Plenty has been said and written about this year’s finale of HBO’s wildly successful series Game of Thrones. Whether or not you enjoyed writers David Benioff’s and D.B. Weiss’ take on the conclusion of the saga — a result of the show outpacing source material A Song of Ice and Fire by author George R. R. Martin — the eighth season box set is a worthwhile pickup for any fan of the epic saga.
Released last week on Dec. 3 and just in time for Christmas, the most sought after version of the collection is a special 4K Ultra HD SteelBook — which is wrapped in some cool Winterfell-themed packaging, complete with souvenir sigil magnet, as a nod to the season eight opener. It’s also being offered in a less fancy Blu-ray format for a few bucks cheaper.
In addition to the 75 episodic hours of content there is, as expected, a lot of bonus video included on the discs. The most notable is the two-part documentary titled “Game of Thrones: The Last Watch.” Filmmaker Jeanie Finlay chronicles the making of what’s considered the most ambitious and complicated season of the series. Viewers can look forward to seeing Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) and many, many more behind the scenes.
Another not-to-be-missed extra is “When Winter Falls,” a 30-minute featurette with Benioff and Weiss who deep dive into the filming of the “Battle of Winterfell.” Taking place in episode three, the massive production was an 11-week project involving all night shoots in freezing temperatures.
Others include “Duty is the Death of Love,” a break-down of the finale “The Iron Throne,” 10 audio commentaries by cast and crew, five never-before-seen deleted and extended scenes, and “Histories and Lore,” a collection of animated shorts giving the history and background of important locations and storylines.
Pick up the 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Steelbook on Amazon.ca now for $64.99.