The Pacific HBO Miniseries DVD Movies

Product The Pacific HBO Miniseries DVD Movies Description

The Pacific is an epic 10-part miniseries that delivers a realistic portrait of WWII’s Pacific Theatre as seen through the intertwined odysseys of three U.S. Marines – Robert Leckie, John Basilone and Eugene Sledge. The extraordinary experiences of these men and their fellow Marines take them from the first clash with the Japanese in the haunted jungles of Guadalcanal, through the impenetrable rain firests of Cape Gloucester, across the blasted coral strongholds of Peleliu, up the black sand terraces of Iwo Jima, through the killing fields of Okinawa, to the triumphant, yet uneasy, return home after V-J Day. The viewer will be immersed in combat through the intimate perspective of this diverse, relatable group of men pushed to the limit in battle both physically and psychologically against a relentless enemy unlike any encountered before.

Customer The Pacific HBO Miniseries DVD Movies Reviews

I do not get or want to pay extra bucks to get HBO where I live in Montreal. But I did see part of one episode (can’t even tell you which one) while vacationning in Cuba of all places…yes Varadero Cuba and get this they also had CNN! Anyway…I had high expectations and like many of you was hoping for this series to be a second BOB, well BOB it is not. Perhaps we got attached to the men of Easy Company so much that our expectations were too high but I found that the actors in Pacific were just that, actors. In BOB they were soldiers. I did not see the sex scene and can not “appreciate” it’s pertinence but it is part of life and sometimes part of a soldier’s experience (yes even in WWII). What I find odd is that it seems perfectly acceptable to some to show graphic violence and totaly revolting to show graphic sex. People often die from violence, rarely from sex.

I watched the series on HBO. To say I was excited to watch it is an understatement. I loved BOB and I was hopeful this series would be as good or better. It is not. It has some very good aspects to it and some compelling stories. However, it does not have the scope or inspirational qualities of BOB. There is very much time spent on backstory and the “homefront” which is interesting and “real” but not compelling viewing. It seems story was sacrificed for “realism” and some of the episodes are boring and/or depressing. Again I’m sure this is what war was like and it is a perspective we need to have. However, it is not good cinema. The war in the Pacific was a brutal “no prisoners” sort of war and it was more brutal and nasty than the Western Front in WWII. Focusing on the problems that created for individual soldiers is necessary to give a true account of the conflict. I don’t see the need to have that issue take up an entire episode. The Pacific doesn’t give you a feel for the broad conflict and at times it felt like the rest of the war didn’t exist. After the first few episodes I no longer looked forward to watching the future episodes. I recorded the show when it was on HBO so I don’t need to buy it but I haven’t bothered to rewatch any of them anyway. Unlike BOB which I have watched and rewatched several times. I may pick up the Pacific on DVD when it hits the bargain bin which will probably be sooner than later since it is already heavily discounted and it hasn’t been released yet!

My wife and I had a somewhat hard time following the story at first – whether it be from us at first trying to compare it to the epic BOB or having 4 kids under 12 constantly interrupting us 40 times an hour. Regardless, it certainly isn’t the series with the issues. I thought some of the parts overdone as when some troops go over to Australia and one of the major characters has a relationship while on leave – this is where historian buffs will balk. Most of what happened in Australia never happened from my research and understanding. Also, the way the series portrays Basilone towards the end. Since many of you are reading this for an informed decision, I will go no further – I am just one of those historian purists that enjoys factual data versus Hollywood’s warping of the past. Many are minor in their scope overall however.

The character development and acting from everyone is well done and would risk to say some of the best I have seen in nearly every series. While it was initially harder for me to be drawn into these characters at first viewing for whatever the reasons, this series demands that I BUY it and give it a second to even a fifth look to capture all the subtle nuances that a series like this can provide. The CGI was completely undetectable from my unusually picky eyes as well. Hands down, this is the best you can get if this is the type of series you enjoy and would make a fantastic Fathers Day gift.

The blu ray version of this just looks awesome. The movie is based on real marines like the truly great John Basilone , he sets a standard that marines still look up to, but with all modern war flicks we do get two many scenes of people going nuts. Sure this happens but you only had ten hours here to compress several biograaphy books into a whole. However the pacific was savage on a whole other level with the japanese desire to take as many people with them making the marines view them as monsters that were no longer human. That is the fact of this situation which does get some play with mothers and babys strapped with bombs coming at the poor marines. Ok, this still shows how serving in some of the battles of the pacific that the survival rate was not so good. But beyond that you get a good feeling of the suffering and heartbreak that these men endured. They really suffered beyong the limits of human endurance and so did the really tough japanese soldiers. It is forgotten though that the japanese empire had become under tojo, a genocidal war machine bent on mass slaughter and the marines were not there for the same purposes , if the japanese had surrendered and not behaved the way they did then the whole thing wouldn’t have been tipped into the horror it was. One thing that this movie slides over is the fact that japanese slaughtered tons of civilians , however these flick cover the fighting on remote islands so we don’t get that perspective. This is worth seeing on many levels and the acting is superb from the whole cast who were really dedicated to this project. It’s a major achievement in some ways but it’s not perfect. The backstories are not boring either they are very real and to the point. The print looks great on this and you could do worse than own this blu ray set.

The Pacific is a much more artistic and fuller told story than Band of Brothers. The acting, writing, photography and direction of The Pacific are all superior. The difference is in the details. For example, the view of one of the main characters lying dead on Iwo Jima slowly pans back to show the many other Marines also lying dead or wounded there. When another scene shows another one of the main characters getting off a train, it also shows another Marine with his right arm missing walking close behind him. Perhaps the acting is better partly because the story focuses on only a few Marines during and after the war whereas you never really get to know any of the characters in depth in Band of Brothers. Everything really comes together in the tenth and last episode showing how various Marines adapted differently to civilian life after they return home. One vows to never wear his uniform again while another wears his to impress (and later marry) the girl across the street. The creators of The Pacific take their time to finish their story in this last episode and accordingly they leave a fine lasting impression of this masterpiece.

The Pacific deserves Kudos for what it did right with the 10 part miniseries that just finished airing on HBO. It started so strong with the fights at Guadancanal in episode 1 and 2. It focuses on 3 real life, well documented individuals, all completely different from each other. The realism was as incredible as HBOs other work in Band of Brothers. Though it dragged a bit in episode 3 and 4, the last few episodes were a triumph. The story of Eugene Sledge slowly losing his humanity and then trying to regain it that was incredibly poignant. The last episode finished on a very high note and made me glad I stuck with the series .

The problems I had with “The Pacific” were few but loom rather large in some viewers minds (as in tuning out this amazing series). The swearing was pretty thick at times. I know that this is how it was at times but it kinda shocks grandma and grandpa and adds nothing to the story. The episode in Melbourne, Australia had tons of sex and nudity. Distracting to say the least, and very embarrassing. I know its weird that in this country, its OK to let my 13-14 year old see graphic war violence, but its NOT ok to let them see fairly graphic sex scenes. Why not let the viewer know what occurs discretely. Sex is not bad. The problem is that shows like BAND OF BROTHERS and THE PACIFIC are educational to the younger generation. You shouldnt have to be 17 or older to watch them. Just tone it down some. By the way, im NOT a prude. Just keep the tone of each episode consistent. Any family that missed the opening rating and warnings got a shock (raises hand–my face is still red–had 2 young nephews sitting there with me) Im sure im not the only one that happened to..

All in all, this is an amazing series and I feel sorry for anyone that decided to pass on those last few episodes. You missed the best parts. That kid from Jurassic Park, Joseph Mazzelo, did a wonderful job as Eugene Sledge. His part ended up being even more powerful than Lt Winters in BoB since Eugene was more of an everyman and easily related to. The final episode was shocking in its emotional power and really gave me a sense of what the soldiers were feeling upon their return to civilian life. If you left it mid-episodes by all means jump back in. Its well worth the ride. I cant wait for the Blu Ray and DVD to be released. “The Pacific” still plays daily on HBO so its not too late to watch it.

The Pacific HBO Miniseries DVD Movies