Game of Thrones will no longer be too dark on HBO Max thanks to a new feature implemented to the show being on the service.
Game of Thrones Season 8 was criticised for many different reasons. Some thought the story was rushed, others didn’t like how some characters acted, and many felt the writing was poor compared to previous seasons. But one specific criticism was aimed at an episode called The Long Night, where our cast faces off against the Night King’s army.
For eight seasons, the arrival of the Night King and his army of Wights and White Walkers was built up, slowly rising to a huge conclusion at Winterfell. But when it finally arrived, the battle was sullied by incredibly dark scenes where it was difficult to even make out what was happening on screen.
Samit Sarkar, Deputy Managing Editor for Polygon, researched why The Long Night was such a dark episode. It came down to a mixture of the filmmaker’s creative vision and the limitations of television – but more importantly, HDR.
HDR on HBO Max
HDR allows for a clearer image, and HBO have now added this to their streaming service. HBO Max users can watch Game of Thrones in 4K with HDR colour. That means those dark scenes in The Long Night will be a little easier to watch.
While it won’t do much to relieve fan’s criticisms for Season 8, it’ll make re-watching a slightly nicer time on HBO Max. But HBO are keen to move past Game of Thrones and onto House of the Dragon, their new prequel show. It follows House Targaryen in the time when they still ruled Westeros.
The show has a lot of work to do before earning back the trust of viewers, but so far it’s looking extremely high quality. And importantly, not too dark. Hopefully the writing can match the quality of the visuals.
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Featured Image Credit: HBO
Source: Polygon