Huey Gunner Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Needed to be 2 hours long. My only complaint. Not going to be a "rivet counter" on a TV program. Kinda silly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Williams Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Was not impressed at all. Very quick scenes with little context, it's like watching a movie that has been heavily edited. It's day. 3 minutes later it's night. 3 minutes later it's the next day. 3 minutes later it's night again. And so on. No character development, just throw some guys on screen with no idea who they are. Plus, the night battle scene was so chaotic that you couldn't tell what the heck was going on. Plus, you've got the standard Hollywood war movie characters and cliches. The racist guy who just wants to kill them all. The sensitive guy who is disturbed by having to kill. Finding the Japanese backpack with the picture of the wife and the doll to let everyone know that the Japanese soldiers were human too. Playing with the last Japanese soldier alive, who can apparently take multiple .30 hits and still keep standing. Medic gets killed by friendly fire (very short scene, everyone says "bummer" and moves on). And so on. BoB was so much better. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WGP Klaus Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Underwhelmed...Followed the development of this series for many years, perusing several fansites from time to time that had tidbits and photos - very eager to see it unfold. This one was just plain hard to follow for me (character identification wise) and the battle at Alligator Creek (Tenaru River actually) lacked any sense of the Marines positions being tenuous, although the resulting sandbar reveal in daylight was well done. I understand the whole concept of 'artistic license' but factually the Ichiki Detachment was dropped off at night, and the scene with the IJN ships passing by Lunga Point was absurd. The nighttime blue-on-blue scene with the corpsman could have been portrayed much more effectively if they'd worked up the medic character more or even made a vague allusion to 'what's out there in the dark'. Perhaps Edsons Ridge next week will grab me more...initial rating 6/10 (very nice CG of Savo Island battle raised it a point for me). This about sums up my feelings, and I will say that given Tom Hanks comments recently, I noticed what would be considered "racial slurs" more than I recall being made in BoB? again, I've read alot about what that imbecile Hanks feels about how WW2 and the current War on Terror are being waged, so maybe I'm a bit too critical?? Anyways..looking forward to see if episode #2 picks it up a little. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waco Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 AND don't forget Hank's "racist war" comments. That proves he is an illiterant about the war in the Pacific. Since this was brought up...came across this from Foreign Policy Research Institute, which publishes Foreign Policy, Orbis, and other journals. ******************* Friends of FPRI, We share with you below an essay on HBO's The Pacific by Mackubin Owens, Editor of Orbis, a Senior Fellow at FPRI, and a professor of national security affairs at the Naval War College in Newport RI. He is a Marine infantry veteran of Vietnam. The essay was originally posted on National Review Online, March 17, 2010. --Alan Luxenberg, Foreign Policy Research Institute Wednesday, March 17, 2010 HBO's The Pacific: A Story Worth Telling by Mackubin Owens It would be a pity if an inane comment from Tom Hanks in Time regarding The Pacific caused people to dismiss the HBO miniseries as nothing but Hollywood-style, "politically correct" revisionist history. In fact, if the first episode is any indication, the series promises to be another Band of Brothers, Hanks' earlier program for HBO. Hollywood makes people stupid on occasion, but if they are fundamentally decent and patriotic - and Hanks is - they can still make riveting, history-based drama. Unlike Band of Brothers, which followed a single company of paratroopers from Normandy to Austria, The Pacific is based on the memoirs of two Marines and the well-known story of another. The first is Eugene Sledge, whose With the Old Breed is a classic description of service in the First Marine Division in World War II. The second is Robert Leckie, who wrote Helmet for My Pillow. When I was in the Marine Corps, these book were required reading. And when I first entered the service, every Marine knew the story of the third individual, the Leatherneck demigod "Manila John" Basilone, who had been in the Army before the war, joined the Marines when the war broke out, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on Guadalcanal, and was later killed on Iwo Jima. But I knew of him even before I became a Marine. My dad, who also fought in the Pacific - on Bougainville, Guadalcanal's neighbor in Solomon Islands chain, and on Guam in the Marianas - knew John Basilone. In addition, as the son of a Marine, I spent time at Camp Pendleton in California, the main road of which leading from the main base area to the regimental camps to the north is Basilone Road. All too often, people today seem to believe that the outcomes of historical events are somehow preordained. But that is not true. By the summer of 1942, the U.S. Navy had turned back a Japanese task force during the battle of the Coral Sea and had inflicted a major defeat on the Japanese at Midway, but even with such successes, the outcome of the war was in doubt and would remain so for some time. And things would become particularly desperate on Guadalcanal. The Pacific provides a glimpse of that desperation. On August 7, 1942, the Marine landings on Guadalcanal surprised the Japanese, who abandoned the unfinished airfield and faded into the jungle. The airfield, soon made operational by the Sea Bees and named Henderson Field, would become the focal point of the many battles on the island for the next several months. But two days after the landings, disaster struck. In the early morning hours of 9 August, a task force of the Japanese Imperial Navy surprised the Americans and inflicted the most humiliating defeat on the United States Navy in its proud history. The battle of Savo Island cost the Americans three heavy cruisers and the Australians one. Only a fateful decision by the Japanese commander, Rear Admiral Gunichi Mikawa, spared the defenseless transports, still discharging cargo in support of the Marines ashore. So many ships from both sides were sunk in the area between Guadalcanal and Florida Island over the next few months that it became known as "Ironbottom Sound." Following the defeat at Savo Island, the U.S. naval commanders decided to withdraw the ships that were supporting the Marines. The "big picture" problem the U.S. Navy faced was that it was operating on a shoestring far from its bases while Rabaul, the Japanese naval base on the island of New Britain, was much closer. But the decision to withdraw the naval task force meant that the Marines were on their own. The Japanese for their part meant to recover Guadalcanal. The attack by the first contingent of Japanese troops on the Marines near the Tenaru River is nicely depicted in the miniseries. During this fight, the Marines killed nearly a thousand Japanese soldiers. But the Japanese continued to land troops and to subject the Marines to a nightly naval bombardment as the "Tokyo Express" sailed down "the Slot" from Rabaul. At one point, Maj. Gen. Alexander Vandegrift, the commanding general of the First Marine Division, made the decision that if necessary, the Marines would break up into guerrilla bands and take to the jungle. Fortunately, with successful battles on "Bloody Ridge," at Henderson Field, and along the Matanikau, this never became necessary. In addition, the U.S. Navy scored victories in several battles in the waters around Guadalcanal - among them Cape Esperance, the Santa Cruz Islands, and Tassafaronga - to redeem the defeat at Savo Island. By February 1943, Guadalcanal was proclaimed to be "secured." While there were many horrors still to come in the Pacific Theater - for the First Marine Division, these would include Peleliu and Okinawa - Guadalcanal would always have a lasting impact on the survivors. For example, I had occasion to serve for a brief period in 1969 as aide de camp to the Assistant Division Commander of the Third Marine Division in Vietnam, Brig. Gen. Regan Fuller. He was a veteran of Guadalcanal where he had been a company commander in 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, under the legendary Lt. Col. Lewis "Chesty" Puller. When he was finally evacuated, then-Captain Fuller - who was about 6'4" tall - weighed less than 90 pounds thanks to malnutrition and malaria. And like many other veterans of Guadalcanal, he had the "10,000 meter stare." Thanks to Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg for telling the story of such men. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
moeggo Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I can't wait for this to Start in NZ! Another couple of weeks to go... TVNZ has just re-ran Band Of Brothers to warm up things for The Pacific! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WymanV Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 This about sums up my feelings, and I will say that given Tom Hanks comments recently, I noticed what would be considered "racial slurs" more than I recall being made in BoB? The war in the Pacific was fought with long standing prejudices between both sides. I know it's hard to accept in this toned down PC world we live in now but hatred of the enemy based on race dominated the PTO. And no, it wasn't the same in Europe. I don't want to get into speculation about what our troops are enduring today but as far as WW II in the Pacific is concerned, Hanks is correct. It didn't start as a "race war" but it turned into one of sorts rather quickly. Ken Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gmat Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 (edited) Sorry, But LVTs were used at Guadalcanal. They did not have a prominent role and were used for their intended purpose, to ferry supplies. The LCVPs were faster and could carry more troops. The LCVPs shown at Guadalcanal were slightly different from the ones actually used. One of the best accounts of the battle is Guadalcanal by Richard B. Frank. Page 62 mentions that the troops had to climb over the sides of their landing crafts as most of these early models did not have the ramps. That day, an amphibian tractor was driven into the stream bed of a tributary of the Tenaru river and bridging material was laid across it to form a bridge so that troops could cross the river. People criticize Tom Hanks, but his comments are often taken out of context. He has shown from his past actions and movies that he is proud of America, and proud of its soldiers. He does not say that racism drove the American soldiers to fight nor that all soldiers were racists, but he did say that racism played a part in shaping how the war was conducted, ON BOTH SIDES. Best wishes, Grant Edited March 22, 2010 by gmat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Raymond Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 just finished watching the 1st and 2nd eps, watched them twice to be sure - i too am underwhelmed so far i agree with most of the points here, biggest problem for me: you dont get the feeling the characters, or even the marines on the island are in any real danger - its very clean, neat and processed. over 7000 allied soldiers lost their lives in the battle, yet we see next to nothing of this; it all adds up to a real lack of suspense and danger; after which, back on the boat to the next island its kinda like playing medal of honor pacific with godmode on; roll in, mow down japs, next level... :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
metroman Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Guadalcanal is such a large storyline that I am wishing now that they'd spent all ten hours on just it, to include some of what we've seen so far (Alligator Creek & Edsons Ridge) with a better telling of the landing (maybe Tulagi, maybe not), but definitely Savo Island, 1st & 2nd Naval Battles, plus Carlsons Long Patrol. Throw in some long range action from Pistol Pete and the constant air raids, to include the Cactus Airforce. Later with more action along the Mantanikau and Pt. Cruz towards the endgame of Mt. Austen/Galloping Horse/Sea Horse. But I'd have to win several powerballs to be able to do that myself, just saying how I'd have wished it to be so far. It's entirely possible that the Peleliu episodes upcoming may be the best of the series, I for one was a fan of BoB episodes 'Breaking Point' and 'Points' more so than others ('Bastonge'). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
moeggo Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 just finished watching the 1st and 2nd eps, watched them twice to be sure - i too am underwhelmed so fari agree with most of the points here, biggest problem for me: you dont get the feeling the characters, or even the marines on the island are in any real danger - its very clean, neat and processed. over 7000 allied soldiers lost their lives in the battle, yet we see next to nothing of this; it all adds up to a real lack of suspense and danger; after which, back on the boat to the next island its kinda like playing medal of honor pacific with godmode on; roll in, mow down japs, next level... :) Ray, where did you get the second Ep? I just watched the first eps last night... I agree with what everyone is saying, it needed a lend in with the characters to see who they are. But only than that I loved it! Can't wait for the next Ep! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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