The Pacific

Batutta

Batutta

Major Contributor
The premiere episode aired today and it's off to a solid start. I thought they jumped into the combat a little too quickly, would like to have gotten to know the characters a little more, but I'm told the series really gets going in episode three. The sound was spectacular in 5.1, and it was nice to see the kid from Jurassic Park all grow'd up.
 
It seemed a bit short to me. I didn't time it or anything but I didn't get to know the characters much or the situation. I did think the sound was good. I hope it gets better soon.
 
Yeah I was actually glad that we got some fighting in episode 1 because I was watching it with a bunch of friends who weren't really interested. You can imagine how that goes... me sitting there hoping they're all entertained.

But once the Naval battle started roaring I think they all got into it. Overall, a pretty good episode but maybe not the strongest opener.

I can't wait to see more though. I read a book about Chesty Puller when I was about 12 years old and remember thinking... "This guys is THE MAN."
 
Zblock said:
I can't wait to see more though. I read a book about Chesty Puller when I was about 12 years old and remember thinking... "This guys is THE MAN."
Click to expand...

Sorry, I can't hear the name Chesty Puller and not think that sounds like a porn name. I guess it was cool back in the day.
 
The second episode was pretty good, but I think what's been bothering me is that in Band of Brothers we seemed to get to know the characters better before they were thrown into combat. There was an escalation to the way it played out. However, I read that a part of this series was going to be about how the soldiers dealt with life back home after the war, in which case the way they are structuring things makes sense. We'll see if it pays off.
 
CallaghanFilms said:
Diggin' it so far...but it just can't bear any comparison to Band of Brothers. Magic like Band can't be invoked again. EVER.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

My biggest problem is they seem to be taking the same template and just applying it half a world away.

It's very noticeable in the dialogue. The whole some is super serious because we are in war and then someone with a thick New York accent comes in and cracks a joke we all laugh at, until we mention someone who was just killed last episode and then we get sad again.

Seems worn out.
 
I'm really enjoying this series. It is starting to echo the greatness of Band of Brothers. The characters are starting to stand out and the show has really hit its stride in the second episode. The third episode was awesome and totally different from the first two episodes. I think when all is said and done, The Pacific will be on par with Band of Brothers.

The worst thing about this is that it is only going to be 10 episodes, but then again, Band of Brothers was 10 as well and is easily the best TV miniseries ever created.
 
Last edited:
I'm still not loving it. There's no standout character for me. I felt Damian Lewis was the glue that held together Band of Brothers. It's magnificently produced but I'm just not being drawn in emotionally.
 
Batutta said:
I'm still not loving it. There's no standout character for me. I felt Damian Lewis was the glue that held together Band of Brothers. It's magnificently produced but I'm just not being drawn in emotionally.
Click to expand...


Couldn't agree more.

It is good, but not as great as BOB.

And this is coming from a former Marine.
 
I think the interviews with the vets, in addition to the magnificently choreographed battle scenes, are the most compelling features of this series. If the goal of Hanks and Spielberg was for their viewership to marvel at WWII vets' courage, they've certainly succeeded. However, as mentioned previously, the stories are not wholly satisfying emotionally. Part of the reason why may be the series' tendency to broadcast its moves well in advance, with episode eight's death of Basilone serving as a prime example.
 
Just thinking over it some more, Band of Brothers focused on a single regiment through the war from beginning to end and that gave it a narrative clarity that The Pacific is missing. The stories here seem more episodic and scattershot and the character relationships not as strong.
 
I had high hopes for this series and was REALLY looking forward to it.

Generally speaking I haven't found it to be very compelling. All of the ingredients feel like they're in place but it seems to lack a clear narrative through line. That combined with far less defined characters/relationships make it enough for me to loss empathy for the situation at hand.

Also, there was a certain level of naivety in how the characters behaved and reacted in BoB that doesn't seem to be present in the Pacific. Now I could be dead wrong but these characters feel kinda jaded and more "informed" than they should have been - almost like how they would behave in the Vietnam or Korean war time frame. There's something a little too barbaric about digging the gold from the dead Japanese soldiers teeth - that scene just didn't play for me. It felt very insert "horrors of war" scene here.


It's okay but no where close to BoB.



dmc
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top