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'The Pacific' - from the creators of Band of Brothers

Thomas

First Grade
Messages
9,658
That head scene is absolutely horrific.

The scenes in episode 9 (Battle of Okinawa) are quite possibly the most horrible things I have seen in any war movie/tv show. You are absolutely correct in that the Pacific theatre was a grinding affair. Island of sand after island of sand had to be re-taken from an enemy that would never surrender and would use local civilians as shields.
 

Joker's Wild

Coach
Messages
17,894
The "basketball into the skull" scene was pretty full on

Im loving this series dispite it not quite capturing my interest as much as Band of Brothers did. May have something to do with me prefering stories about the European theatre as opposed to the Pacific theatre.

Id doubt Hanks/Spielburg will make a series based on the Eastern front simply because of the fact that the Yanks were not involved. Shame
 

Timbo

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
20,274
I'm having real trouble with it.

I'm a WWII buff and have been anticipating this series for 6 odd years since it was announced.

Compared to Band of Brothers it's been a huge let down.

I think it's because there's been a sh*t load of wasted time.

The time Leckie spent chatting up the Aussie girl or the amount of time spent dealing with Basilone selling war bonds and chasing his girlfriend.

Who cares? It's meant to be about the war. Don't get me wrong I get what they're trying to do.

But the Battle of Iwo Jima was given a grand total of 5 minutes of airtime. This was one of THE battles of the Pacific War. But we spend an hour watching Basilone chase a girl?

I think they've stuffed up the ratio. BoB showed the 'human' side of war without spending 3 - 4 hours of the series showing the guys at home or on shore leave.

I think the episode in Australia was a waste, as was all the time spent with Leckie in the hospital. And all the Basilone war bond stuff was another massive waste.
 

Thomas

First Grade
Messages
9,658
The Okinawa episode is fairly horrific if war scenes are what you are after. The whole episode is nothing but gore and explosions.
 
Messages
21,822
on a scale of 1 to 10 how dumb is basilone? im going with a 15.

goes back to war? to iwo jima? insane in the membrain. he could have just stayed at home, got discharged and gone on his merry way.

then he wall like rambo up in there. please.

also, major continuity issue when he and the missus were driving in the country side. that was so obviously australia that it was laughable. honeymooned in australia? i think not.

meanwhile on okinawa theres some human shield action and a suicide bomb. that was pretty graphic.

however what about the end. "oh yeah we vaporised a town" wtf. is that it? wars over?

im guessing the end is all "what happened after the war". whats the bet Leckie goes back to australia?

I agree with Timbo on the piss all coverage of Iwo Jima. wtf was that about. good enough for 2 movies but a random 5 minutes tacked onto teh end of an episode is enough.

i get the feeling that the weird bloke will meet a grim end either in the war or after. that boy aint quite right.

Meanwhile, Jason Moran shows up at random. wtf?

also. apparently one of the main characters was little timmy in Jurassic Park (last seen being jolted off an electric fence!). which one is he?
 

jc155776

Coach
Messages
13,400
Episode 9 is what the whole series should have been like.

The Australian episode was sh*t. Episode 8 was sh*t.

It has been a let down. Made up slightly by episode 9 and a few short bursts in other episodes.

Way too much wasted time which added nothing.

Snafu has stolen the show for mine. Next week will be another 1 hour borefest no doubt.
 

Thomas

First Grade
Messages
9,658
on a scale of 1 to 10 how dumb is basilone? im going with a 15.

goes back to war? to iwo jima? insane in the membrain. he could have just stayed at home, got discharged and gone on his merry way.

then he wall like rambo up in there. please.

Apparently the only WW2 soldier to win both the Medal of Honour and the Navy Cross.

He also had a destroyer built and named after him. He is a fair legend in the US Marines.

also. apparently one of the main characters was little timmy in Jurassic Park (last seen being jolted off an electric fence!). which one is he?


He was Eugene Slegde the shy dude who becomes a killing machine.

And yeah, the show is made for a US audience...I doubt they'd know what Australia looks like.
 
Messages
21,822
Apparently the only WW2 soldier to win both the Medal of Honour and the Navy Cross.

He also had a destroyer built and named after him. He is a fair legend in the US Marines

i guess.

he's up there in the "bravest dudes ever" debate.
still i personally would have been happy with my medal of honour my new wife and national fame. each to their own.

He was Eugene Slegde the shy dude who becomes a killing machine.

And yeah, the show is made for a US audience...I doubt they'd know what Australia looks like.

ah so its sledge. cool
 

Thomas

First Grade
Messages
9,658
Yeah. I'd be all...look at this shiny medal and this hawt bitch hanging off my arm...war? You mean it's still going on? Let me know when it's over.
 

Timbo

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
20,274
Keep in mind, Basilone was a career soldier. He'd been in the US Army, stationed in the Phillipines, before the war. Shortly after he returned he switched to the Marines because of the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour and he knew it was the Marines who would be fighting in the Pacific.

He didn't know life without the military and the prospect of that scared he more than death.

However, I agree it was a huge waste. Lasted barely an hour into the Battle of Iwo Jima - his first time in action since he won the Medal of Honour on Guadalcanal.

Not looking forward to next weeks final episode. All about Sledge and Leckie when they get home.

I keep having these moments of 'big who cares here' when watching this show. The disservice they did to the men who fought on Iwo Jima was apalling in my view.

For a show that has been so built up for so long and cost so much to make... What a waste!

Finally, if I see Channel 7 promote it as 'The battle to save Australia' one more time I'll bloody well scream!
 
Messages
21,822
yeah its a bit lost.
and the Iwo Jima thing was like.. "oh yeah, we went here. but yove probably all seen flags of our fathers/letters from iwo jima so we wont bore you"

Band of Brothers was much better.

Actually as dramas go, Changi (ABC in the 90's early 2000's) was better.
 

Timbo

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
20,274
The final episode was basically what was wrong with the whole series.

Big who cares.

After 10 years of buildup, greatest let down ever.
 

Someone

Bench
Messages
4,964
Hardly the greatest let down of all. Still an excellent TV series. Instead of picking the eyes out of the show, why dont you just watch it. The show is about what these people felt and what they lived, if Basilone died an hour into Iwo Jima, they arent gonna make out he was there for 3 months are they.

It wasnt a documentary.
 

Timbo

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
20,274
Hardly the greatest let down of all. Still an excellent TV series. Instead of picking the eyes out of the show, why dont you just watch it. The show is about what these people felt and what they lived, if Basilone died an hour into Iwo Jima, they arent gonna make out he was there for 3 months are they.

It wasnt a documentary.

It's called 'The Pacific' not 'John Basilone has sex in Oregon' and the episode was titled 'Part 8 - Iwo Jima' not '58 minutes of footage in the USA and the Basilone getting killed'. Which would have been more accurate.
 

hineyrulz

Post Whore
Messages
150,022
I watched and enjoyed the series, but it didn't compare to band of brothers which was a far superior show.
 

Someone

Bench
Messages
4,964
Yeh episode 8 was fairly dull, so was episode 3 and 10. There was no action. Instead of telling the stories of these soldiers and what they felt, why not just have constant gunfight and little story development.

I understand it lacked alot of things mate, it just fires me up when people only look for the bad stuff. IMHO no matter how the Pacific was made, people would just hate on it.
 
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