I think the final season of Game of Thrones gets a partially undeserved bad rep. While I do think the show would have benefitted from having its regular (up to that point) ten-episode run, or even a thirteen-episode run to really flesh out the story, I do not have a problem that they ended the show without wrapping everything up in a nice little bow, or had everything play out as expected. Although, if you watch the behind-the-scenes material on the last disc, you will find out that the show largely ends the way George RR Martin intends to end the books, even though the path to get to that ending point may be different.

Going into the final season there were essentially two remaining storylines, first the coming battle with the white walkers, and second, the battle to rule the seven kingdoms. The first I think was pulled off almost flawlessly (aside from the really (visually) dark third episode of the season, but the behind-the-scenes material makes clear there was a reason for that, in which the battle takes place). The second, in the last three episodes, would have been better if it played out over six or seven episodes instead of just three, which would have allowed for a much better payoff. Given how large a cash cow the show was to HBO, the showrunners absolutely could have got as many episodes as they wanted for the final season, and I definitely think it was a mistake to do a six-episode run.

I will not spoil the overall outcome of who lives and dies. If you have seen the show up to this point, you know that several main characters have died in every prior season, and this one is no different. Who does and how may not appeal to everyone, but realistically there was probably not ever going to be an ending that was going to make everyone happy.

For those who get the 4k set, the show looks and sounds great on the format, especially if you have a large screen TV and a good sound system. There are three regular blu-rays and three UHD blu rays. For extras, as in prior seasons, every episode has a commentary track with member(s) of the crew and/or cast. It also includes deleted scenes and behind the scenes and making-of featurettes (including The Last Watch which aired the week after the finale). A decent amount of material for those who like going through the extras. As for the packaging, this one is a steel-book packaging with the three regular blu rays on one side and the UHD discs on the other, stacked on top of each other. They are not all that easy to get out, and you have to be careful when taking them out of the seating.

It is a payoff season for a great show. Certainly, not everyone loved it, or will love it, but despite the stupid petition to re-shoot the final season (which gets mocked in one of the commentary tracks), it is the ending that was made. If you got the other blu-ray sets then chances are you will get either this one or the regular set despite what you thought of how the show ended. If however, you were never all that into the show, then this season is definitely not going to change your mind. It is still very violent, as much so as the prior seasons. The sex was toned down a lot, mainly because of the various battles that occurred during the season. While I do think the season had its issues, I believe it is better seeing it a second time around all at once.

Season 8 joins Season 1 in being the only Game of Thrones available so far in 4k Ultra HD. HBO released The Complete Series day-and-date with Season 8, but the collected seasons are only available on 1080p Blu-ray. You can imagine HBO is working on upgrading Seasons 2-7, and maybe even planning a boxed set. But for now, all we have are the first and final seasons to view in 4k.

Season 8 of Game of Thrones also happens to be unique for its much talked about and obscure third episode titled "The Long Night," which should have been called "The Dark Night" given how dark Director of Photography Fabian Wagner rendered the scene. Social media erupted with complaints about the visibility of the episode, which also suffered from some video banding (also called posterization) over broadcast and On-Demand viewing.

The Ultra HD Blu-ray edition of Game of Thrones Season 8 is helpful in increasing the brightness and overall visibility of the episodes. HDR on the UHD BD edition is delivered in Dolby Vision. This allows a 10-bit color depth as opposed to 8-bit depth with the 1080p Blu-ray edition. So, you not only get more sharpness at 2160p but also more range in brightness, luminance, color vibrancy, and contrast.

Dolby Atmos is also a plus (available on both Blu-ray and 4k Blu-ray). You'll need an audio system and 4k Blu-ray player that supports it (most 4k BD players do), but the setup and cost for DV is well worth it. If your system doesn't support Atmos though, you can get 7.1 or 5.1 channel audio, or lower 2.1 channels on soundbars and TVs.

Good movie

Game of Thrones, Season Eight Steel Book Edition provides the viewer with an emersive home entertainment experience. The 4K UHD and Dolby Atmos formats provide the finest image and sound quality available. This product is highly recommended for Game of Thrones fans.

This is a review of the steelbook hardware only, not the content.
-The steelbook looks good with its matte finish and has one of the most unique features of the dozens of steelbooks I own. It comes with a heavy magnetic sculptured plaque that exactly matches the front cover. The 3 dimensional aspect of it really makes it stand out from other steelbooks. Very cool.

There are some negatives that prevent this from being a 5 star presentation:
-The magnet on the badge is weak so you likely will find it slipping down on your steelbook. I stuck a neodymium magnet in between so it will stay in place.
-The bluray 1080p discs are the same black color as the 4k discs. On most other sets, the 1080p discs are blue or some other non-black color. I'm sure there are a lot of people unknowingly watching the 1080p version given how similar the discs look.
-The 4k discs will not default to Atmos. Make sure you select Atmos and confirm you are watching Atmos. I've only watched the first episode so far but there is a ton of overhead content (spoiler: dragons).

OVERALL
First and foremost, make doubly sure you are watching 4k and Atmos if your system supports it. The steelbook case is really nice steelbook with the magnetic plaque on the front.