After successfully adapting the "Song of Ice and Fire" book series, which was long considered unfilmable literature, into one of the most iconic and successful television series of all time ("Game of Thrones"), David Benioff and D. B. Weiss sought their next challenge. At the perfect timing, the challenge presented itself in the form of an offer to adapt the "Remembrance of Earth's Past" book trilogy into a television series.
Already in the early episodes you can tell this is one of the most ambitious Science-Fiction stories yet to be produced on television, and I can definitely see what all the early hype was about. The source material for itself is said to be fascinating but simultaneously very challenging to adapt to the visual medium, with some elements (also in the first book/season but mostly in the latter ones) that are hyped to be almost impossible to put to screen. Netflix put a huge amount of money on this franchise during a bidding war years ago, and once Benioff & Weiss signed their overall deal with them it was a perfect opportunity to try and build a household-name Sci-Fi franchise for Netflix with this show- and I surely hope it will ultimately receive the success it deserves.
Following the commercial success of "Game of Thrones" and its numerous awards and unprecedented viewership numbers, Benioff & Weiss became the hottest names in the television industry by the end of 2019, and all major production companies competed on having them produce their next series among their studios, with astronomical budgets. Expectations for the duo were higher than usual - to deliver a product on par with "Game of Thrones" and also to redeem their reputation after mixed reviews of its conclusion, which were accompanied by harsh criticisms and disproportionate "wishes" from a vocal minority of the audience.
For this purpose, they teamed up with Alexander Woo ("True Blood"), and together they decided to adapt the trilogy by Cixin Liu into a series - a daring trilogy that received numerous awards and accolades, including from George R. R. Martin (the author behind "Game of Thrones") and former US President Barack Obama.
Similarly to "Game of Thrones", the story told in the trilogy is undoubtedly a slow-burner, gradually unfolding over time and requiring patience and investment from the viewer over several episodes to fully appreciate. Already in the first season, the storyline appears to shift multiple times throughout the season, as the overarching narrative the series is aimed at becomes clearer from episode to episode. The season finale was labeled by some viewers as "anti-climactic," but most readers of the books agree that the first book is the weakest of the trilogy and merely sets the stage for ambitious developments in future seasons, with the manner of visual execution of which remains a mystery. Nevertheless, it is important to note that even as a self-contained season, this is television at a very high level, offering one of the most unique and enjoyable viewing experiences in recent years. The series never bores, and it even provides some of the greatest television moments of recent years.
For understandable reasons, the most talked-about episode from the first season is the fifth episode, while my personal favorite is actually the seventh episode, which focuses on character dynamics, positioning pieces for the big conflict, and strengthening its narrative through writing.
The series contains a plethora of concepts from the worlds of theoretical physics and Science-Fiction that may not be easily digestible and may potentially alienate those less inclined towards the genre - something that, in my opinion, might benefit the series if viewers watch it at a suitable pace rather than binge-watching everything at once. Considering that the series is not as universally popular to a degree that spoilers flying around the internet, and since everyone can essentially watch it at their own pace, I would highly recommend the series even to people for whom Sci-Fi isn't their number one genre- as it requires investment but also offers much more than regular Sci-Fi entertainment, presenting a non-conventional spin on the genre. As a man of science myself and as a fan of the Sci-Fi genre I'm really connecting to the premise of the show, to the setting, to the characters and to the respect the writing has to the scientific concepts the show is based upon. This show truly ignites my intellectual and academic passions in all the positive ways. The plot and the writing are blending into this complex setting perfectly in a way that got me completely hooked and wanting for more.
The production values are extremely off the charts and I really hope this will be a major player in Below-the-Line categories at the Emmy's next year. I would even root for it in several Above-the-Line categories at the awards, since as I implied this series is crafted to perfection in almost all aspects. I was thrilled to find out Benioff and Weiss re-teamed with the legendary composer Ramin Djawadi in this series. Known for iconic scores such as "Game of Thrones", "Westworld" and "House of the Dragon", Djawadi provides a magnificent score that truly elevated the series to another level just as you would expect. Besides practically telling an entire story within the show, the score is a delight to listen to outside of watching the show, combining several different musical styles. Knowing how Djawadi operates it's safe to believe the score is building up to be gradually better and better and more complex as the show moves further towards the climax. While the visual effects could use some improvement, the other technical aspects are also of a very high standard and justify the enormous budget invested in the series. The writing, as expected, is top-notch and treats the source material with great respect and maturity, while the direction is also excellent and perfectly meets the demands set by the script. The story and overall framing and world-building are overwhelmingly ambitious and are executed in a brilliant way that makes it one of the most unique and thrilling television experiences iv'e had in a long time.
I'm glad to have a new TV series to be heavily invested in, and will surely look forward anxiously for the future seasons, that as described by the writers (and also by readers of the book trilogy) will be even better and more ambitious. I really enjoyed every single episode and while I think its a must watch for fans of the genre, I also think the story and execution are good enough so that even people who are not huge followers of the Sci-Fi genre should give it a try. Kind of like with GoT back in the day.
Kudos to Netflix for this brilliant series which is one of the best things I've seen in a long time. Bring on season 2!
Already in the early episodes you can tell this is one of the most ambitious Science-Fiction stories yet to be produced on television, and I can definitely see what all the early hype was about. The source material for itself is said to be fascinating but simultaneously very challenging to adapt to the visual medium, with some elements (also in the first book/season but mostly in the latter ones) that are hyped to be almost impossible to put to screen. Netflix put a huge amount of money on this franchise during a bidding war years ago, and once Benioff & Weiss signed their overall deal with them it was a perfect opportunity to try and build a household-name Sci-Fi franchise for Netflix with this show- and I surely hope it will ultimately receive the success it deserves.
Following the commercial success of "Game of Thrones" and its numerous awards and unprecedented viewership numbers, Benioff & Weiss became the hottest names in the television industry by the end of 2019, and all major production companies competed on having them produce their next series among their studios, with astronomical budgets. Expectations for the duo were higher than usual - to deliver a product on par with "Game of Thrones" and also to redeem their reputation after mixed reviews of its conclusion, which were accompanied by harsh criticisms and disproportionate "wishes" from a vocal minority of the audience.
For this purpose, they teamed up with Alexander Woo ("True Blood"), and together they decided to adapt the trilogy by Cixin Liu into a series - a daring trilogy that received numerous awards and accolades, including from George R. R. Martin (the author behind "Game of Thrones") and former US President Barack Obama.
Similarly to "Game of Thrones", the story told in the trilogy is undoubtedly a slow-burner, gradually unfolding over time and requiring patience and investment from the viewer over several episodes to fully appreciate. Already in the first season, the storyline appears to shift multiple times throughout the season, as the overarching narrative the series is aimed at becomes clearer from episode to episode. The season finale was labeled by some viewers as "anti-climactic," but most readers of the books agree that the first book is the weakest of the trilogy and merely sets the stage for ambitious developments in future seasons, with the manner of visual execution of which remains a mystery. Nevertheless, it is important to note that even as a self-contained season, this is television at a very high level, offering one of the most unique and enjoyable viewing experiences in recent years. The series never bores, and it even provides some of the greatest television moments of recent years.
For understandable reasons, the most talked-about episode from the first season is the fifth episode, while my personal favorite is actually the seventh episode, which focuses on character dynamics, positioning pieces for the big conflict, and strengthening its narrative through writing.
The series contains a plethora of concepts from the worlds of theoretical physics and Science-Fiction that may not be easily digestible and may potentially alienate those less inclined towards the genre - something that, in my opinion, might benefit the series if viewers watch it at a suitable pace rather than binge-watching everything at once. Considering that the series is not as universally popular to a degree that spoilers flying around the internet, and since everyone can essentially watch it at their own pace, I would highly recommend the series even to people for whom Sci-Fi isn't their number one genre- as it requires investment but also offers much more than regular Sci-Fi entertainment, presenting a non-conventional spin on the genre. As a man of science myself and as a fan of the Sci-Fi genre I'm really connecting to the premise of the show, to the setting, to the characters and to the respect the writing has to the scientific concepts the show is based upon. This show truly ignites my intellectual and academic passions in all the positive ways. The plot and the writing are blending into this complex setting perfectly in a way that got me completely hooked and wanting for more.
The production values are extremely off the charts and I really hope this will be a major player in Below-the-Line categories at the Emmy's next year. I would even root for it in several Above-the-Line categories at the awards, since as I implied this series is crafted to perfection in almost all aspects. I was thrilled to find out Benioff and Weiss re-teamed with the legendary composer Ramin Djawadi in this series. Known for iconic scores such as "Game of Thrones", "Westworld" and "House of the Dragon", Djawadi provides a magnificent score that truly elevated the series to another level just as you would expect. Besides practically telling an entire story within the show, the score is a delight to listen to outside of watching the show, combining several different musical styles. Knowing how Djawadi operates it's safe to believe the score is building up to be gradually better and better and more complex as the show moves further towards the climax. While the visual effects could use some improvement, the other technical aspects are also of a very high standard and justify the enormous budget invested in the series. The writing, as expected, is top-notch and treats the source material with great respect and maturity, while the direction is also excellent and perfectly meets the demands set by the script. The story and overall framing and world-building are overwhelmingly ambitious and are executed in a brilliant way that makes it one of the most unique and thrilling television experiences iv'e had in a long time.
I'm glad to have a new TV series to be heavily invested in, and will surely look forward anxiously for the future seasons, that as described by the writers (and also by readers of the book trilogy) will be even better and more ambitious. I really enjoyed every single episode and while I think its a must watch for fans of the genre, I also think the story and execution are good enough so that even people who are not huge followers of the Sci-Fi genre should give it a try. Kind of like with GoT back in the day.
Kudos to Netflix for this brilliant series which is one of the best things I've seen in a long time. Bring on season 2!