If you haven't, go watch Masters of the Air
Posted by yuvattar@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 135 comments
Holy shit.
I didn't know this series existed until a few days ago. After binge watching the thing, I gotta say it's one of the best things I've ever watched.
My childhood dream was becoming a pilot, but life had other plans for me. Shows like this make me yearn for wings in a way I can't explain. It's like I miss it, even though I've never lived it.
That together with this beautifully told story is more than enough to make a grown man cry. If you haven't watched it, go watch it. If you've already watched it, take this as a sign to go watch it again; I sure as hell will.
Own_Ad6797@reddit
For 3 episodes it was Masters of the Air. After that it was Masters of the Ground and Masters of the Prison Camp. Decidedly average.
ass_Inspector_420@reddit
Masters of hacksaw ridge
NewspaperNelson@reddit
Instead of watching 10 hours of this mediocre series, you could instead watch Memphis Belle 6.6 times.
Lurking_all_the_time@reddit
Also try the original 1944 Memphis Belle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTRnv3ctzec
To me, the last 10 minutes cover the effect of the battle better that anything else
The_Smallz@reddit
MOTA is a bigger flop than Val’s medical career.
NewspaperNelson@reddit
Stick your finger down your throat.
DisBeKyYo@reddit
Man, no one gets the reference? Lol
Gratefulzah@reddit
Nah MOTA at least exists. Its more like Samwise Gamgee's ball turret: Good in theory, but full of holes by the end with actors grasping at threads
Poltergeist97@reddit
I still occasionally throw on the Danny Boy cover that Harry Connick Junior sings early on. Love it!
Captainrexcody@reddit
Was just ok. Flying scenes were great but the rest wasn’t anything to write home about. Nothing tops Band of Brothers yet for the quality, story, characters and action
Nonions@reddit
I have to agree, the battle scenes made WW2 air combat look like Star Wars. I can understand the artistic choice but it felt like there was way too much going on.
BunkerBuster420@reddit
I love the dogfight scenes in Dunkirk.
NoGiCollarChoke@reddit
I was surprised when I saw a bunch of people complaining about the flying scenes. I thought they were the only good part. Did a great job in showing how dangerous being a bomber crewman was.
The rest of the show was a complete mess IMO, with random plotlines and characters that would either appear out of nowhere or disappear without ever being resolved and with all of the main guys minus Rosenthal (whose insane wartime career is portrayed pretty poorly with many of his crazy experiences just being cut out entirely) being portrayed as obnoxious dickheads who also never really interact in any meaningful way and the rest of the bomber crewmen just being random background characters.
smarmageddon@reddit
The flying scenes were very weak and are what really took me out of it. I get that they need to use a lot of greenscreen to recreate things and places that no longer exist, but it was so pervasive in every scene (even on the ground) and was poorly comped in a lot of shots that it became a huge distraction. The production quality just wasn't up to BoB or The Pacific. It simply looks like they didn't have anywhere near the budget of those landmark shows.
Mispunt@reddit
Oh yes, it was definitely not up to par. Pulled me out as well.
FourFunnelFanatic@reddit
Can we stop comparing shows that aren’t supposed to be like Band of Brothers to Band of Brothers?
javlarm8@reddit
Not when it produced by Tom Hanks and Speilberg and was heavily marketed as a companion peice and spiritual successor to Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Then you get that comparison.
nickgasm@reddit
I don't think it's unfair to compare them in some regards.
Yes they're quite different shows, but at the end of the day, Masters of the Air is officially a companion piece to Band of Brothers and The Pacific, with all three having the same producers.
bcbum@reddit
It’s gotten so old. Band of Brothers is one of the best shows of all time. Not everything needs to be that quality to be very enjoyable. Let’s just enjoy the stuff we have rather than comparing everything to a 24 year old show.
CleanEnergyFuture331@reddit
I find it hard to compare character development. IMO Masters of the Air did a phenomenal job of showing how quickly airman perished and how quickly the new crews came in. The airborne wasnt like that. Once on the ground they were a well trained, elite group. Bomber groups had no control of life or death. Just pray to god flak didn't blow up their lumbering bus.
FestivusFan@reddit
It should have been 2-3 seasons
-S-P-E-C-T-R-E-@reddit
Each to their own. I was massively disappointed with this. IMO, it’s worse than The Pacific and not even close to BoB. The characters weren’t memorable and the writing and visuals at best mediocre. Memphis Belle was better.
TomVonServo@reddit
Why? It’s bad.
clarksworth@reddit
I spent 3-4 really nice months in the prop team who made the replica B17s. I reproduced all the dials, gauges, labels, radio controls, placards, signs, paperwork etc (so a very small total contribution in the scale of things). The planes were essentially made as per the real B17 from the plans - we had dudes hand-rolling sheet metal to fit, all the frames were made etc. it was truly astonishing to watch them come together. There were 2 full planes and then a variety of interior sections. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a detailed and well-cared for movie build. I didn’t know much about WWII planes when I started but 2 months inside those things (including the fucking ball turret) gave me a new understanding and respect for the people in those planes.
I was amazed it didn’t get a second series or that they didn’t even really show the plane interiors that much - I don’t recall any time spent in the radio bay for example. They could have done so much interesting stuff cinematically with those planes as they were full shootable, 360 degree “real” sets.
Company that made them was BGI Supplies if you want to look them up.
RogerRabbit1234@reddit
Compared to BoB and The Pacific it’s a distaaaaaaant third.
Amari__Cooper@reddit
Yeah not good imo
Andoverian@reddit
I think that says more about Band of Brothers and The Pacific than it does about Masters of the Air, though. They're just that good.
Ilikebookstoo@reddit
Pacific is so underrated. It’s fantastic
withateethuh@reddit
Its a little disjointed as a result of combining two different stories following different characters but it has stand out moments. The second main character's struggles with going back to normal life were heartbreaking. I think one of the most striking scenes is when that crazy hardened edge older marine later in the series is crying and insoleable. Everyone has their breaking point, and dealing with the nightmare of how the Japanese fought themselves but also used civilians is absolute horror.
RogerRabbit1234@reddit
Fair Point…. But…Didn’t you find the acting very cheesy and the story line so gimmicky in Masters?
Also, with Brothers I binge watched the entire season in a few days because you can’t wait to watch the next one and I can rewatch any episode at any time… with Masters I kind of trudged through it… it was fine and entertaining, but it wasn’t riveting, IMHO.
shizakapayou@reddit
I watched Masters when it came out, and while I remember having that kind of thought about it, I legitimately barely remember it. Compared to I have no idea how many watches of BoB, and at least a few of The Pacific. Huge difference.
NPRdude@reddit
Partway through the show, episode 5 maybe, I realized I recognized barely any of the characters in the bombers. I acknowledge that this is in part due to the nature of the story and the real life attrition rates of bomber crews, but the show did not do a good job of introducing new characters after the first couple episodes.
FourFunnelFanatic@reddit
It isn’t supposed to be BoB or The Pacific.
killerbacon678@reddit
I think it’s still a decent show but oh man, BOB and the Pacific are still probably the greatest military series of all time.
RogerRabbit1234@reddit
Generation Kill is up there, but an entirely different vibe.
imbasicallycoffee@reddit
Gen Kill doesn’t get enough love for how awesome it is. The writing and the acting are phenomenal. You completely lose track of the actors in so many scenes and are just watching their character at that point.
Automaticman01@reddit
The book (written by Evan Wright, the reporter) was quite good as well. I also just recently found Nathan Fick's book, "One Bullet Away" and really enjoyed it. It covers his journey from boot camp (officer boot camp, which I haven't seen much before in media) through his first tour in Afghanistan and then the events of Generation Kill - which basically make up the second half of the book. It was definitely interesting seeing the events from his perspective.
WWWallace71@reddit
It's the most accurate military depiction put on the screen. But hey, what do you expect with David Simon in charge? He made The Wire
RogerRabbit1234@reddit
I can rewatch any episode of Generation Kill and really enjoy it like it was the first watch.
Automaticman01@reddit
Same, I've re-watched it so many times.
NPRdude@reddit
My hot take is that Generation Kill is better than both BoB and The Pacific, but that it is a hard show to recommend just because it’s honest to a degree that I think would be abrasive to a lot of people (ie, it’s hard to recommend a show where the characters swear like they do in GK).
DisasterAdditional16@reddit
gen kill mentioned..... unfuck yeselfs!!!
RogerRabbit1234@reddit
Not everyone is lucky enough to have been raised in a whiskey tango trailer park by a bow-legged female whose sole qualification for motherhood is a womb that happened to catch a sperm of a passing truck driver.
Turkish_primadona@reddit
Why don't you ask him how he got the name whopper junior?
RogerRabbit1234@reddit
“They were calling me that?”
I love the reporters reaction when he asks that.
Oh Trombley.
catsdrooltoo@reddit
Generation kill is definitely made for the gen x and millennials that went to combat zones. It really shows a lot of the absurdity of deployments away from combat scenes.
mnztr1@reddit
Which BOB the Guy Martin documentary?
I_Love_You_Sometimes@reddit
I rewatch generation kill every 2 years or so. It's so good
gumball2016@reddit
Police that mooostache!!!
DangerousPraline9236@reddit
Amerikey is watchin
generictroglodytic@reddit
Grooooooooming staaandards
gumball2016@reddit
I like in the last episode...during mail call he basically tells Gunny with a wink that its all just an act to keep morale up.
xj98jeep@reddit
Master and commander is different, but also the same... I think that might be my favorite.
Mekroval@reddit
I still live for the day when Peter Weir finally does a sequel. There are so many books from the series he could draw from. And Crowe isn't getting any younger.
JBerry_Mingjai@reddit
From the Earth to the Moon does not get enough love. I think it’s every bit as good as BOB and the Pacific.
Mekroval@reddit
I love that Earth to the Moon, which was clearly inspired by Apollo 13, doesn't at all touch the mission other than peripherally. IIRC, it only shows the news media's side of the story.
generictroglodytic@reddit
The pacific is on top only because band of brothers got some glaring things wrong
Ilikebookstoo@reddit
The book is so good. I was hoping for more from the show. I liked it. But just felt .. short
OneStrongGopher@reddit
Came here to say this. It's still a good show though, and it's combat visuals are definitely on par with the other shows.
Definitely more of a helplessness feeling watching Masters of the Air. You can take cover if you're getting bullets shot at you.. on a B-17 you just gotta hope you dont get hit.
UnderstandingNo5667@reddit
It is absolutely pants. 🩲
CatchAcceptable3898@reddit
Airplanes by B.O.B? Mid song
draggin_low@reddit
B.O.B. by Outkast? Great song
magnumfan89@reddit
Airplanes PT2 is where it's at. One of Eminems best feature verses IMO
Thin-Ebb-9534@reddit
Also watch an old movie: Twelve o’Clock High with Gregory Peck.
Worried_Raspberry_43@reddit
The mission near the end spliced with real combat footage is insane. There is a Messerschmidt making a pass less than 10 meters from the cameraman in the B-17.
MoonageManic@reddit
There’s a scene where they refer to B-17 as a B-1-7. It was then that I decided not to watch it again. Not a patch on BoB or the Pacific.
slaganon@reddit
Seconded, concur
throwburgeratface@reddit
It was so bad lol.
Xen0m3@reddit
loved it personally, it’s a very rare occasion indeed to see a properly sized wwii bomber formation, and media from the air crew’s POV is pretty rare compared to the “boots on the ground” catalogue.
Le_petite_bear_jew@reddit
Thought it was pretty mid
Jegged@reddit
The battle scenes were really cool and really well done. Probably the closest thing we'll see to actual dogfights so, it's worth seeing on that basis alone. But they really shit the bed with the whole series. I've never had the last few episodes of a miniseries make me hate a whole show to such a degree. The entire last half of the show was unearned. They want you to feel something for the characters, but they don't give any sense of there being high stakes. They try to make references to some of the atrocities like the Holocaust, and they somehow manage to fumble that ball entirely. None of the scenes where they're supposed to be cold or hungry do they look like they're cold or hungry. And to top it all off, it turns into the Americans jerking themselves off about how they won the war. They literally raised an American flag in the German POW camp, and maybe that happened, but I guess they forgot that any of the other allied countries existed and participated.
That was a complete waste of 9 hours, and I wish I could go back and unwatch the show.
juanmlm@reddit
It was so bad by the end I was rooting for the Germans.
NoIdeaHalp@reddit
Yes.
Designer_Buy_1650@reddit
The bombing by the US in WW2 is beyond comprehension. Movies like this help, but don’t do it justice. My uncle was shot down (B17) on July 20, 1944. The bombing missions that day included about 1900 aircraft (1200 bombers, 700 fighters escorting). Think about those kind of numbers.
His mission was to bomb Leipzig in Germany. Thick cloud cover made them change their target to Kosten in Poland. He parachuted and was captured by citizens who started stoning him. Believe it or not the German soldiers saved him from the citizens. He was a POW until the end of the war.
Taki_Minase@reddit
The ground shook when the thousand bomber raids occurred, the noise must have been something to behold.
Designer_Buy_1650@reddit
It killed thousands of people. Most innocent civilians. It was war and it sucked.
withateethuh@reddit
Even excluding the genocidal acts it killed millions. An absolute tragedy, and the behavior of axis early on (like the indiscriminate bombing of london) lowered the bar for what was deemed acceptable in response. They raped and pillaged (japan included for obvious reasons) like the truly thought none of this could blow back, and unfortunately for their civilian populations, it very much did.
I was recently reading about the civilian death toll when they were softening up the france for d day, and I had no idea how many civilians we killed. Its so sad that any of this had to happen, and its terrifying that the generation that experienced this is all but gone.
withateethuh@reddit
Its something I think about a lot. The scale is absolutely mindboggling. I literally cannot imagine the dread of seeing a bomber formation like that approaching your city.
2cimage@reddit
I remember talking to my distant relative who was a medic in Normandy after D-Day and I asked him what he most remembered about WW2 and he said it’ was the sky, it was nearly black with just endless streams of bombers and fighters flying across France into Germany.
Designer_Buy_1650@reddit
Interesting. Good story. I hope readers appreciate what you posted. I did.
truegothlove@reddit
It was a stinker.
Nok1a_@reddit
Is not that good as I thought it will be to be honest, waiting that many years for this I was bit dissapointed with the air strike of mustangs I mean really? besides the amount of time taken with the girl , but I was measuring the show with Band of Brothers or Pacific
DBFlyguy@reddit
The show was a mess that tried to do too much and didn't do anything very well. The P-51 raid was laughably bad on top of killing off someone who survived the war and was in multiple WWII documentaries, was a published author and awarded a congressional gold medal...no idea who did the historical "research" for this show.
ShittyLanding@reddit
This show got greenlit before a single word of the script was written and it shows.
withateethuh@reddit
Did Hanks or Spielberg have any actual involvement in this other than slapping their name on it as executive producers?
doozerman@reddit
Maybe you did live it and just don’t remember yet
ShieldPilot@reddit
It was no Band of Brothers. Damn good book though.
Spartan0330@reddit
Funny enough, I genuinely disliked the BoB book but love the show. I should probably read Masters of Air. The whole story of the Bloody 100th is wild to me.
TomHicksJnr@reddit
The book is great. The TV show is far too sanitised and doesn’t do it justice.
piantanida@reddit
I noped out 15 minutes in. Not worth it. I was not looking forward to it letting me down, but the trailers gave away that it was going to be terrible vfx and for something like this it’s very important to have realistic and perfect visuals. Remember catching quite a lot of flack in some fanboy subreddit at the time they were releasing the teasers for calling a spade a spade.
No-Anteater509@reddit
If you want to see what accurate aerial gunnery from a B-17 would have looked like
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aoHOVUKOc0M&pp=ygUTd3cyIGd1bm5lciB0cmFpbmluZw%3D%3D
Taki_Minase@reddit
Yes, Ammo is finite, many movies have magical ammo belts and magazines
CCFCVAN@reddit
It’s so shit dude
Leftyshanker@reddit
Didn’t like it. Too dramatic, too many plot lines that started and just abruptly ended, good fighting scenes, but I’d give it a C+ while BoB and Pacific are solid gold A’s.
jimbojsb@reddit
I was initially disappointed in the theme music given the absolute icons that are the BoB and Pacific scores, but it really grew on me.
superbadj@reddit
I felt it was poorly acted across the board, bad writing, cheesy, just such a total letdown from this production team.
EffectiveGold3067@reddit
I couldn’t watch it. Everyone is named Buck or Bucky or Buckles or whatever. I couldn’t get attached to any character, they were all the same. I just couldn’t get into it at all. I wanted to like it but it’s just to overproduced and schlocky for me.
iamkeerock@reddit
Are there any Me-262 scenes?
Ok_Entrepreneur_1086@reddit
Its a great show up until like the 3rd episode, then its not very enjoyable.
DBFlyguy@reddit
I thought it was honestly pretty mediocre show and that's being kind. Between the bad writing, odd narrative choices and cartoonish CGI... I was pretty disappointed. Another recent WWII bomber related show, Hulu's "Catch-22" while a completely different tone was a much better show and definitely worth a watch!
syringistic@reddit
Catch 22 miniseries was very decent and captured the spirit of the book well.
If anyone reading this hasn't ever read the book, it's an absolute must-read. Best dark comedy ever.
Mekroval@reddit
I remember reading this book and being shocked with him grim but hilarious it was. It was also the inspiration for M*A*S*H, no?
aka_Handbag@reddit
Both movies came out at the same time and both had TV pilots at the same time. The Heller novel was 1961 and Hooker’s 1968 👍
Mekroval@reddit
Interesting, TIL!
syringistic@reddit
Never heard about it being an inspiration for MASH... but it would make total sense since the show employed a similar approach to humor and morbidity.
rkmvca@reddit
Exactly. Catch 22 was a big surprise, with some great aviation scenes.
crazysparky4@reddit
Loved that book, heard about the show and didn’t watch it because I assumed it would disappoint in comparison. I guess I’ve got something to watch now.
syringistic@reddit
It's definitely not a 10/10, but.i would say a strong 7/10. Visual media can't really convey the absurdity of the novel.
petoskey_stone@reddit
I’d rather not watch it again. I thought it was pretty insultingly bad.
SkyeMreddit@reddit
It’s was great. I was just annoyed that the ads hyped up the Tuskegee Airmen constantly only for them to minimally appear toward the end.
magnumfan89@reddit
Anyone know if I can find it online somewhere? I can't afford the subscription to watch it
Extension-Ant-8@reddit
It’s not even worth it if it was free.
magnumfan89@reddit
I want to watch it. I don't really care about the consensus on it
victorsmonster@reddit
Dang I had no idea this show was so unpopular. I binged it and really enjoyed it. I had not realized what a terrifying meat grinder those bombing missions were before watching it, even though I'd read a bit about it.
I saw a reviewer call it "another entry in the Saving Private Ryan Extended Universe" which I found pretty funny.
Going to queue up Memphis Belle now!
johnqadamsin28@reddit
It was good but would have been cool if they did like an alternate history idea twist at the end
postbox134@reddit
I like it mostly because the ground airfield scenes were filmed right where I grew up - at the old RAF Abingdon. That meant I could spend a lot of the show seeing exactly what was real (not much) and what was CGI.
CleanEnergyFuture331@reddit
I agree with most criticism. But character development. The whole idea IMO, was to show how quickly aircrews were killed and new crews brought in. It was one of the deadliest jobs of the war.
Murky-Profit-9493@reddit
This show sucks what are you talking about
DCS_Sport@reddit
If you enjoy rampant historical inaccuracies, terrible writing, and really bad CGI, then it’s the perfect show!
wil9212@reddit
Pretty sobering series in my world.
Internal_Button_4339@reddit
Enjoyed it, I thought it portrayed the huge losses of the B17 squadrons rather well. Poor bastards. Esp before long range escorts were available, these guys were just shot to shit, every mission.
enzo32ferrari@reddit
I feel like the series captured what the proto-USAF went through in WW2, but it felt like a TV show produced by a different production company that did BoB and The Pacific.
bpwo0dy@reddit
I loved this show.
aheadofme@reddit
It was ok but good lord Austin Butler is an overactor. And the camera lingered on his stupid face like 3x too long every shot. Really liked the rest of the characters though.
KarateRoddy@reddit
I for real thought he was AI until I googled the cast
Filmexec21@reddit
If you are into WWII or the 8th Air Force please go checkout this documentary I made; it is easiest to find it on AppleTV and PrimeVideo: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5097780/
dpaanlka@reddit
Surely you don’t think this hasn’t been discussed here as nauseam 🙄
Scared_Breadfruit_26@reddit
Too much CGI. Didnt like it.
A_Moon_Named_Luna@reddit
True but unlike band and the Pacific, getting a thousand b17’s together might be a little difficult. CGI is the only way you can capture that insane scale the late war bombing was . Imagine 1000 plane raids. Just pure chaos.
Hoenirson@reddit
Agreed. It could be valid to want less obvious GGI but that would mean a likely impossible budget.
A_Moon_Named_Luna@reddit
I do agree with the quality of the CGI , at times being a little lack luster.
wellthatsjustyouropi@reddit
I’m not a gay man but….
Significant_Lynx_827@reddit
I really enjoyed it. The folks that produced it did a really great job, just like they did with band of brothers.
CouchPotatoFamine@reddit
We enjoyed it, but it definitely borrowed heavily from Memphis Belle - which isn't necessarily a bad thing, of course! I will watch it again, though, for certain.
_WhiteGoodman_@reddit
Watched it as it came out. Waited a bit and watched it again. Now I’m on a 3rd round of casually watching.
Good series. But I’m totally biased as I love WWII history, particularly the aviation-side of it, the European theater, the B17 is one of my top 3 favorite airplanes, and Memphis Belle is one of my favorite movies.