Hollywood Reporter and IGN on GoT's Pilot

Article from Hollywood Reporter by Tim Goodman:

Actor Sean Bean leads David Benioff and D.B. Weiss' small-screen adaptation of George R.R. Martin's bestselling "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels.

Barely a few minutes into HBO’s epic Game of Thrones series, it’s clear that the hype was right and the wait was worth it.

Based on the bestselling fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin – often referred to as “the American Tolkien” – HBO is betting that fans of The Lord of the Rings will come to this for a sprawling, interwoven tale of feuding families, swords, sex, carnage, beasts, frayed loyalties, deception, intrigue and the pursuit of power.

As well they should. Game of Thrones has all the elements (many described above) that lure viewers to shows like The Sopranos, et al. That it’s a fantasy series shouldn’t scare anyone away, because – like Lord of the Rings – there’s a real allure to costume-dramas that pair dense mythology with all of the crowd-pleasing elements of war, honor, pride, lust, power and, yes, even humor. Thrones has all of those in spades and supports them with exceptional storytelling, strong writing, superb acting and some stunning visual effects.

Writers and executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will certainly have their hands full dealing with die-hard fans on what they got right or wrong (or left out or put in that may have not been in the books), but they have the backing of Martin, who worked closely with the duo, and that should count for a lot. Perhaps more important to those people who haven’t read the books or heard much about this series, Benioff and Weiss kick things off immediately – with action, blood-shed and eeriness. Director Tim Van Patten creates a beautiful, haunting, visual template of vast expanses (Northern Ireland, Malta), white snow and dark shadows while also allowing the visual effects to pack a wallop.

That kind of start to the 10-part series was essential because Game of Thrones is a complicated story with numerous characters and a dense, interwoven back-story. Though it demands attention, Thrones never once bogs down. It’s the kind of drama where, when the first episode ends, you wish the nine others were immediately available. And that validates HBO’s notion that television is the perfect medium for a fantasy series done right. Getting Martin’s Thrones, the gold-standard, could end up landing HBO its next franchise.

Thrones is set in the fictional land of Westeros, where various clans – or houses -- have lived and fought for generations in different realms, until the Targaryens invaded and united the Seven Kingdoms under the Iron Throne. Now, years later, there’s a battle for the throne.

Right from the start, Thrones starts telling as many as four stories, involving the House Stark, run by Lord Eddard Stark (Sean Bean, who will be familiar to Lord of the Rings” fans); House Baratheon, run by King Robert Baratheon (the wonderful Mark Addy), House Lannister, which is linked to House Baratheon because Queen Cersei Baratheon (Lena Headey) was born a Lannister; and the exiled House Targaryen, where Prince Viserys Targaryen III (Harry Lloyd) wants to reclaim the Iron Throne and all Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. To do that, he’ll need an army, which is why he wants his sister, Princess Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) to marry Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), who leads a tribe of vicious warrior horsemen.

Got that?

It’s actually not as confusing as it may sound. And there are more than a few unexpected surprises and even humorous detours (mostly provided by Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister whose whoring and drinking knows no bounds). A great series should challenge viewers to pay attention, to connect dots and anticipate connections. Thrones manages a superior complexity without ever making you think that you’ve lost the connection to the story. It’s paced with precision and the carefully crafted assemblage of characters unspools at such a rate that you can keep up while keeping tabs on their ever changing moods.

What that means, essentially, is that there’s a tight grip on the storytelling and a real understanding of who each person is – traits that make the complexity easier to bear.

It’s difficult to single out the most accomplished parts of Thrones. The ambition is immense, the fantasy world exceptionally well-conceived, the writing and acting elevating the entire series beyond contemporaries like The Borgias and Camelot, and the visual appeal continues to surprise with each episode.

What we have here is the successful pairing of an acclaimed collection of fantasy books with a television series that illuminates and expands what’s on the page.

Worth the wait? Absolutely. And even if you have no idea what all the fuss is about, you should get in from the start to absorb Martin’s fantastical tale.

And an excerpt from IGN's review, mentioning Lena's Cersei:

Because the chapters in Martin's book take place from specific characters points of view, there are added scenes in this series, between people who never spoke in the book, in order to texturize the proceedings. Namely, you'll see more scenes involving the Lannisters – Queen Cersei's (Lena Headey) family – as they tend to remain in the background in some of the earlier parts of the book series. You'll see scenes between Cersei and Cat and Ned and Cersei's twin-brother Jaime that allow the viewer to identify them as ruthless antagonists right off the bat. Well, especially the "Kingslayer," Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who wanders around the dank grounds of Winterfell like a brash prig. I also like that you do get a sense, very briefly, of sympathy for Cersei, as she's bound to sit in her regal position and watch her boorish Robert drink and whore right in front of her. Not that she loves him, but one of the great things about Thrones is that, for the most part, everyone's had a miserable life. And so the cruelty they impose on others isn't born in a vacuum. It's just an unbreakable cycle.