HBO's "The Pacific" is disappointing...

[zinfamous]

Read the Book GK, its actually pretty good. The [MARINES not soldiers] are actually pretty smart and highly trained. I was severely disapointed with how HBO interpreted that one, ya Capt America was a dumbass, but most of the officers in the unit were pretty brilliant. The HBO series seemed like it was made by a bunch of anti-war types who wanted to make everyone out to be hillbillies.

well, the funny thing is that it wasn't made by anti-war types, and it absolutely wasn't leftists, lol (not you, the other poster). To confuse the themes in GK (ineffective command, LACK or orders--meaning the failure of the administration, the lack of planning form the get-go, no strategy--which you will hear form just about any commanding officer involved) with leftist ideals is to not know what one's own ideals are. critiquing a poorly-implemented strategy, a confused command structure, exposing the lack of planning and real goals, is an indictment of a weak administration--it's not leftist, it simply exposes the facts on the ground. Whether or not you agree with a political bent, it acts as a legitimate and well-documented and accepted criticism of a failed war strategy from teh top down.


....my criticism being that such makes for bad film-making, in a dramatic sense. I was also on a Unit kick; so going from watching these highly trained bad-asses execute flawlessly and without compromise every one of their missions, to the GK crowd...man, what a letdown!

also, Capt America was the only one in GK that was an actual marine! LOL, how about that? He actually trained all of the actors, the producers then gave him a role, to "play himself," as he described it. (I think that's the right guy--pretty boy, right? ...oh wait....cap'n america was the trigger-happy bumbling dumbshit, no?)

 

[Train]

well, the funny thing is that it wasn't made by anti-war types, and it absolutely wasn't leftists, lol (not you, the other poster). To confuse the themes in GK (ineffective command, LACK or orders--meaning the failure of the administration, the lack of planning form the get-go, no strategy--which you will hear form just about any commanding officer involved) with leftist ideals is to not know what one's own ideals are. critiquing a poorly-implemented strategy, a confused command structure, exposing the lack of planning and real goals, is an indictment of a weak administration--it's not leftist, it simply exposes the facts on the ground. Whether or not you agree with a political bent, it acts as a legitimate and well-documented and accepted criticism of a failed war strategy from teh top down.


....my criticism being that such makes for bad film-making, in a dramatic sense. I was also on a Unit kick; so going from watching these highly trained bad-asses execute flawlessly and without compromise every one of their missions, to the GK crowd...man, what a letdown!

also, Capt America was the only one in GK that was an actual marine! LOL, how about that? He actually trained all of the actors, the producers then gave him a role, to "play himself," as he described it. (I think that's the right guy--pretty boy, right? ...oh wait....cap'n america was the trigger-happy bumbling dumbshit, no?)

WAY wrong. Capt America certainly did not play himself (he actually got in trouble for some of the things he did after the original magazine articles came out, and IIRC, put in for a resignation)

Rudy Reyes played himself, and SSgt Colbert and a few others were on set as advisors. A lot of them came out after the debut and said they were surprised at what a jerk they made Trombley out to be in the final cut.

But back to my original point, the show went way off the book. It pretty much picked out 2 or 3 bad themes and blew them up.

edit: Gen Kill cast: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0995832/

 

[AznMthr]

how does this thread have so many posts already? the show is in its 4th episode lol! i've been watching it. it's alright. i've been spoiled by band of brothers.

 

[Train]

how does this thread have so many posts already? the show is in its 4th episode lol! i've been watching it. it's alright. i've been spoiled by band of brothers.

dunno, people were dissing the Pacific before it even aired. There's a thread around here where people were going batshit because the preview showed a naked ass.

 

[Uppsala9496]

My complaint is that the series is supposed to be based off the book's published by Sledge and Leckie. So far, The Pacific story line has not faithfully followed the Leckie book. An example to date is episode 3 where he falls for an Australian girl. They should have followed the book more faithfully as a) it would be true, and b) it would be far more interesting.
Oh no, he had an affair with a married woman....can't show that. Please. What Leckie did on R&R in Australia was far more interesting than the crap they portrayed. It would have also allowed better character attachment for the viewer.
So far the series has failed to show what a misfit he was. I think by the time they left Australia, he was tossed in the brig 2 or 3 times for minor to major infractions. And when he drew the pistol against the Officer...they even managed to fuck that up. First of all, the guard on duty was actually "Chucker", and he had been out drinking with Leckie that night and was still drunk. Then the Officer was actually the Officer on Duty who happened to be Leckie's commanding officer. They failed to explain the dislike Leckie really had for him (stolen cigars was the main thing).
All in all, I feel that The Pacific has skipped so much of the book that to date with episode 3 is important, that the series sucks.
Have to go back and read where episode 4 ends to see how much of that they messed up.

 

[Mike Gayner]

also, Capt America was the only one in GK that was an actual marine! LOL, how about that? He actually trained all of the actors, the producers then gave him a role, to "play himself," as he described it. (I think that's the right guy--pretty boy, right? ...oh wait....cap'n america was the trigger-happy bumbling dumbshit, no?)

LOL OK, you might want to go ahead and double check your facts right there.

 

[zinfamous]

LOL OK, you might want to go ahead and double check your facts right there.

Train corrected me, hell, the post you quoted shows me correcting myself--actually before I originally posted. I remember Capt America as pretty boy, but that wasn't the case. It was Reyes that I'm referring to, I think.

Regardless, none of those specifics changes the fact that GK was very underwhelming.

 

[Uppsala9496]

Went back an re-read the end of the Leckie book. Wow is The Pacific doing us a disservice with the storyline. They are omitting so many things that would be entertaining to show. The fact that Leckie never witnessed the suicide. The fact that he never had a mental breakdown...
Yes, he went to a mental facility at the rear echelon base as an overflow was correct. Hell, the damn Japanese pistol wasn't his, and he never traded it away (gave it back to his hometown friend on Pavuvu).
Ugh. I shouldn't have gone back and read the book. Now I am even more pissed off at the series. They aren't even portraying the facts in the book. Leckie has to be rolling over in his grave on how he is being portrayed. Hell, he even makes a point in his book that having a mental breakdown is the thing he feared more than death and that he is glad he never had one, especially after seeing the inside of the mental ward. They could have still portrayed that part of this experience without making him have the breakdown.
Damn this is pissing me off more and more.

 

[Train]

Went back an re-read the end of the Leckie book. Wow is The Pacific doing us a disservice with the storyline. They are omitting so many things that would be entertaining to show. The fact that Leckie never witnessed the suicide. The fact that he never had a mental breakdown...
Yes, he went to a mental facility at the rear echelon base as an overflow was correct. Hell, the damn Japanese pistol wasn't his, and he never traded it away (gave it back to his hometown friend on Pavuvu).
Ugh. I shouldn't have gone back and read the book. Now I am even more pissed off at the series. They aren't even portraying the facts in the book. Leckie has to be rolling over in his grave on how he is being portrayed. Hell, he even makes a point in his book that having a mental breakdown is the thing he feared more than death and that he is glad he never had one, especially after seeing the inside of the mental ward. They could have still portrayed that part of this experience without making him have the breakdown.
Damn this is pissing me off more and more.

I haven't read the Leckie book, but it sounds like a recurring theme in this thread... The book is always better/more accurate.

While on lunch I was thinking of Black Hawk Down, a very well made, not as cheesy as most, military movie. However the book and the movie are still at odds. The book wasnt afraid to point out some serious blunders the unit made, especially with regards to cockiness and arrogance that led to some men dying. The movie on the other hand made them all out to be heroes. That's hollywood for ya.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Went back an re-read the end of the Leckie book. Wow is The Pacific doing us a disservice with the storyline. They are omitting so many things that would be entertaining to show. The fact that Leckie never witnessed the suicide. The fact that he never had a mental breakdown...
Yes, he went to a mental facility at the rear echelon base as an overflow was correct. Hell, the damn Japanese pistol wasn't his, and he never traded it away (gave it back to his hometown friend on Pavuvu).
Ugh. I shouldn't have gone back and read the book. Now I am even more pissed off at the series. They aren't even portraying the facts in the book. Leckie has to be rolling over in his grave on how he is being portrayed. Hell, he even makes a point in his book that having a mental breakdown is the thing he feared more than death and that he is glad he never had one, especially after seeing the inside of the mental ward. They could have still portrayed that part of this experience without making him have the breakdown.
Damn this is pissing me off more and more.

Dude.... no one that hasn't read the book gives a fuck. Give it a rest.

 

[Uppsala9496]

Read the book. For a series that is supposed to be based on it, it sure if deviating like hell.
The fact that he never had a breakdown....I give a fuck. Way to slander a dead man.

 

[pyonir]

Read the book. For a series that is supposed to be based on it, it sure if deviating like hell.
The fact that he never had a breakdown....I give a fuck. Way to slander a dead man.

"The Pacific is based in part on the books "Helmet for My Pillow," by Robert Leckie, and "With the Old Breed," by Eugene B. Sledge, with additional material from "Red Blood, Black Sand," by Chuck Tatum, and "China Marine," by Eugene B. Sledge, as well as original interviews conducted by the filmmakers".

http://www.hbo.com/the-pacific#/the-pacific/about/index.html

It's not a documentary. It's a dramatic interpretation based on parts of books and interviews.

 

[Kanalua]

Geez...did anyone read the original Jurassic Park books. the First movie was NOTHING like the book, then the second movie is like they're trying to make the first book! Michael Crichton must be wiping the bitter tears with all the money he's made off the series!

Get a life, people. The Pacific is entertaining. Is it going to be the gospel on what happened in the Pacific theater? No...and guess what neither are the "books." Those guys probably made up stuff to make their books interesting and make themselves look better for their own posterity...

Guess what?!?! The re-make of Clash of the Titans sucks, especially in 3D...so what!

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Get a life, people. The Pacific is entertaining.

Unfortunately the last two episodes haven't been :\ The show is boring so far.

 

[dev11]

The first 3 episodes I'll never watch ever again. I understand that they are trying to show different sides of war...but the side that they're showing isn't interesting and it's 90% of it isn't even relevant to anything WWII.

I haven't really learned anything new to use in WWII debates with this series other then that the japanese were nuts.

I've watched BoB a good...80 times so far and learn something new about WWII each time on a number of levels! You left BoB feeling like a part of Easy Company.

This series is like 60 second clips all garbled together and the acting is entirely too dramatic. There's no chemistry between the characters. The music sucks...man everything about this is disappointing.

They need to halt airing this thing right now and start the entire thing over!

 

[TehMac]

yea, I am watching, and frankly wtf is this? They're skipping around, you'd think there wasn't a fucking war going on.

 

[TwinsenTacquito]

LOL the most shocking part of graphically depicted war is the racism? How about the thousands of deaths? Clue: every successful military force has demonized their enemies. There is no other way to kill them.

 

[OutHouse]

If only the Japanese learned how to shoot their weapons while charging at the enemy. From what I've seen in the Pacific so far, the Japanese are shown charging American positions with rifles in hand, but not firing the rifles while charging. Makes for easy pickin's

lol lol LOL! try running at full speed while getting shot at and operate your bolt action rifle and hit your target...

they mounted their bayonets for a reason and it wasnt to make their rifles to look kool.

 

[Bill Brasky]

I have no interesting criticism of the Pacific other than I find it boring. I don't know why; I really want to enjoy it.

 

[HendrixFan]

I started watching The Pacific, I didn't wait for it to finish to pick it up like I thought I would. Through five episodes I must say I find the commentary here surprising. As has been discussed elsewhere in this thread, Band of Brothers wasn't the most action packed series itself yet the complaint with The Pacific is that there isn't enough action.

With Band of Brothers the first two episodes were training, the last one was sitting around waiting to get shipped to the pacific, and there was a stretch near the end where they spent two episodes dug in frozen trenches staring at an invisible enemy who never brought on a full attack. The series followed small squad attacks on a line of troops doing shooting practice, into a small village before falling back, and taking a prisoner during the night across a river amongst others. You had very little sense of the advancement across the European front, just the experience of the soldiers. Seems the same is going on in The Pacific but for some reason that isn't good enough. The fighting was much more chaotic due to the nature of the landscape and the enemy. The quality of the action in episode 5 alone was better than anything from Band of Brothers. Yeah, it has been almost ten years so they should be able to create a more realistic and immersive battle sequence, and thankfully they do.

As far as character development, I feel The Pacific does a superior job of building real characters. Band of Brothers was a collection of many characatures but not real people. Winters was well developed but that was about it. There were too many characters shown in too short of a time to really get into the meat of who they were, including having someone be the primary focus of an episode to just never seeing them again. Since many of the guys were still alive who were portrayed in Band of Brothers, I can't help but feel they took away as much of the rough edges as they could with those guys. Any "war is an atrocity" things were done by people outside of those guys. In The Pacific, they are really jumping into the characters and showing that they weren't perfect and the situation out there was far from perfect as well.

Band of Brothers covers around a year of time, whereas The Pacific covers over three years. Much of it is glossed over, and I was saddened to see Guadalcanal over so quickly; but then again Normandy from Band of Brothers was much smaller as most the fighting went on away from the screen. With either series, if you want a tutorial on the battles (with visuals) you should go elsewhere. If you want to know what the combat was like for the individuals involved then you should be satisfied.

 

[KMFJD]

I'll take the last 20 minutes of episode 5 and all of episode 6 and just say wow, cant wait for the blu ray

 

[fustercluck]

It's extremely hard to imagine going days without water in 110 degree heat...not to mention getting shot at and bombed all day. Wow. Tough motherfuckers.

 

[Rudee]

I'll take the last 20 minutes of episode 5 and all of episode 6 and just say wow, cant wait for the blu ray

The yawnfest that is everything up to the second half of episode 5 is not worth the BluRay purchase, even if every remaining episode is done well.

 

[Train]

The yawnfest that is everything up to the second half of episode 5 is not worth the BluRay purchase, even if every remaining episode is done well.

So you thought BoB was a yawnfest too?

 

[Homerboy]

The first 3 episodes I'll never watch ever again. I understand that they are trying to show different sides of war...but the side that they're showing isn't interesting and it's 90% of it isn't even relevant to anything WWII.

I haven't really learned anything new to use in WWII debates with this series other then that the japanese were nuts.

I've watched BoB a good...80 times so far and learn something new about WWII each time on a number of levels! You left BoB feeling like a part of Easy Company.

This series is like 60 second clips all garbled together and the acting is entirely too dramatic. There's no chemistry between the characters. The music sucks...man everything about this is disappointing.

They need to halt airing this thing right now and start the entire thing over!

This is my problem. It's a compilation of 60 sec clips it seems. There is NO DEPTH at all. 90% of the clips too show us nothing but "war is hell" We know that. We get it. Anything else to tell us? And what is with the lighting/sets when they are on-board a battleship outside? It doesn't look very natural at all. It looks like some over-dramatized play or something. It's just "odd"

I like the Pacific for what it is and will continue to watch. Though it is definitely a disappointment. Even the battle scenes are pretty "meh". It's noting but muzzle flashes, and faceless Japanese getting mowed down.