“Game of Thrones”: The Complete Third Season is once more great culminating in one of the more memorable episodes in television history whether or not you’re a fan of George R.R. Martin’s novels (never read them myself). Now, as far as this “Limited Edition” release is concerned, it’s a tough call on the worthiness of a double dip; unless you can unload your current set.
“Game of Thrones: The Complete Third Season”
— Limited Edition Steelbook —
(2013)
Genre(s): Drama, Adventure, War
Warner Home Video | TVMA – 555 min. – $79.98 | June 7, 2016
Published: 6/10/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE SEASON — 4.5/5 |
| Season Plot Outline: In the third season, the Lannisters barely hold on to the throne after a savage naval onslaught from Stannis Baratheon (STEPHEN DILLANE), while stirrings in the north threaten to alter the overall balance of power. Robb Stark (RICHARD MADDEN), King in the North, faces major calamity in his efforts to build on his victories over the Lannisters while beyond the Wall, Mance Rayder (CIARAN HINDS) and his huge army of wildlings continue their inexorable march south. Across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys Targaryen (EMILIA CLARKE) – reunited with her three fast-maturing dragons – attempts to raise an army to sail with her from Essos, in hopes of eventually claiming the Iron Throne. In this third season, the battling families of Westeros continue to clash as bonds are strained, loyalties are tested, and cruel fares are met.Quick Hit Review: Season Three of “Game of Thrones” continues the brisk pacing with intense stories and wonderfully written, and often colorful, characters. Once again, the acting is top notch aided by some beautiful cinematography alongside award-winning costume and production designs. The beginning of the season wasn’t what I’d call great, however ‘The Rains of Castamere’ was certainly a turning point not just this season, but the series on the whole.  Episodes:
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SPECIAL FEATURES – 5.0/5 |
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This “Limited Edition” release has the 5-discs contained in a nice and sturdy Steelbook packaging which is housed in a clear outer packaging with a “Collectible Sigil Magnet” displayed in front. Inside is a code for the Digital HD copy. In-Episode Guides – Each episode comes with a picture-in-picture feature where viewers can learn more info on the characters, locations and history as well as a “Complete Guide” with text and audio trivia. ** Blu-ray Exclusive ** Episode Commentaries: Disc 1: A Gathering Storm (14:01; HD) – Look back at the stormy events of Season 2 with sound-bites by the cast and crew. Disc 4: Disc 5: Roots of Westeros – Explore the interconnected web of relationships, rivalries, and conflicts between the noble houses of Westeros with this interactive guide. ** Blu-ray Exclusive ** The Politics of Marriage (8:38; HD) – The concept of matrimony in Westeros is all about making power plays and political alliances. The cast and crew examine this ancient institution and its place in the series. Inside the Wildlings (6:21; HD) – Go beyond the Wall with this introduction to the wildlings to gain a better understanding of their back story. Deleted Scenes (14:28; HD) – We get five scenes that were either deleted or trimmed down. |
VIDEO – 4.75/5 |
| The fourth season of “Game of Thrones” battles onto Blu-ray through HBO Home Entertainment presented in its original 1.78 broadcast aspect ratio and given an 1080p high-definition transfer. Like seasons 1-3, this one looks just as good providing sharp detail and a fine balance of colors from the drab in certain scenes to brighter colors in others. Black levels also are nice and stark (no pun intended) and show no signs of artifacts or aliasing. |
AUDIO – 5.0/5 |
| The original release was good enough as it was with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 but that has been upgraded to the new Dolby Atmos track which for older systems decodes to TrueHD 7.1, so you do gain an extra two channels. This new track sounds, unsurprisingly, fantastic with great depth and exceptional dynamic providing for crisp and clear dialogue and comes to life especially for the action-centric scenes. The score also makes good use of every available channel beginning with the catchy and identifiable main theme. (Copied from the season two LE review). |
OVERALL – 4.75/5 |
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Overall, “Game of Thrones”: The Complete Third Season is once more great culminating in one of the more memorable episodes in television history whether or not you’re a fan of George R.R. Martin’s novels (never read them myself). Now, as far as this “Limited Edition” release is concerned, it’s a tough call on the worthiness of a double dip; unless you can unload your current set (though keep the episode guide which does fit nicely inside the Steelbook case), it’s a steep cost to upgrade for a case and slightly better audio. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.