Game Of Thrones - The Complete Seventh Season

Oh, those pesky Whitewalkers; they've stolen our wonderful show full of intrigue and scintillating conversation from us and turned Season 7 into -- gasp! -- an action series. The abbreviated seventh season of the HBO juggernaut (seven episodes total, rather than ten) is, pound for dragon pound, brimming with battles. It is, nonetheless, a transitional season, evolving a battle for a single crown into a battle for life itself as the dead march on Westerns; and it suffers from the aforementioned abbreviation in the form of hasty characterizations and disjointed timelines.

Nonetheless, nearly every episode is a triumph of writing, performance, design and special effects. Those who felt GoT was too "wordy" in previous seasons will appreciate the acceleration as the series sets up for its final (even more abbreviated) bow in 2019. Winter is here, and for more than a year, you'll just have to keep watching... and hoping that the Night King has his comeuppance all planned out by the show runners. After all, there's got to be a price to pay for that slick little move in the lake beyond the wall.

By way of special features, the Blu-Ray set has a number, but they lack the full-length behind-the-scenes deep-dive we expect from modern motion pictures; no doubt they're saving this for future cuts of the completed series. But you've got two new featurettes which whet the appetite, from an art department two-parter to a book behind the invasion of Westeros. For digital folk, an additional featurette breaks apart the massive ice battle of Episode 6 -- it's totally worth a watch if you have the tech to reach it.

A separate disc entitled "Conquest & Rebellion: An Animated History of the Seven Kingdoms" is probably the most entertaining of the lot, given that it sheds light on Aegon Targaryen's conquest of the seven kingdoms prior to the show's timeline. It's narrated by favorites Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Aiden Gillen, Conleth Hill, Sophie Turner and Harry Lloyd (he of the golden head), so it's also a joy to hear. Perhaps a harbinger of a new HBO series to come? We'll have to wait and see.

Regardless, you know you want to watch this season (again). It's some of the best television -- ever. Winter is here, so now's the time to binge.

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Blu-ray� & DVD Exclusive Bonus Features Include:

Conquest & Rebellion: An Animated History of the Seven Kingdoms- From the "Game of Thrones" realm comes the never-before-seen story of the tumultuous events that shaped the world of Westeros for thousands of years before the series start. Cast members Pilou Asb�k (Euron Greyjoy), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Aidan Gillen (Littlefinger), Conleth Hill (Varys), Harry Lloyd (Viserys Targaryen) and Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) team up to narrate the animated telling of Aegon Targaryen's attempts to conquer the Seven Kingdoms, written by show writer Dave Hill.

From Imagination to Reality: Inside the Art Department- Extensive two-part featurette detailing the astonishing work of Production Designer Deborah Riley and her Art Department, dissecting the process behind the creation of this season's incredible new sets, including Dragonstone, Casterly Rock, Highgarden, the Dragonpit, and more.

Fire & Steel: Creating the Invasion of Westeros- Revisit this season's most pivotal moments with this behind-the-scenes featurette, including interviews with key cast and crew breaking down how fans' favorite moments were created.

Audio Commentaries- Commentaries on every episode with cast and crew including David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Jacob Anderson, Gwendoline Christie, Liam Cunningham, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, and more.

Blu-ray� Exclusive Bonus Features Include:

Histories and Lore- 7 new animated pieces that give the history and background of notable season 7 locations and storylines including The Dragonpit, Highgarden, Prophecies of the Known World, the Rains of Castamere and more all narrated by cast members including Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Aidan Gillen, Iain Glen and more.

In-Episode Guides- In-feature resource that provides background information about on-screen characters and locations.

Digital Download Exclusive Bonus Features Include:

Creating the North and Beyond- Behind-the-scenes featurette delving into the massive undertaking of creating and filming the battle in Episode 6 of Season 7.

GAME OF THRONES�: THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON
Blu-ray + Digital
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