A Major Disappointment

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Mini Series like The Pacific are one of a kind just like its European counterpart Band of Brothers is. They both serve a purpose. While more and more of the surviving veterans who fought both wars are leaving us to join their fallen brothers, those two are keeping their memories for the next generations to come. They are reminding us of their sacrifices, their bravery and most importantly to remind us that they went into harms way so the world can finally leave in peace again.As a great grand daughter of one of those heroes, I thank you, Steven and Tom, for serving that noble cause. We should never forget those heroes who witnessed death at each step they took, losing many of their friends and sometimes siblings while getting wounded themselves.My great grandfather never talked much about what he saw but we could feel that it's something that haunted him for the rest of his life. He didn't consider himself as a hero but just as a young man willing to do his duty. I'm so proud of him and all his brothers who fought alongside him. I miss him so much. ♥So there is no need to compare both The Pacific and Band of Brothers because they are both an amazing tribute to the ones we call the Greatest Generation. Through them, we saw the ugliness of war and how mankind can be able to display unbelievable cruelty to each other. When you see Snafu digging gold through the denture of a dead Japanese or the horrible manslaughter of a Banzai charge, it takes you to the guts and you realize how traumatizing that war was and we should fight to never allow such a bloodshed again.So thank you Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg for reminding us that terrible truth in an age where war still rages on a lesser scale but still claims lives everyday. It seems we still have much to learn.

I sooooooo wanted to like this. I've seen Band Of Brothers maybe a dozen times, some long stretches of weekends where all I do is watch one thru ten. I was excited for this, I mean come on another 10 episodes just like BoB??? Sorrily, no. The acting is horrendous, the lines the soldiers say are incredibly trite and cliché, it's almost laughable. The main characters? I don't have a clue what their names are, never really cared no matter how hard I tried to care. BoB I knew them, their stories, their friendships, etc, but this? It seemed like they hired nothing but unknown actors to jump on the BoB hype to make as much money as possible. They knew A list actors would need lots of $$$, so they saved it by hiring nobodies. And I'm sorry, these guys are bad. So very very bad. I have had this series for years now, never making it past the 4th episode, but now I'm finally watching it straight through and so extremely distressed about the poor acting. Graphics are so so, nothing to write home about.

About a week ago, I decided to use On Demand to watch "The Pacific." So over the course of a couple nights I watched several episodes and eventually reached the final one – no. 10 -- on Mon. night. The time period was obviously circa the mid-1940s. The gist was the return home of the main character, Robert Leckie, and that home happened to be Bergen County, N.J. where his dad was the editor-in-chief of the "The Bergen Record" newspaper. It is also where I grew up.The younger Leckie visited his father's office at the paper and made it clear he wanted to replace the current sports writer at the Record who wasn't doing a very good job. In response, his father asked when he wanted to start his new job. Leckie answered, (slightly paraphrased maybe), "This afternoon would be perfect. Bergen Catholic plays Don Bosco Prep." My credibility meter went crazy.I attended BC high school and was a member of its FIRST graduating class in 1959. I also was a member of its first football team and scored the first touchdown in school history in 1958. DUH!!! Plus, although DB did exist in the 1940s, I don't think that school had a football program until the late 1950s either.

Ostensively, this follows 3 marines and their individual stories in the Pacific during WWII. Bob Leckie (James Badge Dale) is a small town reporter who join the marines at the start. Eugene Sledge (Joseph Mazzello) is a 90 pound weakling whose parents are reluctant to allow him to join. John Basilone (Jon Seda) comes from an Italian family who becomes a famous war hero.Right off the bat, this must be compared to 'Band of Brothers'. While they are both WWII mini-series focused on the soldiers, they really hit on two different tones. BoB is more patriotic, more action oriented, and the story flow with a natural climax. This one still has the overwhelming action but it's muddier, grittier, and uglier. At times, this feels like a Vietnam war movie or a tough Korean movie. Unlike BoB, the last episode of this series is possibly the most emotionally tough. BoB can be an adventure thriller at times but 'The Pacific' is always a psychological grind. The only problem I have is the third episode where they spend the whole episode in Melbourne. It has some interesting stories but it's a waste to spend the whole episode there. Leckie gets a girl but they don't even stay together. For most of the Pacific, there are some great stories and impressive action. It's just a different style of war TV show.