic Game of Thrones, but rather interestingly Martin’s “feedback” about the HBO adaptations actually predates his responses to some of the decisions made about House of the Dragon. In that regard, this post on Martin’s blog from 2015 rather interestingly tends to defend the showrunners behind Game of Thrones for the changes they made to Martin’s source tomes:
I am getting a flood of emails and off-topic comments on this blog about tonight's episode of Game of Thrones. It's not unanticipated.
The comments... regardless of tone... have been deleted. I have been saying since season one that this is not the place to debate or discuss the TV series. Please respect that.
There are better places for such discussions: Westeros, Tower of the Hand, Watchers on the Wall, Winter Is Coming, the comments sections of the television critics who regularly follow the show: James Hibberd, Alyssa Rosenberg, Mo Ryan, James Poniewozik, and their colleagues. I am sure all those sites will be having a healthy debate.
I have a lot of fans asking me for comment.
Let me reiterate what I have said before.
How many children did Scarlett O'Hara have? Three, in the novel. One, in the movie. None, in real life: she was a fictional character, she never existed. The show is the show, the books are the books; two different tellings of the same story.
There have been differences between the novels and the television show since the first episode of season one. And for just as long, I have been talking about the butterfly effect. Small changes lead to larger changes lead to huge changes. HBO is more than forty hours into the impossible and demanding task of adapting my lengthy (extremely) and complex (exceedingly) novels, with their layers of plots and subplots, their twists and contradictions and unreliable narrators, viewpoint shifts and ambiguities, and a cast of characters in the hundreds.
There has seldom been any TV series as faithful to its source material, by and large (if you doubt that, talk to the Harry Dresden fans, or readers of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, or the fans of the original Walking Dead comic books)... but the longer the show goes on, the bigger the butterflies become. And now we have reached the point where the beat of butterfly wings is stirring up storms, like the one presently engulfing my email.
Prose and television have different strengths, different weaknesses, different requirements. David and Dan and Bryan and HBO are trying to make the best television series that they can. And over here I am trying to write the best novels that I can. And yes, more and more, they differ. Two roads diverging in the dark of the woods, I suppose... but all of us are still intending that at the end we will arrive at the same place. In the meantime, we hope that the readers and viewers both enjoy the journey. Or journeys, as the case may be. Sometimes butterflies grow into dragons.
House of the Dragon: The Complete Second Season is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of HBO and Warner Brothers Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.00:1. While I'll cut to the chase and suggest those with 4K UHD setups opt for that release since it noticeably improves fine detail and palette highlights, those with "only" 1080 systems are still going to be in for some decided visual treats with this sterling high definition presentation. Whatever qualms viewers may have with the actual narrative(s) at hand in season two, I can't imagine there being much complaining about another lustrous presentation of the series, one that arguably ups the quality from the already excellent first season, with to my eyes more generally captivating CGI in particular. There may still be a few niggling qualms with some of the flying scenes featuring dragons or other avian creatures, but those are the exception rather than the rule. For just one example of the typically excellent fine detail apparent throughout the presentation, just look at the texturing and "thread count" of the opening tapestry credits sequence. That's admittedly a pretty picayune example, but it may be salient for that very reason, since the "bigger issues" (at times literally) like practical sets tend to show really impressive detail levels on some of the stonework or brocaded wall hangings. While again I'd point out that Dolby Vision / HDR on HBO's 4K UHD release improves things even more, the at times rather aggressive grading this season employs is very impressively offered "even" in this 1080 version, and wide range of tones from ice cold blues or teals to buttery yellows and golds all resonate incredibly well throughout the season.
House of the Dragon: The Complete Second Season offers another gorgeously designed Dolby Atmos track, one which "announces" its immersive capabilities (as well as its verticality) from the get go, with the kind of thrilling aerial shot with a bird flying into Winterfell. There actually may be surprisingly few "big battles" this season, but the preparations for war allow for several thrilling sonic moments, including several impressive sequences with dragons, where both the immense thrust of their wings and the roaring fires emanating from their nostrils allow for some excellent LFE and panning effects. Even some of the relatively quieter "palace intrigue" moments have some really striking separation and discrete channelization, including some almost spooky echoes as people move through cavernous castle settings. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional subtitles in several languages are available.
Disc One
- Rhaenyra (HD; 1:14)
- Aegon (HD; 1:25)
- Case for Ruler (HD; 1:43) offers positives for potential rulers.
- Daemon vs. Aemond (HD; 1:56) comically asks "who gives less f***s" between the two. Yes, it really should be "fewer", but I digress.
- Daemon (HD; 1:09)
- Corlys (HD; 1:31)
- Alicent (HD; 1:22)
- Aemond (HD; 1:55)
Smith and D'Arcy in particular are still quite riveting this season, and a number of the supporting players also get great moments to strut their stuff, but there's simply too much of everything this year, with a lot of it really not going much of anywhere. Technical merits are still first rate, and while many of the supplements are on the short side, like the content of this season, there's a lot to wade through, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
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