User Reviews

I'm guessing most of us watched 'The Pacific' for at least one of the following 3 reasons:

1. We have an interest in history, particularly in WW2.

2. We are fans of movies and television shows (well, the good ones anyway)

3. We had seen - and loved - the previous Hanks/Spielberg co-production 'Band Of Brothers' and expected a mini-series on the same level.

Now from reading some of the reviews here I gather that third reason was the most important one for many viewers - and it's also why 'The Pacific' apparently left quite a few people disappointed. As for me, I wasn't disappointed - I was devastated.

I'm a lucky man; I've never had to suffer through a war. But I had relatives who did, and though they're all long gone now, I'll never forget their stories. War is the most extreme and outrageous experience humans can possibly endure, but there are many different aspects and layers to it, because a war is not a single experience: it's all the experiences of all the individuals who have to suffer through it, and no single film or TV show can cover all of them. 'Band Of Brothers' focused on certain aspects of a war, and it chose a narrative that helped emphasize what the core theme of the series was: the brotherhood of war. It was about people who retain their humanity and form the closest of bonds under the worst, most horrific circumstances.

That inherently human element in 'BoB' was also why we could identify so well with the protagonists, and why we were - and still are - so deeply touched by what they had to go through. It's an outstandingly well made series, and I can't imagine how those experiences by those soldiers could have been portrayed better. Which is why 'The Pacific' doesn't even try. Instead, it goes almost in the opposite direction by choosing to focus on the sheer insanity of war: the relentless horror and despair of people losing their humanity and their struggle to regain it. Of course, just like 'BoB' it's also about the heroic sacrifices of those brave soldiers, but if there is a core theme in 'The Pacific' it's that of trauma: the trauma of having your humanity stripped from you and your personality shattered; the trauma of witnessing the complete disintegration of everything you thought you were and knowing you'll never be whole again.

What we see in 'The Pacific' is Hell, plain and simple. It's scores and scores of anonymous, young Japanese soldiers running senselessly into machine gun fire, wave after wave, until the piles of their bodies are so high they block the sight for the machine gun; it's American soldiers barely older than kids in despair or completely numb from the sheer amount of random death around them; it's vibrant young men turning into barely alive husks whose only remaining focus is to survive - which means they have to kill other barely alive young men who will stop at nothing to kill them in turn; it's kids killing other kids like rats by any means at their disposal: guns, knives, flame-throwers or with their bare hands; it's people living among the rotting corpses of their dead comrades and enemies and completely losing any regard for human life. And the few moments where we witness how those kids get a brief taste of how precious and beautiful life could be make their fate all the more heartbreaking.

Over large stretches, 'The Pacific' is devastating and depressing to watch, and though I found it never less than compelling, it's actually easy to see why many viewers who had hoped for a similarly engaging experience as in 'BoB' were left disappointed. But this is a different story about different people who fought in a different theater of the war and who went through different experiences, and once you stop comparing it to the story of the men in Easy Company from 'BoB', you'll find that, while different, in terms of sheer quality 'The Pacific' is every bit as good and as much of an outstanding achievement as its more popular predecessor.

The realism, the performances, the music and the production values in the series are superb (this was a 200 million production after all), and the attention to historic detail is simply staggering. As for me, witnessing what these men went through left me devastated; yet I am grateful I've watched 'The Pacifc': because in its relentless depiction of the horrors of war it honors the sacrifice these brave young soldiers made in the hope future generations wouldn't have to do the same. I originally rated this series 9 stars out of 10, but upon a recent rewatch and with more knowledge of the war in the Pacific theater, it's clear that this is a 10/10. Outstanding.

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The war in the Pacific was a hell of a lot different than the war in Europe. Of course both where terrible - full of death, sacrifice, and heroism. However, it seems the soldier's stories from the European theater have gotten a lot more press.

The US Marines in the Pacific lived like animals in the most horrible environments imaginable. On top of fighting an enemy committed to kill them at all cost and never surrender, they battled the mud, heat, malaria, near starvation, and isolation for months on end.

Basically, it was a total nightmare, and the heroism of all the US Marines in the Pacific theater is nothing short of awe inspiring. The Pacific tells this story well. It is a must see on the topic of WW2.

"The Pacific" is Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's epic 200 million dollar miniseries from the creators of the brilliant 2001 series "Band Of Brothers'. Much like with Band Of Brothers, The Pacific gives us an unflinching look at the horrors of war, not just the physical but the mental horrors these men must face. As an audience you are pulled through this experience, watching in horror as limbs are torn from bodies and men are burned and mutilated. In a way even more distressing is watching the emotional scars and effects this has on our main characters. This is not a perfect series and does suffer from some major flaws but overall it's an extremely harrowing experience but one that is needed in an age where war is often glorified, this series does anything but that.

Narrative and overall story: The Pacific is based primarily on two memoirs of U.S. Marines, With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by Eugene Sledge and Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie. The miniseries follows both these marines Sledge (played by joe mazzello) and Leckie (James Badge Dale) there is also the addition of marine John Basilone (Jon Seda) but he is a lesser focus. Now unlike Band of Brothers we follow these characters separately as they are part of different divisions, the first few episodes follow Leckie and his experiences, the latter on Sledge. In a way this is both an interesting way of narration but also maybe the biggest flaw of the series.

This spilt narration gives us two very separate journeys which in a way bonds us closer to the characters. The downfall is that Leckie's story is just simply not as interesting as Sledges, from the moment Sledge is introduced to us i felt an instant sympathy and connection with him, here is this shy, awkward eighteen year old desperately longing to fight in the war but unable to do so thanks to a heart mummer, of course his determination gets the best of him and enlists. The character and his overall story is simply miles more compelling than Leckie's thats what makes the first three or four episodes somewhat lackluster. When the sole focus is on Sledge this series reaches its incredible potential and becomes something truly amazing, Sledge and his journey is really the heart and soul of this series.

Acting: With such a depressing and intense subject matter first class acting was expected and the pacific delivers. Every single cast member gives a great performance, its gripping and believable acting at its best. The stars are undoubtedly Joe Mazzello who plays Sledge and Rami Malek who plays Corporal Merriell Shelton or "Snafu", a highly intriguing character who forms a close friendship with Sledge. Both give Emmy worthy performances and in Malek's case i would say Oscar worthy. These are two very complex and incredible performances. Mazzello plays our lead which such an intense and subtle power: his character goes from a naive and passive teenager to hardened killing machine full of rage it is an incredible character arc and Mazzello plays it to perfection. As the series comes to a close we really see what Mazzello can do: Sledge is beginning to lose himself, he has become ruthless and in one single pivotal scene he regains his humanity, his compassion and his redemption. Its a truly powerful scene and one in which Mazzello does not utter one word, his face says everything and its heartbreaking. In fact that is Mazzello main strong point, his ability to convey much more than what is going on just by his eyes and face, there is so much complex emotion behind his eyes it makes for a fascinating watch. Rami Malek gives the most impressive performance of the series playing "Snafu". His character is incredibly creepy and odd, obviously numbed by the horrors of the war, but there is something there that makes the audience warm to him. Malek completely becomes the role, every mannerism, twitch, blink of the eye is perfectly done. lines such as "I like to watch the new guys sweat." are said with such odd intensity its actually mind blowing. I will call this performance perfect which is a very rare thing indeed, if only Malek could win an Oscar because this performance truly deserves the highest acclaim. Malek and Mozzello also have fantastic chemistry, playing off each other perfectly helping to only further this touching friendship.

Direction: remember the opening sequence of "Saving Private Ryan"? well imagine that times 20. I would say this is the most realistic portrayal of what an actual battle must have felt like. The battle scenes are simply epic and wonderfully directed, even if you hate everything else anyone can see the direction is incredible within this series.

Overall: the major flaw of this series if the first 4 episodes they simply don't have the emotional impact of the rest, in fact they border on dull. However as soon as Sledge and Snafu become our main focus this series becomes a true epic. This series will take you on a haunting experience, you will be horrified, you will be moved, you will laugh, you will cry. As long as you stick with it through the first few episodes you will not regret it.

The Pacific miniseries will leave many of you in a state of awe. What a cinematic achievement. The best of the best of what American entertainment has to offer. The scenes and emotions portrayed are so vivid and lifelike that you'll think you've been transported back in time to the pacific theater of war. History has told us how horrid the war against the Japanese was. A war of attrition. This series will take you there and slap you on the wrists and then the face and remind you of the truth. War is utter diabolical hell. And the guys that fought in the pacific during WW2 were tough as nails. Tougher. It's ugly and beautiful at the same time. Enjoy and take a history lesson. You'll thank your lucky stars you did.

Well, it is no where as good as Band of Brothers, but the focus is too different. It doesn't stay on a single company and because of that, you kind of don't get what you expected...

...and what you expected is Band of Brothers in the Pacific theater and, well, without the same company to follow through the war, it doesn't give you that feel of brotherhood that made Band of Brothers so loved.

However, you do get a sense of how brutal it was, much more so than the European theater. And that is another source of complaints. People thought it was carnage candy when, the Pacific was actually just carnage.

So, really, its a misunderstood cousin.

The Pacific... every time I come across this series I always want to watch it again. The show really shows you what the soldiers that fought in WW2 felt and went through. It's series like this that keep the memory of those brave soldiers who fought for their country alive. And also, the opening theme is... Just hear it for yourself.

If you want to see the Pacific version of HBO's critically acclaimed "Band of Brothers", change the channel

"The Pacific" differs from "Band of Brothers" whereas the "The Pacific" focuses on the war itself and "Band of Brothers" focused on the characters. Both miniseries are championed by Hollywood heavy-hitters Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg who were contributing writers and producers of both miniseries.

Perhaps the greatest distinction between the two mini-series was intentional. It is clear that the soldiers in the Pacific theater fought a different kind of war than those fighting in Europe. "The Pacific" is a gritty if not gory depiction of a war against not just the Japanese, but also the elements. The cast is made-up of some brilliant actors we are sure to see again in future projects. What makes "The Pacific" so good is the intense realism which brings the viewer into the battle from the safety of your couch. If there is hell on earth, you will find it here.

The army they are fighting is alien; both mysterious and ferocious. They are looked at with both awe and disdain and the Americans want to kill them all. However, there is a palpable sense fear among the men that this enemy will never surrender and will fight beyond what they feel is humanly if not morally possible. When one character hears about the Kamikaze's flying their planes into ships, he asks aloud "how can any man do that?" "The Pacific" is fast-paced and each episode leaves the viewer wanting more.

What lacks in the series is the intimacy of knowing the characters. They are kept at a distance almost as if the character doesn't want to let you in. This may be the intent of the writers; just as the soldiers took little interest in knowing each other, maybe we are not meant to know the characters.

The Pacific does for the War in the Pacific theater. What Band of Brothers did for the European theater. It makes it more realistic. More understanding. and That's not an easy feat to do. As with Band of Brothers there is a large cast here . But the main focus is on only a few soldiers . Not surprising as the source matériel is taken Robert Leckie's Helmet for my Pillow and Eugene Sledge's In with the old Breed. Both books present a often shocking and brutal picture of the war. The Main focus is PFC Robert Leckie. PFC Eugene Sledge. And Gunny Sgt. Medal of honor Winner John Basilone. And the others caught in their orbit.

Leckie's story is simply the story of a every man caught up in forces he can't control. the Horror and mind breaking conditions he faces as the war progresses almost kills him several times and yet he persists.

Eugene sledge is the innocent young man 18 years old who wants to fight who wants to defend his country. And loses his innocence in the process. Sledge's story is the most emotional harrowing one here. Watching his story and the horrors he saw. Makes you wonder how he maintained his sanity. Sledge's friend Snafu is also a joy to watch as he helps Sledge maintain something of normality. In one scene when the new guys show up and snafu asks questions of them like their name sledge replies with a What Now you want to know their names . A common enough thing to happen during th war in which the seasoned vets did'not want to know the names of the new guys because they did not want to mourn them later on.

The LAst main focus is Sgt. John Basilone a Marine who wins the medal of honor winner who wins it on Guladcanel after holding off a force of three thousand Japanese soldiers for three days . That story is vividly brought to life as well as his struggles in being a hero doing a War bond drive. and eventually returning to duty on Iwo Jima .

The Pacific isn't perfect by any means . but in telling the story of the war. Its as good as it ever gets .

Rating: 7/10

Themes: World War II, History, Drama, Action, Marines, Americans vs. Japanese, Trauma & Relationships.

Review: The premise of this show had the potential for a gut-wrenching story filled with heart and grief, but it didn't manage to fully live up to that potential for me. This series definitely succeeded in showing the violence and hopelessness that went with being at war, but I struggled a little bit with the emotional factor. It lacked some depth for me there, and I was expecting more from it. The pacing was a little off as well and the structure wasn't the best. I have to say I thought the series did get better over time, and the first half truly felt different from the second half. In any case, this was an interesting watch, but it could have been more.

I couldn't tell you how many times I have watched Band of Brothers. I think it is the best production ever made. However, I resisted watching The Pacific. My father had five years active duty in the Marine Corps when I was born, and remained on active duty until I was 30 years old. I was ten when he left for Viet Nam, the first time, and in high school the next. I had friends whose fathers were seriously wounded, or killed, there. I have always felt like Marines are family, and any depiction of them being killed has always been hard to see. However, I finally decided to "man-up" and watch it, on Veteran's Day this year.

I think BoB was a dream come true for the producers. They had ironclad characters to follow all the way through, and many of the men were still alive and took part in it. The story of Easy company had been put into book form, brilliantly. They didn't have that with The Pacific. The closest they could come was to base it all around three separate men; Robert Leckie,Eugene Sledge and John Basilone. The three men's paths crossed, some,but they did not belong to the same units or know each other, although Leckie and Sledge both knew Basilone's reputation.

As brutal and difficult as the war in Europe was, the Pacific war against the Japanese was almost incomprehensible. Except for their time in Australia, following Guadalcanal, they were fighting the most brutal fights in history, while in the most punishing places on earth.It is a wonder that any of them were ever able to return to civilization and dull the memories of those horrors enough to lead a more or less normal life.

Because of the brutality of both the enemy and the conditions they had to live and fight under, there isn't much in the way of light-heartedness. The Pacific is not as enjoyable as BoB. Anyone seeing it for the first time should not expect to be entertained. It is a bit more difficult to get into. I found it helpful to watch the first episode twice before going on. A little patience in getting to know the primary characters payed off. I also think being able to watch it all over the course of a few days, like I did, was much better than watching it as it was first presented, one episode each week for ten weeks.

There were some excellent performances in The Pacific. Someone else singled out Ravi Malek's portrayal of Merriel "Snafu" Sheldon as award worthy and I agree 100%! I loved William Sadler as LtCol. Lewis "Chesty" Puller, and I was also very impressed with Tom Budge as PFC Ronnie Gibson.

The three primary characters are portrayed worthily. I didn't think Joe Mazzello as Sledge developed his character as well as the other two. However, I ended up with only nine episodes on my DVR. The one I am missing is episode five, which I suspect is centered on Sledge, so perhaps the character will seem better developed to me after I see it. Jon Seda gave a fine performance as John Basilone, which was definitely the roll of a lifetime! I think my favorite of the three was James Badge Dale, as Bob Leckie.

I wasn't as depressed by seeing a portrayal of so many Marines being killed and wounded as I expected. That was partly because not many of them really looked like Marines to me. I have always said that you can put an actor in the Marine Corps uniform but you usually can't make him look like a Marine. There were a few, though, who were totally believable including Jon Seda. Others have commented on the length of the men's hair as being distracting and/or inaccurate. By my first memories, in the mid-late 50s, Marines were wearing the crew-cuts and flat-tops that they have worn ever since. However, I have pictures of my dad in uniform, from a decade earlier, with longer hair, so I think the producers knew what they were doing there.

Although I agree with most posters here, that The Pacific is not as good as BoB, it is still well-done and definitely worth seeing. I think watching it with an open mind, and avoiding comparisons, it is a good way to approach it.

One last comment I have is that I wonder why one young Marine, who was killed on Iwo Jima at age 17, was singled out in the tributes at the end. I assume they meant that to symbolize the thousands of young men who were killed, and it was very effective, IMO. But I would be interested to know why they chose the one they did; if perhaps someone involved in the production was a relative of the young man. I won't say his name for those who might not have seen it yet, but I will always remember it.

Please, for the love of God, please do not overlook this miniseries. I have seen way too many people who don't bother to see The Pacific because it wasn't like Band of Brothers. This was in no way, shape, or form meant to be like BoB. If you have studied WW2 at all, you would know that the war in the Pacific was a totally different war than the European theater.

I loved Band of Brothers, it was a great and realistic series of the harsh realities of warfare and the scars it can leave. The Pacific was much harder to watch than BoB ever was. BoB was all about the bonds formed in combat and how this can tear people apart. This grim series displayed how completely unprepared the US military was mentally for how truly horrific this war would be. Not only were you fighting the unpredictable and relentless Japanese soldiers, but you were also fighting the terrain. The dense woods, the heavy rain, the thick mud. Not to mention all the diseases that came with these harsh conditions. Water was a luxury in a lot of situations. The filmmakers brilliantly showed how this affected the fighting men, who became virtually hollow shells, their sanity teetering on the edge of their knives.

The Japanese killed everyone without remorse. One particular scene that gave me chills to witness was in the latter half of the series when a group of civilians was slaughtered by a Japanese machine gun nest while running to the American forces. One person, a child, started to crawl slowly to the lines, a couple bullet wounds on his body. One of the combat rookies wanted to run in to help the poor boy, but was kept back so they would not be shoot too. All the Marines could do was watch, as the helpless child was brutally killed after a bullet from that machine gun emplacement hit him in the back of the head and his body went limp instantaneously.

This is on par with Saving Private Ryan, another collaboration between Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, as one of the most horrific, gruesome, and realistic war dramas ever put to film. I highly recommend giving it a watch, but be warned: this series is not for the faint of heart.

This show is equally important to BOB, both are amazing and well made, This side of the war is not talked about enough and it taught me a lot about the war with Japan and ww2 in general, the cast and production is unbelievable, the show makes you realize how brutal war is to everyone, I can't wait for masters of the air. For me this show is undoubtedly a masterpiece.

It's taken me some time to write this. I really don't understand how people want to compare this to Band of Brothers.

For me it was one of the most visceral depictions of war in the Pacific. Beautifully shot, incredibly well acted, and painful at times. There are times when I thought I was I was there amongst all the mud, rain and blood. The battle at Peleliu was something i'll never forget.

This series is unforgettable.

Funny how most people like BOB over the Pacific, but I much prefer the Pacific and feel like it got a little neglected! It's one hell of a ride and much more riveting!

I don't compare the heroics of the European war with those of the Pacific war, but I've always been more in awe of the Pacific War. Unfortunately, this miniseries seems an afterthought, as if, after Band of Brothers, a Pacific vet went up to Spielberg and said, "Hey, what about us?" and Spielberg said, "Oh, OK."

The Pacific War was completely different in character from the European War, but this miniseries doesn't show us why. It's no accident that this miniseries is named for the ocean, yet here the Pacific is given only a bit part. What we see is the horrors of war we saw in Band of Brothers, moved to a different setting. The Pacific war was largely a naval war. Coral Sea, Midway, Leyte, were titanic engagements, each as dramatic as any island battle, with huge fleets on vast expanses of ocean. In fact, the Pacific War was a Marine war because it was first a naval war.

HBO blew a huge opportunity here. Depicting the great naval battles has always been problematic in movies, because they've been impossible to stage without resorting to stock footage and cheesy process shots. CGI has now advanced to the point -- we got samples in this series -- where the titanic ocean battles that distinguished the Pacific War can be convincingly produced.

I've read the books of Sledge and Leckie and can attest to their greatness. But there are also wonderful firsthand accounts of the naval side from which to draw. In fact, I think there were sailors who transferred from ship to ship, as they sank beneath them, who lived to tell about it. How about brothers or cousins, one on land, the other at sea, writing back and forth, as we witness their respective ordeals?

Okay, that's my slant. But even as it's presented, The Pacific still lacks a dimension. If you want to know what it is, then read James Michener's Tales From the South Pacific. I don't mean it should replace what The Pacific shows us, but including Michener's exposition and the naval war, would have kept The Pacific from being, for all its great production values and gruesome intensity, just another war-is-hell movie.

Along with Band of Brothers this is another brilliant watch all the way through

Two thumbs up for effort but this series is not as good as "Band of Brothers".

The scope and focus of this series is a little bit limited and microscopic. I understand they couldn't possibly show the whole Pacific conflict in a 10 episode mini series but you just don't get complete enough a picture of what happened in the Pacific War from these particular incidents and battles.

The main fault is in choosing these particular stories and characters to focus on exculsively. The slow moments showing the personal lives of the main characters is not very interesting. They chose rather uncharismatic actors for the leads and some of them look rather alike so it's a bit confusing. I understand they wanted unknowns so as not to detract from the story but they went a bit too far. The dialog is also a little mundane. Why does one not feel that much for any of the characters?

Some of the intense battle scenes were good and make you want to cover your eyes but ultimately don't add that much to the storyline.

Overall good for war trivia buffs but rather unsatisfying for the general viewer.

Every time I'm watching for a new season to start, I always come back to binge watching this. I love the explosions, drama, real life feel and reminds me of some of the stories my grandad would tell me as a child.

I enjoyed this series very much and can see why there has been so many comparisons with Band Of Brothers. My observation is that in The Pacific many of the characters lack depth and development. The result was that I cared less when ill befell them than I did in Band of Brothers. I think that the first episode could have contained a lot more time letting us get to know the characters better before throwing them into battle.

The battle scenes were done very well and played very realistically. All in all HBO has done it again. Without the HBO and Showtime I think that US grown TV drama would be pretty thin on the ground. The Pacific is well worth the time.

This is a fantastic historical drama. Like BOB, it provides multiple stories based in real soldiers stories. Action packed. One difference among many, but there is a difference between fighting to win and fighting to the death. To the death breeds a certain violence that is inhuman; beyond what any society deems as honorable. The Marines had to fight like this, and they did. God bless em all. God bless Uncle Les, a survivor...