Netflix delivered the first disc last night. Episodes 1 and 2 from season one. Highly enjoyable. It's a medieval swords and sorcery fantasy. George R.R. Martin wrote five books set in this universe (I have read them all so that makes me a fan). We have Sean Bean as Lord Eddart Stark. Sean has been gaining weight over the years. As Richard Sharpe, battling Napoleon he was lean and elegant especially in that well tailored rifleman's green uniform. Later as Boromir in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, he was a grown man, on the strong and muscular side. Now as Ned Stark he looks overweight. Both roles are set in similar fantasy worlds. Clearly Martin was influenced by Tolkien. Martin's world has a stronger flavor of the high middle ages than Tolkien, who is more into elves and Fairie.
"Production values" (sets, costumes, special effects and such) are really good especially for a TV mini series. Everything looks right, no anachronisms. The camera man knows enough to put the camera on a tripod. No arty "shake the camera" shots which I find annoying. The sound man does it right and the dialogue is understandable. The young Starks (Ayra, Brendan, Sansa) are appealing. The girls are really good looking and sometimes scantily clad.
If you haven't read the books you will need to pay close attention to understand what is happening. Some of the key scenes are glossed over pretty rapidly and if I hadn't read the book I would not have understood what is going on.
Anyhow I enjoyed the first two episodes, and Netflix ought to deliver more of them soon.
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