Plot: What’s it about?
Back in 1998, Steven Spielberg teamed up with Tom Hanks and the two made “Saving Private Ryan.” Looking back, it was more than a great movie, it had one of the best casts ever assembled in regards to some up-and-coming actors. Matt Damon, Edward Burns, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg and Barry Pepper just to name a few (with Tom Hanks in there to boot). “Saving Private Ryan” garnered Spielberg another Oscar for Best Director, though the film ultimately lost out to “Shakespeare in Love” for top honors (and it’s widely regarded that ‘Ryan’ was the better movie, as time has shown). Flash forward a trio of years and Hanks and Spielberg once again collaborated and once again focused on World War II. This time around it wasn’t a feature-length film, it was a 10 part miniseries for HBO. HBO has always been known for producing top notch entertainment and this was back in the heyday of “The Sopranos”, “Six Feet Under” and “Sex and the City.” To say that this project would be the jewel in HBO’s crown was an understatement and we were presented with “Band of Brothers.” That miniseries was so phenomenal that it took home Emmy honors for Best Miniseries and six other categories as well.
It’s been a long time coming, nearly a decade as of this writing, but the wait is finally over. While not so much a sequel, the spinoff to “Band of Brothers” is now here. This time around it focuses on the war in the Pacific and it’s so entitled “The Pacific.” The same collaboration between Hanks and Spielberg is there, though we have a new cast on our hands. Like its predecessor, the show focuses on several key characters, but the ensemble is what really makes it work. I’ll say this up front, the series isn’t for the feign of heart. It’s brutally graphic and about as real as you can get to war save for being there. While “Band of Brothers” focused on the battle with the Germans, “The Pacific” focused on our battle with the Japanese which began the day after their attack on Pearl Harbor: December 7, 1941. My grandfathers served in World War II and all lived long, full lives but I don’t really recall them talking a lot about the war. We’ve all seen the movies and the names are familiar to us: Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Midway and so forth. “The Pacific” shows us what no words can describe and each episode (like “Band of Brothers”) has a prelude with some actual WWII vets who give us a bit of a rundown on their personal experiences. What else can be said? War is hell and this miniseries is about the best way to see and experience it short of being there.
Video: How does it look?
I actually watched “The Pacific” as it was broadcast last spring on HBO and I caught it in HD to boot. As expected this 1.78:1 AVC HD transfer is every bit as stunning as I’d thought and it’s just a tad bit better in 1080P than when I caught it during the original broadcast. Detail is the major factor here, every bit of dirt and grain is noticeable. Smudges on the faces of the soldiers, blood (and lots of it), bombs blowing up and the like – every speck of every scene seems to be in such detail that it doesn’t even seem lifelike. Contrast is right on the mark as well and a majority of the episodes have a darkness to them to really convey the message (the dark circles under the eyes of the soldiers and so forth). Black levels are terrific as well. There’s the same cinematic process used in “Band of Brothers” and “Saving Private Ryan” so if you’ve seen those, then you’ll know what to expect here. A top-notch effort by HBO here.
Audio: How does it sound?
The DTS HD Master audio soundtrack is about as encompassing as you might think. The episodes were broadcast in Dolby Digital 5.1 on HBO, but this uncompressed soundtrack really opens some of the scenes up. There are plenty of scenes in which the gunfire takes control, we can hear each bullet, hear the airplanes whizzing by overhead and the literal screams of battle in the surrounds. Dialogue is very impressive as well and doesn’t get washed out during the heat of battle (though I have to imagine you couldn’t hear yourself think if you were really there). The LFE are as robust as I thought they would be and even contributed to a few “ground shaking” moments. This might be a television show, but make no doubts about it – this soundtrack is right up there with the best Hollywood has to offer in terms of audio.
Supplements: What are the extras?
HBO has wisely added a slew of supplements to this already terrific release and we start off with “Historical Prologues” in which every episode is preceded with a bit of an explanation by real life vets of WWII and give us a bit of background on the upcoming episode and of the war in the Pacific in general. Some of these are fairly emotional and really add a bit of genuineness to the series as a whole. Moving on we have “Profiles of the Pacific” in which some of the main characters from the series are interviewed (the ones that are still alive). We get first hand information from them or their loved ones and, like the introductions, we do really feel a bit more connected to the actors portraying them on screen. “Making ‘The Pacific'” is a fairly short and standard look at the filming of this series. We get some interviews with Tom Hanks and some of the cast and crew as they reflect on their motivations for the part and so forth. Honestly for a 10 hour series, a 20 minute featurette seems a bit lacking but better to have than have not. Up next is “Anatomy of the Pacific War” which has some historians giving us the inside info. as to why Japan wanted to expand the empire and why the war in the Pacific was so important.
Each episode is also enhanced with a picture-in-picture track that gives us loads of information as to what’s happening on the screen and really heightens the viewing experience. It’s a nice touch and can be toggled on or off. Lastly we have “The Pacific: Field Guide” which is an interactive map that, when selected, gives us some footage of the area, information about the highlighted region and is a veritable wealth of knowledge. Forget you history books, this is all you need right here.
