“The Pacific” is a miniseries that raises the bar for HBO’s already-stellar reputation. From start to finish, the miniseries effectively mixes together brutality, terror, emotion and realism into one perfectly-constructed blend.
The series follows the stories of three U.S. marines and their experiences in the Pacific theatre of WWII; Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale), John Basilone (Jon Seda), and Eugene Sledge (Joe Mazzello). The series follows the three marines and their respective squad-mates across the grueling island-hopping campaign between the U.S. marines and the imperial Japanese army that took place in the Pacific theatre. From Guadalcanal to Okinawa, these soldiers endure torments at every turn, both physical and psychological.
The series is filled to the brim with suspenseful and shaking scenes that can leave even the most steadfast of viewers shaking in their seats. There was one scene in particular during the ninth episode when Sledge
(Mazzello) weeps as he cradles a mortally-wounded Japanese civilian in his arms. As an avid, stoic viewer of war movies, I can shamelessly say that the scene alone left me on the verge of tears. Similar scenes throughout the series show that although there is a great deal of action and special effects, there is an equally large array of emotion and tear-jerking sorrow that the audience feels when they are looking into the lives of these soldiers and what they endured.
(Mazzello) weeps as he cradles a mortally-wounded Japanese civilian in his arms. As an avid, stoic viewer of war movies, I can shamelessly say that the scene alone left me on the verge of tears. Similar scenes throughout the series show that although there is a great deal of action and special effects, there is an equally large array of emotion and tear-jerking sorrow that the audience feels when they are looking into the lives of these soldiers and what they endured.
The series is largely based around the true accounts by Sledge in his memoir “With the Old Breed”, and Leckie’s “Helmet for my Pillow”, as well as other interviews and accounts by surviving veterans of the Pacific.
The 10-part miniseries was produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg along with much of the same production crew that brought the acclaimed HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers” to television screens. The producer duo, who got their first taste of WWII escapades in “Saving Private Ryan”, have become quite seasoned in the art of creating a realistic world that we average people can scarcely comprehend.
The Review: 8.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment