Band of Brothers

A masterpiece! Even twenty years later. When the series premiered, "Medal of Honor" and "Call of Duty" were being played daily by players. But two decades have passed, and over time you gain some experience, learn a few things, and thanks to media coverage, the war is actually online on our phones, and suddenly we perceive the ten-hour colossus is completely differently. That senseless massacre in the Ardennes is no longer as cool, and neither are the torn bodies. Suddenly, there are ten mini-stories about one huge bit of determination, about real "ordinary men" who did "extraordinary things," which stands precisely on the edge of a celebratory ode and simple military pathos, never sliding into kitsch or pleasing flattery. HBO spent an extravagant budget for its time, which the creators pumped into the magnificent set design and huge cast, where mud and snow get under their nails. These small outbursts of humanity (particularly the medic's ordeal) only confirm the power of the storytelling. A genre benchmark and a series standard that continues to dominate in many aspects and leaves most competitors far behind. (30/01/2024)

Fantastic work! The creators took the best of Saving Private Ryan (a naturalistic and technically brilliant depiction of the war), got rid of the disgusting patriotic pathos, and focused their series on believable flesh-and-blood characters who make mistakes and behave like real people. The narrative concept, in which each episode focuses on a different point of view and pays attention to different characters, is initially confusing, but once you get used to a few key faces, Band of Brothers becomes a truly addictive affair. The image of war is appropriately harsh, immediate and indeed brilliantly transmitted through the eye of the camera to the viewer's brain. The perfectionism of the camera and the direction is astonishing, and even though we have already seen most of the tricks in Spielberg's war tale, it is only in Band of Brothers that it truly feels immediate. Michael Kamen's majestic music is also excellent, and of course the screenwriters deserve maximum recognition, who managed to mesh the seemingly disparate war images into a completely coherent whole and create the potential for film images as powerful as the miniature love story of the medic and the French nurse in Bastogne. Band of Brothers is not just a spectacular experience, it is also a supremely impressive portrait of war suffering and everyday heroism... (23/05/2006)

Amazingly shot series with the best take on the WWII that you can see. From the moment I met the cast of characters in Episode 1, I cared about all of them, and it stayed that way until the end. And on top of that a wonderful soundtrack, set design, effects, sound. This is how you properly use a generous budget. (01/03/2012)

Our heroes deserve the best possible tribute. And that’s just what HBO did. That’s right, it’s that easy... On the other hand, it’s true that not every episode is complete genius. Some of them are “only" highly above-average, but who cares when the rest of the series is jam packed full of unforgettable moments. And not just battle moments, but primarily the human moments. ♫ OST score: 4/5 (19/01/2005)

Probably the best war series or film I've ever seen. Except for minor details, it has absolutely realistic combat scenes, weaponry and equipment, a well-written script, and well-cast characters. I would never have expected to see anything like this made by the Americans. They never seem to bother with historical accuracy of combat equipment. Those who've seen Battle of the Bulge know what I'm talking about. Their strategy is the following: a tank’s a tank, and as long as it has tracks, who can tell the difference? This series shows that with a little effort they can achieve greatness. Plus, the show doesn’t just focus on combat action, it also portrays the characters very well, which makes it even better and more interesting. The only disappointment came when the final episode was over. (21/07/2016)