Saturday, March 05, 2016

A Game of Thrones vs. The Shannara Chronicles

I have not only read the books of both series but I have watchesd the shows so I figure that I am in a good position to comment on the shows. Let's compare the two series.

Casting

Game of Thrones - The people playing the parts were properly chosen. The young looked their age and so did the older folks.

The Shannara Chronicles -  Some of the cast was decent (such as John Rhys Davies as the king) but the three main players (and their sidekicks) left a lot to be desired. While Ivana Baquero looks to be her age, Austin Butler looks like he is fourteen while Poppy Drayton looks like she is forty in some scenes. (She will not age well.)

Theme Music

Game of Thrones - While only a cello is used for the theme, the music is deceptively complex and when mixed in with the imagery, makes for a memorable tune.

The Shannara Chronicles - A very forgettable piece of electropop autotune twaddle sung by a millenial that sounds like she dropped some quaaludes before taking up the mike.

Acting and Storyline Adherence

Game of Thrones - The acting is superb with several standouts. As for the complaints of excessive violence and nudity, the books are far more graphic. What sex scenes there are set the tone for the story and do not dominate the air time. After all, the series is about dynastic families struggling over who will ultimately hold power over the land. While there are some differences (and a distracted author), the show largely adheres to the novels.

The Shannara (Shagnara?) Chronicles - The major themes of the storyline are sacrificed so that a Twilight or Hunger Games style love triangle can be created. It also seems that in most every episiode, someone is sleeping with someone else and when there is a plot hole, shots of Ivana Baquero's ass are used to fill them, This show is nothing like the book it allegedly follows. The first book of the series was skipped over for because it didn't have a love story in it. The major theme of the second book was saving the lands from being overrun by demonkind, not people jumping into bed. I will give the series credit for smoothly incorporating magic and technology ruins and concepts but any future book adaptations need much more substance if it wants to be taken seriously.

Conclusion

Since I read the Shannara books, I know the answers to the questions posed regarding the first season but you need to be a young millenial to really enjoy The Shannara Chronicles.  If you seek a more realistic theme and better acting, then I recommend GOT. Don't ever expect TSC to be anything like GOT. (Even if MTV had HBO's free reign of content)

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