House of the Dragon: Season 1 [DVD] [2022]

Good quality and plays fine.

DVD set of HoD season 1. Great to see JRR Martin's fantasy feudal world again and it looks fabulous and familiar (thank God, as it's usually impossible to get different/later showrunners to keep with the original style and aesthetic of a show because they absolutely positively must put their stamp on it and impulsively pathologically change everything for no good reason at all). The story is set over a century before the events of GOTs and follows the Targaryen dynasty on the Iron Throne. It jumps forward several years between the start of the series and the middle part but does not lose the story thread. The actors cast look a little weird (compared with the pretty faces in GOT) and there's plenty of representation for woke-ers. There's some bonus content on disc 1 and 2, but none 3 and 4. Overall a great return to the most watched tv show on earth. I hope the excellent quality and standard is maintained throughout the run of this show and we don't get a dumpster-fire ending like the universally despised season 8 of GOT. I also hope the showrunners will treat us to one or two flashback episodes set in Valyria before the Great Doom destroyed it, that place would be cool to see (beyond the scaled model that Viserys was making in his bedroom!).

Bought this together with the second box set and had a great evening binge watching both box sets.

A five disc dvd box set containing all ten episodes of season one of 'House of the Dragon.' This is a fantasy show. And a prequel to 'Game of Thrones.' On the vague offchance you haven't seen the latter, you might be able to get into this. But I think the odds are you most likely have. This is based on George RR Martin's book 'Fire and Blood' which is the history of the Targaryen family. Rulers of the fantasy kingdom of Westeros at a point in his story. Said book is all about them. I've not read it so can't compare. Set over one hundred and seventy years before Game of Thrones, when dragons were still around, opening narration implies that it's going to end in war. The story sees a power struggle begin when the King names his daughter as heir. A Queen? It's never happened in Westeros before! As said Princess and another girl grow up, the struggle for power goes on. It all comes to a head in due course.... That's a quick summary. This has a fair few main characters. I can't say I remembered all their names off the top of my head by the end of the season. But I did remember who they were. As you do. So it's not desperately hard to follow. It does have some time jumps. There are gaps of years between some episodes. Which do result in some recastings at various points. This is initially jarring. You do get used to it though. This has excellent production values. They look a lot better than 'the Wheel of Time.' And it's an eighteen certificate. As with the previous show there's strong language violence gore and adult moments. At the heart of this is quite an interesting story about two girls who start as friends but get sent down very different paths. That's not the sole story though, as each of the main cast does manage to be very three dimensional. Matt Smith as the rather unpredictable Daemon is the highlight. He offers a very compelling portrayal of a chaotic man whom you can never be sure about. The dragons are very well rendered. This is worth bearing with, as it does come to a head in due course. The last two episodes in particular are pretty gripping stuff. Not being familiar with what source material there is on this occasion does mean I found myself wanting to know how it would turn out. Since the season ends with a lot up in the air, I will definitely be back for season two. Good and decent fantasy drama. I am glad I got into this. Each episode run fifty five to sixty seven mins [approx]. Language and subtitle options on the dvds are: Languages: English, French, German. Subtitles: English, Dutch, French, German. Extras: Spread across the first two discs, the box promises an hour or so of these. Disc one: Welcome to Westeros. A five min overview of the whole thing. A new reign. A three min long overview of the start of production. Returning to Westeros. Three mins of largely the same as above. Before the dragons. An illustrated history with George RR Martin. A mere four mins of backstory of the world building of the setting. Height of an empire. Three mins on the cast and the characters. Noble Houses. Three mins on the noble houses of the story. Familiar places. Four mins on recreating locations from the previous show. The above do get very repetitious. One particular quote from one production staff member crops up four times across them. I don't think any are essential or important viewing. Disc two: return to the seven kingdoms. Twenty four mins that starts as a general overview, then gets into a lot of production details. This is the only extra I would say is worth watching, as the later production stuff in it is quite interesting Introducing the characters. Nine features that can be watched in a row or all at once. Each is the actor talking about their character. Each lasts about ninety seconds. And won't tell you anything you've not already learned if you're watched the season before you watch this.

Great dvds, 2 parts , 1 @ 2 dvds. Good story and a good watch over a couple of nights. I enjoyed it, worth a watch.

Wasnt sure what I would make of this. Loved GOT and sometimes, spinoffs fall far short of their original. This is brilliant, darker than GOT, and without the black humour of its predecessor but full of feuding families, monstrous violence and imposing special effects. The acting and script is first rate and I am glad this series kept the original GOT musical score. I have been trying to wade through 'The Rings of Power' which is the LOTR prequel... House of the Dragon is how a prequel should be done.

The opening two episodes provide a strong start to this GoT prequel. The middle of the series has lots of plots and politicking which gets a bit melancholy and intense but stick with it. There is a strong focus on a core group of characters and their lives. Episode six picks up 10 years after the events in episode 5 and has an older actress in the lead role to reflect this. This is a little jarring. As the viewer we’re trying to work out what’s happened in the intervening years and who the new characters are. Although other actors remain unchanged. The events in these episodes are laying the foundation for what is to follow and make more sense as the story unfolds. There is a very strong conclusion to this series which leaves the viewer eagerly awaiting future series.

As a big fan of Game of Thrones, I couldn't wait to buy House of the Dragon, as the series is set 200 years before the Game of Thrones Dynasty. I was expecting fireworks, or should that be fire-breathing dragons as in GoT. I have to say, I was disappointed, and the series merely simmered rather than bursting into life, something made even worse by several of the main cast members changing to completely different actors partway through the series. Matt Smith, the former Dr Who, did his best to keep the temperature up but it was all to no avail as House of the Dragon never really got much above lukewarm. I hear that the 2nd series is due to air in 2024, but I won't be buying it when it makes its way onto DVD. Game of Thrones, (apart from the last episode), was a hard act to follow, and the House of the Dragon has spectacularly failed to follow in its fire-breathing footsteps.

No está en castellano.

Bonne série,un peu mou mais belle histoire qui nous tient jusqu au dénouement qui n arrivera pas car on nous fait attendre la prochaine saison

Serie carina ma non intrigante come la serie madre. I personaggi potrebbero essere curati un po' di piu`. Nel complesso sufficiente.

I didn’t appreciate that it won’t play in the United States. That part needs to be bigger and more up front

I didn’t advertise anything about the region or what that even was. But apparently my devices are for region one movies but this disc is for region two. Do t get if you live in the states unless you have special equipment