House of the Dragon: The Complete First Season (Steelbook/4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray/Digital)

"House of the Dragon" is an original American fantasy drama television series co-created by author George R. R. Martin and showrunner Ryan Condal for HBO. A prequel to the 2011~2019 "Game of Thrones," it is the second television series in Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" franchise. Based loosely on Martin's 2018 "Fire & Blood" novel, the series begins about 100 years after the Seven Kingdoms are united by the Targaryen conquest, nearly 200 years before the events of "Game of Thrones," and 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. Featuring a cast of notable actors, the show portrays the events leading up to the decline of House Targaryen, a devastating war of succession known as the "Dance of the Dragons." An original series by HBO (Home Box Office, Inc.), shown over two seasons, the first season ran 10 episodes and premiered on August 21, 2022, and the second season ran 8 episodes and premiered on June 16, 2024, with each episode running approximately 54 to 70 minutes.The series focuses on the "Dance of the Dragons," a civil war caused by the rivalry between Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Queen Alicent Hightower, drawing from Martin's "Fire & Blood," a fictional history book about the Targaryen kings of Westeros. Unlike the "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels, which are told from the perspective of characters, "Fire & Blood" is a history book written from the perspective of the dynasty archivist librarian Archmaester Gyldayn that details the 300-year reign of House Targaryen in Westeros, written by George R.R. Martin as a supplement, which gives an account of the Targaryen dynasty that provides the foundation for the story while making notable alterations to certain events, character motivations, and timelines.George R.R. Martin himself has acknowledged some deviations from the book and has been open about his concerns over the show, criticizing changes to the story, such as the elimination of Maelor and the use of a four-legged dragon instead of the correct two-legged dragon, and that he was disappointed with the season finale. For the future, Martin has said that he wants to fight for a faithful adaptation of his story, but he also wrestles with the idea of giving up on participating in writing for the show to focus on enlarging his "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of novels. Having completed the last of five novels in 2011, he announced that he plans to release a second volume of "Fire & Blood," titled "Blood & Fire," after he finishes writing "The Winds of Winter" and "A Dream of Spring," but there is no news on where he stands in completing these.It is disappointing when eminent authors sell film and television rights to their notable writings for a dollar, a metaphor for compromising their creative genius and control in exchange for wealth and fame. George R. R. Martin's writings and collaborations, particularly "A Song of Ice and Fire" and "Fire & Blood," are brilliantly imagined and created, original and highly acclaimed. They spawned the television series "Game of Thrones" and "House of the Dragons." However, these original, masterfully marvelous, creative writings are poorly represented in their adaptation to television series. The screenplays for these series are not adaptations from their literary beginnings; they are rather new stories, innovative narratives, faithlessly built on the foundations laid before them. The screenplays are intertextually woven from the same cloth but not with the same thread. The new narratives are disjointed in their continuity, even conflicted and sometimes incoherent in their divergence from the source. The problem is not with the production values, casting, or direction, but with the flawed screenplays. The changes in characterizations, arcs, and plots are so counterintuitive that they belie their source; the changes make no contextual sense in their attempt to improve the original concepts. We are left wondering why as we watch the rivalries play out.For example, in the "House of the Dragons," Rhaenyra and Alicent are portrayed as friends who became enemies; whereas in the novel, they are ages apart. So, why make them friends; to intensify their rivalry? Balderdash! There are many such introspective subplots forming the altered narrative in the screenplay that diverges from the source.It is pointless to compare the film to novel, for the adaptations are paradoxical. They are incomparable. The series should stand on its own merits, and this it does. But it is not Martin's "Fire & Ice." It is a 'wannabe,' an aspirational imitation, as if the screenwriters could emulate Martin's creative genius. It would have been better if they had literally adapted the novel to avoid the schisms from omissions in complexities. The same mistakes were made in "Game of Thrones," to great shame. Let us hope that "House of the Dragon" does not face the same disappointment in its end.The series is nonetheless intriguing, suspenseful, and exciting. The characterizations are charismatic and captivating. And the scenes and dragons are tantalizing, although the dragons should have been as characteristic and ferocious as those in "Game of Thrones." There is more to come in this series. We are told a third season for "House of the Dragon" should premiere sometime in April 2026, and it has been confirmed that there will be a fourth season to reach the end of its Targaryen saga, which we should see sometime in 2028. We will need to rewatch the initial seasons lest we forget what has happened with so much time between seasons. Buying the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc sets is convenient and provides a near-cinematic viewing experience from the codec H.265 Native 4K (2160p) resolution in Dolby Vision original aspect ratio of 2.00:1 and Dolby Atmos audio.

Great series!

While not exactly competing with its predecessor just yet, House of the Dragon starts as a worthy prequel series to Game of Thrones, one of the greatest shows in television history, and my own personal favorite.The story is rich just as you would expect, and the buildup to the big events coming is handled very well, with the first season only setting the tone and placing the pieces on the boards yet doing it in a very compelling way. This is probably the most excited I’ve been to a TV series since the original show finished its run in 2019.The music by Ramin Djawadi is top notch as always, reusing themes from the original show just in the right amount while starting to introduce all the new themes and leitmotifs. All the other technical aspects are superb just as you would expect- VFX, Costumes, Set design, etc. Emmy’s are coming! And of course, the writing and directing- splendid.The steelbook set is very well designed and looks amazing in the collection. I would highly recommend this version to everyone, and especially to people who aim to start a new collection to the up-and-coming new television phenomenon. The 4K quality is incredible, and the sound is as well. And again- design looks great.I highly recommend this product, and in general recommend watching this show- especially if you loved the original show. But even if not, I’d still say it’s worth a shot. 5 stars.

House of the Dragon is a worthy prequel to an epic franchise!Truly, I cannot get enough of the Game of Thrones franchise.House of the Dragon is fresh with a new cast of characters.The plot revolves around the captivating Tagaryen dynasty and how they ruled long before the Game of Thrones events. I am already in love with some of the actors! Can't wait for upcoming seasons.

So I bought the steelbook version, but honestly I don't recommend you to do the same.For some reason, even when you pay extra money for a more "fancy" edition, you actually get worse quality in the package.They stacked the discs, instead of putting them into individual places.1080p Blu Rays weren't necessary. I would rather prefer them out of this, instead of risking my purchase.As you may know, 4k Blu Rays are more sensitive to scratches. Luckily, they do work, but as you can see, they did get scratches thank to the deficient packaging.In terms of picture quality, they look stunning. Way better than HBO max streaming. I tested all of the discs (1080p blu rays too) into my Xbox Series X, and they work perfectly.

great story

Item came as described,Thank You

loved the dvd movie.. and the series... dvd worked great in my player.. no issuses at all.