Fantastic!

I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

(Flash Review)While changing tact a little, The Pacific is impossible not to compare to Band of Brothers as it focuses more on the psychology of war rather than a deep immersion of characters. That change of tact made it hard for me to get as emotionally invested in the series. The characters were also flawed and occasionally unlikable, thus it took a while to emotionally connect with them if at all. The battles in the first few episodes occasionally felt repetitive and generic. Only toward the second half did character story lines develop as well as the amount of blood and gore; to the point of being unnecessary...and I've seen a large swath of war films. Aside from the stellar production quality, the most intriguing part were for the soldiers that survive long enough allow you to see their mental transitions through many battles. Fear to shock to horror to acceptance to recalibrating their own life's morality levels of humanity. A Thin Red Line is a similar comparison as it also focused on the mental aspects of being in war. Overall, this was very good and intense but lacked character emotional depth. Oh and I wish they gave specific titles to reach episode.

Pacific is done with a similar flair that Band of Brothers possessed, but doesn't have quite the same feel to it...and there is no reason it should really...The War in Europe, and The War in the Pacific, were totally different...and the overall tempo of the Pacific War is shown pretty much the way it was, in an island hopping campaign that never seemed to end...Where BoB tells a story of deep emotional ties, developed within an Army company of Paratroopers, Pacific tells a completely different story, one of young men who made the giant leap from civilian to Marine, in a very short time. There is a certain loyalty displayed, and patriotism, but each character is portrayed as an individual...the movie dwells a lot on the inner turmoil that every soldier had to deal with...One reviewer really slammed the series, for not being realistic...I would agree partially, but this wasn't supposed to just focus on how fanatical the Japanese were. Instead, it tries to paint a broader picture of how our young men reacted to the constant fighting...Frankly, I did like Pacific, more because I did not expect it to be another movie...

"The Pacific" is a very good TV series, some incredible cinematography, excellent staging and presentation of graphic battle scenes. It's the same time frame as BOB and tells the story as BOB did, of the citizen soldiers who came from all walks of life to quickly become soldiers, sailors and marines to fight the Axis powers from 1942-45. Of course, BOB is dealing with the European theater, from D-day to the eventual occupation of Germany, specifically through the life of Easy Company in the 101st Airborne. Meanwhile "The Pacific" is following the USMC in their island hopping campaigns, eventually leading to the occupation of Okinawa before the atomic bombs dropped on Japan forced their capitulation and undoubtedly saved perhaps 500K American casualties from an invasion of Japan.Having read the book a couple times and seeing BOB at least 4 times, my thoughts on why TP doesn't quite measure up:1] It's harder to follow and understand the story line. BOB uses a narrator in each of the episodes, usually the Lt/Capt/Maj Dick Winters character, who becomes the central focus, although each of the episodes is usually focusing on another character in Easy Company. It explains much better the background and objective of their various campaigns, such as the Normandy invasion and the subsequent battles to drive the Wehrmacht from Northern France, to the drops and battles in Holland, and then the Battle of the Bulge. TP shows us the gruesome invasions and carnage the USMC suffered in Guadalcanal, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, but doesn't delve much into the military objectives in taking these heavily fortified islands. Rather than focusing on one company, TP looks at these battles through 3 Marines, who have no connection to each other.2] The training sequence, which is always fascinating to learn how civilians are trained into becoming cohesive fighting men and build a camaraderie to not only depend but willingly sacrifice for each other, doesn't come until episode 8 "Iwo Jima" when Sgt. John Basilone, the hero of Guadalcanal and MOH recipient, volunteers to leave the cushy life style of speaking in bond drives to train new marine recruits. This was, BTW, my selection for the best episode in the series.Excellent performances from a young cast and thank goodness the producers of TP avoided the tendency of some many movie makers who fill war movies with a cast of actors in the 30's and 40's. The overwhelming majority of these soldiers were teenagers or young men in their early 20's.

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.