The Pacific episode 1: Guadalcanal
I sat down and watched the first episode of The Pacific tonight!
I'm writing this reaction before I've read anyone else's, because I want it to be pure and my own. I know people liked it very much in general, and I'm definitely on board with that.
I'll get the inevitable comparisons out of the way, and say that this reminds me far less of Band of Brothers than it does Generation Kill. There's a lot less preamble, more direct thrust into combat, and it has that feel of young men dropped into an alien land and trying to wrap their heads around it. That said, it is very clearly its own entity and deserves to be taken on its own terms.
This episode felt didactic in some ways, in that it was clearly trying to instruct as well as tell the story. I know personally the European theater of WWII is much more familiar than the Pacific, and I'm willing to bet that's true for a lot of the audience, so it seems that Hanks and Spielberg are trying to make this as full an illustration of what happened over there and how these stories fit into a big picture as they can. In the making of that I watched, one of the producers said that The Pacific was going to be more "intimate and personal" than Band of Brothers was (sorry, they made the comparison, not me!) and I can't say I see that yet, but I'm obviously ready and willing to see how it unfolds. I knew that the format of following three individual Marines would make it feel more disjointed and less about a cohesive group, but there are already connections between the three and I'm very curious to see how fully characters around them get developed.
About those characters! I'm going to say up front that I already have a favorite: little Sid Phillips! With his adorable boyfriend Eugene Sledge! Aaawww, they are so cute. Sledge is so strongly reminiscent of Babe (right down to the red hair!) that it's hard to see past that so far, but he's very precious. But oh, baby Sid! Only eighteen! With his curly blonde hair and his pretty, innocent face, and his orange gathering for his friends and general adorableness. One to keep an eye on for sure. :D
Rob Leckie is less squeal-inducing but he has enormous potential to be entirely fascinating. The somber, thoughtful way he reacts to the tragedies of war sets him apart from most of his comrades. It was very affecting when he watched that Japanese man being toyed with, and then decided to put an end to it. He seems to be something of a lonely soul, but I hope he finds someone to bond with, so he doesn't get lost inside his own head.
So far, Basilone is just really, really pretty. Can't wait to see more of him.
Overall, a beautiful, intriguing start to what I know will be a breathtaking cinematic journey. The whole thing felt very meditative and serious, and I kind of hope it gets more into the comradeship between the men. I know overall it's going to be so intense though, simply because of what they went through and the conditions they went through it in.
Can't wait for next Sunday! ♥
I'm writing this reaction before I've read anyone else's, because I want it to be pure and my own. I know people liked it very much in general, and I'm definitely on board with that.
I'll get the inevitable comparisons out of the way, and say that this reminds me far less of Band of Brothers than it does Generation Kill. There's a lot less preamble, more direct thrust into combat, and it has that feel of young men dropped into an alien land and trying to wrap their heads around it. That said, it is very clearly its own entity and deserves to be taken on its own terms.
This episode felt didactic in some ways, in that it was clearly trying to instruct as well as tell the story. I know personally the European theater of WWII is much more familiar than the Pacific, and I'm willing to bet that's true for a lot of the audience, so it seems that Hanks and Spielberg are trying to make this as full an illustration of what happened over there and how these stories fit into a big picture as they can. In the making of that I watched, one of the producers said that The Pacific was going to be more "intimate and personal" than Band of Brothers was (sorry, they made the comparison, not me!) and I can't say I see that yet, but I'm obviously ready and willing to see how it unfolds. I knew that the format of following three individual Marines would make it feel more disjointed and less about a cohesive group, but there are already connections between the three and I'm very curious to see how fully characters around them get developed.
About those characters! I'm going to say up front that I already have a favorite: little Sid Phillips! With his adorable boyfriend Eugene Sledge! Aaawww, they are so cute. Sledge is so strongly reminiscent of Babe (right down to the red hair!) that it's hard to see past that so far, but he's very precious. But oh, baby Sid! Only eighteen! With his curly blonde hair and his pretty, innocent face, and his orange gathering for his friends and general adorableness. One to keep an eye on for sure. :D
Rob Leckie is less squeal-inducing but he has enormous potential to be entirely fascinating. The somber, thoughtful way he reacts to the tragedies of war sets him apart from most of his comrades. It was very affecting when he watched that Japanese man being toyed with, and then decided to put an end to it. He seems to be something of a lonely soul, but I hope he finds someone to bond with, so he doesn't get lost inside his own head.
So far, Basilone is just really, really pretty. Can't wait to see more of him.
Overall, a beautiful, intriguing start to what I know will be a breathtaking cinematic journey. The whole thing felt very meditative and serious, and I kind of hope it gets more into the comradeship between the men. I know overall it's going to be so intense though, simply because of what they went through and the conditions they went through it in.
Can't wait for next Sunday! ♥