Reviews

David Harbour is amazing, but specifically in this project, David Harbour Jr. steals the show. When he is shown in those F for Fake style magician clothes, my hopes for this project skyrocketed. The beef Wellington commercial was just like that Paul Masson champagne commercial Welles did. The running jokes through the project are hilarious, the abruptness is awkward gold, the camp is great, the hamminess is necessary for a project like this. I think there's some deeper, metacognitive meanings lurking below the surface of this project, but the surface level is fine for me. Lots of material packed into this.

There will be plenty of people who don't like it. There are probably plenty of people like me who really did. You'll never know which side you fall into until you watch it. It's half an hour, you can spare the time.

Catch-22 is one of the greatest books ever written. It is a dense book, with a huge ensemble of 3 dimensional characters who all have fascinating backgrounds and engage in fascinating subplots. The novel's nonlinear structure and detached 3rd person narrative make it notoriously difficult to capture in film. I've read a lot of disgruntled user reviews unhappy with what was left out, and I understand the grievances of those reviewers. I also understand the limitations of the medium of film to fully capture the complexities of a novel as perfect as Catch-22. It's ironic. The ever growing complexity of the philosophical concept of catch-22 is essential for understanding the ever growing complexity of the novel, but if the film version were to attempt to demonstrate the complexity of the concept of catch-22 it would be too complex to be effective in the format.

There's no good way to tell this story on film. This version attempts to tell the story in chronological order. It makes the material more accessible, but it buries the climax. We meet Mudd 10 minutes before he dies. We meet Snowden 10 minutes before he dies. We get a glimpse of what effect these deaths have on Yossarian in the opening of the first episode, but part of the novel's success is in the slow unraveling of these mysteries. Knowing why Yossarian is naked in a tree reduces the effectiveness of Yossarian being naked in a tree. A large part of the success of the novel is hinged on the disorienting structure of the novel. That disorientation is a key part of understanding the bureaucracy of war. Without it, the story falls somewhat flat. Getting the events in chronological order makes them seem somehow more absurd and unbelievable than they seem in the fragmented arrangement of the novel. The chronology changes the significance of certain events. I think that is why certain important events are left out of this adaptation. A lot of reviews seem to suggest that the writers and directors don't understand the novel. I think that's harsh and poorly thought out. I think they understand the limitations of the medium of film as a method of delivery for the story. Philosophy is hard to record.

The performances are great. I wasn't sure what to expect, having so many actors I didn't recognize in key roles. I wasn't disappointed by any of the performances. The cinematography is great as well, and being able to visualize the flight missions in such a fully realized way added greatly to the viewing experience of the series. The music was well chosen, and the score well crafted. Every technical aspect of the series was well done.

In summary, this series is not perfect. If you want a perfect telling of Catch-22, read it. But watch this series anyway.