Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO
House of the Dragon, the much-anticipated follow-up to HBO’sGame of Thronesis nearly here, and reviews have landed.
Read on to see what critics are saying, ahead of the show’s official releaseon Sunday on HBO.
Ollie Upton/HBO
Daniel Fienberg ofThe Hollywood Reportersaid,“HBO has ended up with a show that feels reverse-engineered to give devotedGame of Thronesfans a facsimile of what they liked about the original series, while casualGame of Thronesfans get … ummm … lots and lots of dragons. I mean, it’s right there in the title,House of the Dragon, which I can only assume supplanted the originalGame of Thrones: Oops, All Targaryens!”
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TheLos Angeles Timesreviewwas more positive, and said, “While honoring the legacy and look of the original series, the spinoff wisely adopts subtle changes in tone and approach while introducing a fresh world of characters and storylines.”
Critic Lorraine Ali particularly enjoyed the first episode. “The exchange between mother and daughter, and the artful contrast of dueling knights and dutiful midwives, are powerful enough on their own to render the first episode a smashing success and show thatHouse of the Dragonhas a depth of understanding of its female characters thatGoTtook years to find.”
“It is…nice to see Black people who aren’t enslaved being made a more significant part of this world. But betweenHouse of the Dragon’sseeming lack of a quality wig budget and the way the Velaryons factor into this story, it also occasionally feels as if the show’s creative team did not think through some of its iffy-er optics.”
HBO
Alan Sepinwall atRolling Stone’sunfavorablereviewsaid “House of the Dragon,unfortunately, is filled with characters and conflicts that would struggle to hold the audience’s interest if they were just one small element among the many of its parent series.”
Entertainment Weeklygave the show a"B" rating, saying it is “the blandest possible orientation, Epic Fantasy for Dummies.”
Critic Darren Franich said, “Dragonhas more of a clear mission than its bi-continental predecessor and a much-stated central theme. ‘Were I born a man, I could bed whoever I wanted!’ declares Rhaenyra, when a whole episode revolves around Red Keep [gossip] about who’s boning who.
Review aggregatorRotten TomatoesshowsHouse of the Dragonat 85 percent. The audience score will start rolling in after the Sunday premiere.
The series takes place 172 years before the birth of Danerys Targaryen, and tells the story of her ancestors. Based onGeorge R. R. Martin’s 2018 novelFire & Blood, it will explore the blood-soaked history of House Targaryen, including the house’s civil war dubbed the “Dance of the Dragons.”
The show starsMatt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Paddy Considine, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Milly Alcock and Emily Carey.
The first season ofHouse of the Dragonwill consist of 10 episodes and premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
source: people.com
