{"id":6333,"date":"2019-04-15T22:42:29","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T22:42:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog-proxy.atomtickets.com\/?p=6333"},"modified":"2019-04-18T18:42:03","modified_gmt":"2019-04-18T18:42:03","slug":"11-movies-to-ease-the-pain-once-game-of-thrones-ends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/movies-to-watch-when-game-of-thrones-ends","title":{"rendered":"11 Movies To Ease The Pain Once &#8216;Game Of Thrones&#8217; Ends"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For\u00a0<em>Game of Thrones<\/em> fans, winter is finally here and, coming with it, is the end to one of the most popular and influential TV series in the history of the medium.<\/p>\n<p>When HBO&#8217;s flagship series signs off after its six final episodes this year, it will take with it one of the last shows to truly demand appointment viewing in the era of Peak TV. There is no show like it that compels audiences to watch it live the night of, together, in a communal experience. So, long story less long, when the series finale airs,\u00a0<em>Game of Thrones<\/em>&#8216;\u00a0absence will be deeply felt. As we rocket through its\u00a0final season, here are 11 epic movies to help soften the blow\/tide you over when the show retires to the Starks&#8217; crypt &#8211; presuming, of course, it survives the White Walkers&#8217; conquest.<\/p>\n<div>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Braveheart\u2019 (1995)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Game of Thrones<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 bloody and epic aesthetic can be traced back to Mel Gibson\u2019s Best Picture winner. While William Wallace\u2019s revolution to free Scotland and unite its clans was a dragon-free affair, it was quite generous with its in-camera battles on horseback as armies of extras waged war in ways that would make the troops at Hardhome blush. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Troy\u2019 (2004)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IKQhUzxlml8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Director Wolfgang Peterson adaptation of Homer\u2019s epic poem <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Iliad<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is old-school, sword-and-sandals filmmaking at its finest &#8212; at least on a technical level. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Written by <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GoT<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> co-showrunner David Benioff before <em>Thrones<\/em> was a gleam in his eye, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Troy<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a dense, sprawling Greek tragedy centered on Achilles (Brad Pitt) and his mythic victories leading up to the siege of Troy by way of Trojan Horse. The political machinations and power plays that Benioff invested many of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thrones<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 storylines with are showcased here, as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Troy<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> unfolds with a spectacle largely done in-camera and with limited CG enhancement.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;300&#8217; (2005)<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p>Prior to\u00a0<em>Game of Thrones<\/em>,\u00a0<em>300<\/em> was the torch bearer for R-rated swords and spears and arrows action. Zack Snyder&#8217;s emotionally underserved but visually over-amped adaptation of Frank Miller&#8217;s graphic novel is a style-over-substance take on the Spartan army&#8217;s massive\u00a0Battle of Thermopylae and Persian War campaigns. The film did for under-cranking action scenes what\u00a0<em>The Matrix<\/em> did for Bullet Time.<\/p>\n<div>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Stardust\u2019 (2007)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kingsman<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> director Matthew Vaughn\u2019s underrated fantasy, based on the Neil Gaiman book, is a whimsical, PG-13 antidote to the hard R-rated action and violence of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Game of Thrones<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Both this movie and the series share a knack for the theatrical and clever banter among diverse and interesting characters, however, to help ensure a smooth transition into a post-<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GoT<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0world. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018A Knight\u2019s Tale\u2019 (2001)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zH6U5y086hw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Director and Oscar-winning screenwriter Brian Helgeland (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LA Confidential<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) turned the late Heath Ledger into a movie star with his medieval action movie set to purposefully anachronistic rock \u2018n roll songs. On paper, the movie sounds at least six different types of crazy. But in execution, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Knight\u2019s Tale<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is as entertaining as it is charming, thanks in large part to Ledger\u2019s winning portrayal of knight-to-be William Thatcher and early performances by Paul Bettany, Alan Tudyk, and &#8211; in a coincidental twist &#8211; Mark Addy, who would later go on to play Robert Baratheon himself. Plus, the jousting scenes are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">*chef\u2019s kiss.*<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Excalibur\u2019 (1981)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Director John Boorman\u2019s slow-burn take on the classic King Arthur legend is a disturbing, violent affair that doesn\u2019t shy away from the source material\u2019s more fantastical aspects. With memorable production and costume design, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Excalibur<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a visually significant experience in the pantheon of movies about the Sword in the Stone. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From its extra-shiny suits of armor to its sweeping vistas, this piece of \u201880s nostalgia more than holds up almost 40 years since its release. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018The Lord Of The Rings\u2019 Trilogy (2001 &#8211; 2003)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The success of Peter Jackson\u2019s Oscar-winning epics helped pave the way for fantasy to find a home in prime time television by way of HBO\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Game of Thrones<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Audiences exposure to the land of orcs, elves, and Hobbits served as a gateway drug to Westeros\u2019 land of dragons, White Walkers and sellswords. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GoT<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> fans suffering from epic battle withdrawal once the show signs off can turn to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Two Towers<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 Battle of Helm\u2019s Deep to get their fix of clanging swords and strategic warfare involving man, woman, and beast.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Gladiator\u2019 (2000)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/owK1qxDselE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tonally, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gladiator<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a solid companion to the more noble heroics <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GoT<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> showcases in between the series\u2019 more Machiavellian storylines. Ridley Scott\u2019s celebrated Best Picture winner harkens back to the days of Cecil B. Demille-esque pageantry, at a time just before Hollywood blockbusters would numb audiences with near-constant assaults of CG spectacle standing in for the real thing. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minus a few video game-level instances of computer imagery, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gladiator<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> largely delivers on its practical stunts and set pieces &#8212; all bolstered by Russell Crowe\u2019s star-making turn as general-turned-gladiatorial-combatant Maximus Decimus Meridius. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Spartacus\u2019 (1960)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Almost 60 years since it was released, Stanley Kubrick\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spartacus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is still the standard bearer all sword-and-sandals epics are measured by. Extravagant production values and an iconic performance from screen legend Kirk Douglas secured this classic a permanent spot on the list of Hollywood\u2019s greatest movies ever made. Kubrick\u2019s anamorphic vision captures both the visual splendor and the emotional nuance of Spartacus\u2019 plight, as the slave leads a rebellion to become an unlikely hero and savior. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201813 Assassins\u2019 (2011)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Honor and blood oaths are cornerstones of many of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Game of Thrones<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 narrative threads. The only movie that comes close to achieving the series level of drama regarding those threads is director Takashi Miike\u2019s remake of the 1963 black-and-white Japanese film. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Miike\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">13 Assassins<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is more than just blood splatter and sword fighting; it\u2019s a slow-burn, brooding, men-on-a-mission movie about 12 samurai and one hunter\u2019s secret plot to take down the evil leader of the Akashi clan. The film\u2019s final battle, a collection of mini victories and defeats, is on par with the best action scenes <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thrones<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ever produced. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018The Count of Monte Cristo\u2019 (2002)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PEyyvJ-djYQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attention must be paid to Director Kevin Reynolds (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) and star Jim Cavizel\u2019s underrated adaptation of Alexandar Dumas\u2019 classic tale of revenge and romance. Wrongfully imprisoned, Edmond Dantes takes the Lannister\u2019s credo of always repaying one\u2019s debts to heart by setting out on a lengthy journey to re-enter the world and take vengeance on those that temporarily took him out of it. The film\u2019s exceptional swordplay and witty script are standouts, as is Guy Pearce\u2019s love-to-hate turn as the villainous <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fernand Mondego.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For\u00a0Game of Thrones fans, winter is finally here and, coming with it, is the end to one of the most popular and influential TV series in the history of the medium. When HBO&#8217;s flagship series signs off after its six final episodes this year, it will take with it one of the last shows to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":6340,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[40,37],"class_list":["post-6333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial","tag-featuredpage","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6333"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6333\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6356,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6333\/revisions\/6356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}