Why So Blu?

Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season (Blu-ray Review)

Here we are once again.  Only this time winter is coming much earlier than usual for the sixth season of  HBO’s Game of Thrones on the Blu-ray format.  Last year’s Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Drama Series and currently nominated for 23 2016 Emmy Awards including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Directing Outstanding Supporting Actress (Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Maisie Williams) and Outstanding Supporting Actor (Peter Dinklage, Kit Harrington), Game of Thrones is bigger than ever as its starting to all wind down to the final upcoming two seasons.  In other words, this sh1t is finally starting to get real every single episode.  If you missed any of our past coverage of these best selling Blu-ray sets, please refer to the following links to seasons 1 and 2 here, 3 here, 4 here and 5 over here.   So without further ado let’s talk Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season and get this beast of a review started down below.  

Season 

The most-watched series in HBO history, Game of Thrones returns to the Blu-ray format earlier than usual this year with yet another powerful season.  This sixth year, after the shocking developments at the end of Season 5 (SEASON 5 SPOILERS WARNING…) – including Jon Snow’s (Harrington) bloody fate at the hands of Castle Black mutineers, Daenerys’ (Clarke) near-demise at the fighting pits of Meereen, and Cersei’s (Headey) public humiliation in the streets of King’s Landing (remember the body double?) – survivors from all parts of Westeros and Essos regroup to press forward towards their uncertain fates.  Familiar faces forge new alliances to bolster their strategic chances at survival, while new characters this season emerge to challenge the balance of power in the east, west, north and south.  We’re even moving forward here without a previously published George R.R. Martin novel about it all.  How’s that for living life on the wild side?

I think I can spare all of you the 411 on who stars in the show, etc.  If you’re here reading this, you already know all that.  So know this!  Things finally start getting real in Season 6 here. With only 2 short seasons remaining after season 6 (both seasons are reported to be under 10 episodes each) the multiple scattered storylines are FINALLY starting to converge into one “cohesive” story.  In other words there’s finally a light ahead at the end of the tunnel.  At least I think I can see one.  Don’t worry, I’m not going to give away any details here about who wins and who loses in this season. There might be some mild spoilers here for people who haven’t seen the first 5 seasons, but if you haven’t seen Season 1 – 5 yet what the hell are you doing here?  Your brain will explode reading all this without any previous knowledge of the Game of Thrones universe.

Like in every past season of the show, some people win and some characters lose.  Needless to say a lot of people tragically die, but some rightfully too.  That should be a tagline for this series.  LOL.  Like I said up above things are finitely starting to get real now.  We have a lot of new characters introduced in Season 6, but for the first time in a long time we have something we haven’t had pretty much ever since the first episode…focus.  It seems like these past five seasons we have been all over the place in a hundred different directions.  At long last now it seems like we are finally back on the straight path to finding out who will ultimately gain power over the Seven Kingdoms and rule that iron throne.

For me Season 6 was not the show’s finest season.  The whole resurrection of John Snow was weak sauce in my opinion not to mention what ultimately happens to my favorite character, the Red Witch-Melisandre (Carice Anouk van Houten).  However, it is easily one of the most action packed seasons.  That should please viewers who often complain not much ever happens during nine of the episodes.  Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright), Hodor (Kristian Nairn) and the dragons are also back too!  There’s also a big game changer involved too so not all is lost.  It may or may not involve a Lannister.  Cersei is always up to no good within those palace walls, but I’m not telling.  Ha ha.  The most thrilling aspect of this season is the fact that the finale actually topped what is usually the best part of it, the high octane, action episode.  Last but not least, there are two BIG reveals to be found here that were oh so jaw dropping, sh1t the bed moments that I never saw coming.  I love it!

The show’s technical merits continue to excel.  Visually the series continues to be nothing short of stunning.  The production value continues to shine along with the elaborate costumes (the furs, intricacies, stitchings and textures) and set designs (vast as can be).  I mentioned the action up above so it should come as no surprise that the battles are a major part of this season.  Like the past seasons the battle sequences are both spectacular and grand, always managing to showcase some of the show’s finest hours.  The gigantic sets and combat employed throughout the “Battle of the Bastards” episode will keep your heart pumping and adrenaline accelerating.  It’s like nothing ever seen on television before (that poor giant).  And that final scene with Sansa is priceless.  You know what I’m talking about!  There’s no telling who this show will ever off either.  Every episode can be a shocker!  Like 24 no one is safe from the axe (just ask Ned Stark).  That and so much more (i.e. the gratuitous nudity, language and violence) is what makes Game of Thrones so epic.

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Episode Listing:

Episode 1 – “The Red Woman” (Disc 1)

Episode 2 – “Home” (Disc 1)

Episode 3 – “Oathbreaker” (Disc 1)

Episode 4 – “Book of the Stranger” (Disc 2)

Episode 5 – “The Door” (Disc 2)

Episode 6 – “Blood of My Blood” (Disc 3)

Episode 7 – “The Broken Man” (Disc 3)

Episode 8 – “No One” (Disc 3)

Episode 9 – “Battle of the Bastards” (Disc 4)

Episode 10 – “The Winds of Winter” (Disc 4)

Video 

• Encoding: AVC MPEG-4
• Layers: 4 50-GB Dual Layer Discs
• Resolution: 1080p
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Clarity/Detail: From dragon scales and chiseled bricks in castle walls to the intricacy of the costumes and sets, Game of Thrones on Blu-ray excels in exemplifying detail and three-dimensional pop as usual.  The textures (architecture, clothing, dragon scales, feathers on arrows, Jon Snow’s bloody face, etc.) and near seamless blending of CGI is always remarkable in this series and makes it a absolute pleasure to both behold and take in.  The more light let in the finer the details become in this presentation like when Daenerys negotiates surrender terms outside the castle walls under the sun.  It looks like a million bucks (although I really don’t know what that much money looks like yet).  Another goodie from the bombastic ninth episode this season is the vest Peter Dinklage adorns.  Wait until you get a load of the intricacy in it all.  It’s amazing!
• Depth: Because of the many, worldly environments in Game of Thrones, some real and some CGI, the vast landscapes are what really draw me in from the armies marching in the war torn forests to crowds of soldiers fighting to their deaths.  Truth be told though, it’s always the vast and breathtaking outdoor scenes that do it for me here.  Huge battle scenes are always a bonus too.  But that’s not all.  You need to see how these onscreen characters pop here with three-dimensional qualities.  They are completely separated from their backgrounds.  One really cool shot I love is also in the ninth episode where Daenerys looks down from the top of the castle at the ships in the water below.  That one shot alone seems to go on forever beyond her sight.
• Black Levels: Here’s where my review may differ than a few of the others, but you have to take an average of the whole rather than select episodes when grading a series such as this.  The black levels are not perfect by any means.  From time to time there are moments of noise in the darker scenes.  However, I don’t want to knock it down just because of that.  This is one of the finest looking and sounding television shows on the Blu-ray format period and year six doesn’t let us down in the slightest.  So with that being for the most part here the black levels are deep, inky and dark throughout.
• Color Reproduction: The color palette in Game of Thrones is always rich and cinematic in appearance, but don’t be fooled because there’s a lot of tweaking with them too.  However, the scenery is what counts here setting and matching the tonal quality of what’s onscreen like sun drenched ones or battling in cold, frigid environments on the other side of the tonal spectrum for example.  Truth be told, Game of Thrones has always had a cooler looking appearance to it all.  However, some of the shots I love in this season the most are the sharp contrast ones between lit and candle flames and their darkened, illuminated surroundings.
• Flesh Tones: The skin tones for the most part look  natural and authentic throughout the presentation with some only minor grayish moments.  However, as a whole things look good here.
• Noise/Artifacts: We already nitpicked on the black levels slightly so yes there is some noise from time-to-time in the shadows, but nothing to ever truly distract you from the blissful enjoyment of it all.  Like I said many times now, this is the best I have ever seen this show look.

Audio 

• Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible — Make sure to select Atmos to get this track even if you don’t have an Atmos setup because HBO for some reason authored these discs to default to an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track.), French Dolby Digital 5.1, Latin Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0, Castilian Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, German Dolby Digital 5.1, Polish Dolby Digital 2.0
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
• Dynamics: The audio presentation here is what really makes Game of Thrones a champion when you’re speaking of doing a television show right on the Blu-ray format.  The dynamics of the Dolby Atmos track virtually puts you in the middle of everything happening onscreen and changes with each subsequent moment never sounding fake, unpolished or generic.  The dynamic range of this surround track is like climbing the highest peaks of Everest.  It’s simply marvelous.  It doesn’t sound like a mere television show, but a bombastic, summer blockbuster.  Despite all the spikes, fire breathing and action moments nothing ever gets lost in the mix here including the dialogue thanks to the discreteness of it all.  This is simply top notch and probably the best sounding television show I ever heard on Blu-ray.
• Height: Think about all the ways Atmos can properly be employed throughout here and you have some of the finest sounding battle scenes, objects flying through the sky such as the cannon flaming cannon balls or swarms of arrows, not to mention dragons flapping overhead and crashing down to the ground too.  I didn’t forget them spitting fire downwards either.
• Low Frequency Extension: The LFE channel really kicks in and makes itself known during the brutal action sequences, most notably in the show’s epic battle scenes like the utter destruction the many cannon balls cause in the ninth episode or the sounds of hundreds of horses’ hooves trampling across the dry, hard desert lands.  Rest assured though the LFE of it all complements this surround track throughout.  Wait until you hear Daenerys’ dragons roar and breath fire with the utmost of authority or hundreds of onscreen horses slam into one another at the same time.
• Surround Sound Presentation: Like the dynamics of it all the surround channels showcase the organic ambience of the series putting you in the middle of every happening.  From the multitude of battle cries, swords clanking, horses charging, arrows flying, armies fighting and dragons swooshing and breathing fire, you’ll enjoy every insane moment of being stuck in the middle of it all here in this immersive track.  Prioritization and directionality is paramount here.
• Dialogue Reproduction: Dialog is clear, intelligible and prioritized throughout the season on Blu-ray.  Even the quiet whisper moments are understandable on top of all the onscreen craziness transpiring.

Extras 

When you purchase an HBO show on the Blu-ray format you have to expect the best of the best from the intricate packing of most HBO television sets to the bombastic barrage of special features they hit you with.  I mean that in a good way because who doesn’t like extras, right?  Of course you love extras!  Nine times out of ten, they’re free and unlike the movie studios HBO does not nickel and dime you with different packages offering different bonus content.  Sure there’s retail exclusive packaging offerings, but those don’t count towards the point I am trying to hit home.  Rest assured that you’re usually getting the best bang for your buck when you invest in an HBO released Blu-ray set and Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season is no exception to that steadfast rule.

So here we go, more hours of my time invested, in the below extras I have painstakingly carved from my busy day to dissect and go into extreme detail over so you can know ahead of time what you’re getting yourself into if you decided to make this purchase.  Like the last several seasons the Blu-ray package also houses a redemption code for you to re-live all of these episodes in glorious HD on whatever digital format you prefer, providing access to both iTunes and UltraViolet.  This Blu-ray set features all 10 episodes, plus the following bonus content.  Oddly, as marked down below, some of this bonus content I can only find accessible the redeemable Digital HD files.  Therefore, they are marked as “Digital Extra Only.”

• Bran’s Journey (HD, 9:01, Digital Extra Only) – Here we have a nine-minute feature that delves into the revelatory journey Bran Stark took in Season 6 as we hear from the actor who plays him, Isaac Hempstead Wright, along with the showrunners.
• The Dothraki World (HD, 6:22, Digital Extra Only) – This extra is a behind-the-scenes featurette that brings viewers up to speed on the Dothraki culture, which have not been seen since Season 1.
• The Game Revealed (HD, 6 minutes, Digital Extra Only) – Here we have a five-part series covering the creation of Season 6’s most epic set pieces and scenes as the cast and crew discuss the biggest scenes from each episode.
• In-Episode Guide (HD, All Discs) – In these extras we dig deeper into the show with this in-feature resource that provides background information about on-screen characters, locations, and relevant histories for each episode.
• Histories and Lore (HD, Disc 4) – Like in the past seasons in these extras we learn about the mythology of Westeros and Essos as told from the varying perspectives of the characters themselves in the following 18 history pieces.
  • The Old Way: narrated by Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk) – 4:25
  • The Kingsmoot: narrated by Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk) – 3:45
  • The Sunset Sea: narrated by Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk) – 4:05
  • War of the Ninepenny Kings: narrated by Brother Ray (Ian McShane) – 2:49
  • The Great Tourney at Harrenhal: narrated by Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) – 6:07
  • Robert’s Rebellion: narrated by Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) – 6:07
  • Vaes Dothrak: narrated by Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) – 3:56
  • The Dothraki: narrated by Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) – 4:43
  • Northern Allegiances to House Stark: narrated by Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) – 4:56
  • Children of the Forest vs. the First Men: narrated by the Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow) – 4:43
  • Brotherhood Without Banners: narrated by Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye) – 3:56
  • Oldtown: narrated by Grand Maester Pycelle (Julian Glover) and Qyburn (Anton Lesser) – 5:35
  • House Dayne: narrated by Young Ned Stark (Robert Aramayo) – 4:11
  • The Little Birds: narrated by Lord Varys (Conleth Hill) – 3:12
  • Knights of the Vale: narrated by Petyr ‘Littlefinger’ Baelish (Aidan Gillen) – 5:35
  • House Tarly: narrated by Randyll Tarly (James Faulkner) – 4:35
  • Riverrun: narrated by Brynden ‘the Blackfish’ Tully (Clive Russell) – 3:35
  • Great Sept of Baelor: narrated by the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) – 4:23
• The Battle of the Bastards: An In-Depth Look (HD, 30:01, Disc 4) – Here we have a behind-the-scenes piece examining the production challenges of creating this epic event, including explorations of VFX, stunts and interviews with key cast and crew.
• Recreating the Dothraki World (HD, 20:15, Disc 2) – Here we have another behind-the-scenes piece looking at the creation of Vaes Dothrak (not really visited since the first season of the show) and its importance to Dany’s evolution.
• 18 Hours at the Paint Hall (HD, 28:17, Disc 4) –Follow all three shooting units as they converge in this behind-the-scenes snapshot of a day in the life of the largest show on television.  Basically it’s like your firsthand tour of what a day on the set with Game of Thrones is like.  Pretty cool, huh?
• Audio Commentaries – The most commentaries ever recorded for Game of Thrones, featuring:
  • Episode 601: Director Jeremy Podeswa, Director of Photography Greg Middleton, and Daniel Portman (Podrick Payne) – Disc 1
  • Episode 602: Writer Dave Hill, Michael McElhatton (Roose Bolton), Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton), Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth), and Ben Crompton (Dolorous Edd) – Disc 1
  • Episode 603: Director Daniel Sackheim, Production Designer Deborah Riley, and Dean-Charles Chapman (Tommen Baratheon) – Disc 1
  • Episode 604: Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei), Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont),  and Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm) – Disc 2
  • Episode 605 (2 commentaries): Gemma Whelan (Yara Greyjoy), Pilou Asbæk (Euron Greyjoy), Ellie Kendrick (Meera Reed), and Kristian Nairn (Hodor); Prosthetics Supervisor Barrie Gower, Camera Operators Chris Plevin and Ben Wilson, and Executive Producer Bernadette Caulfield  – Disc 2
  • Episode 606: Director Jack Bender, Director of Photography Jonathan Freeman, John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), and Hannah Murray (Gilly) – Disc 3
  • Episode 607: Producer/Writer Bryan Cogman, Ian McShane (Septon Ray), and Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell) – Disc 3
  • Episode 608: Director Mark Mylod, Essie Davis (Lady Crane), and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) – Disc 3
  • Episode 609 (2 commentaries): Director Miguel Sapochnik, Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), and Kit Harington (Jon Snow); Director of Photography Fabian Wagner, Visual Effects Producer Steve Kullback, and Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Bauer – Disc 4
  • Episode 610 (2 commentaries): Executive Producers/Writers David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), and Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister); Special Effects Supervisor Sam Conway, Camera Operator Sean Savage, and Producer Chris Newman – Disc 4
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 11:08, Disc 4) – Here we have a total of four deleted scenes.

 

It seems every year this package gets a little lighter and like the new Apple MacBook Pro the Blu-ray set this year is as thin as it has ever been.  Here’s what it all looks like outside of its retail wrapper.

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Summary 

This kind of conclusion in my Game of Thrones Blu-ray reviews has been a tradition now for three consecutive years.  If Peyton Manning and John Elway can go out a champions, then why can’t I with these reviews?  Like usual I’m actually going to steal from myself and copy how I ended my Season 3 through 5 Blu-ray reviews.  So let’s end this review with a 3-point recap as to why Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season is a MUST-OWN on the Blu-ray format.  The below list is positively three main reasons why you need to hit that pre-order link down below.

1. You are getting one of the most amazing shows on television today in respect to breadth of storytelling, production value, cinematography and acting.  And let’s not forget that one episode of the season that always promises and delivers one one hell of an action thrill ride.  Best of all as we are winding down on seasons here this sixth out is even more action packed than previous years.
2. This Blu-ray box set contains 4 Dual-Layer 50GB Blu-ray discs that houses hours upon hours of bonus material not to mention the complete ten episode season in pristine 1080p picture and DOLBY ATMOS HD surround  sound PLUS a redemption code for HD Digital Copies in both the iTunes format and UltraViolet PLUS it’s all housed in a fancy package too filled with very nice looking self portraits of three main characters (see screenshots above).  For that Amazon price tag down below, this is an absolute steal!  Don’t you think?  It’s like HBO is paying you to take this off their hands.
3. You know you want to help support our site so we are able to keep it running as smoothly and efficiently as possible to deliver robust, kick-@$$ reviews like this, don’t you?  Of course you do and everyone here at WSB thank you for your generosity, time and support!  Enjoy!

Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season came out in retail stores November 15th, but you can order it here and ensure that it’s on your doorstep waiting for you when you get home from a hard day of work.

 

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It’s Just Another Day At The Office When

Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season

Debuts Early on HBO Blu-ray w/ Digital HD

November 15th!

ORDER NOW!

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