On March 15, Apple TV+ service finished broadcasting the military drama «Masters of the Air», which consists of 9 episodes and cost the creators at least $250 million. The plot of the series is based on the documentary book of the same name by Donald L. Miller (2007), which contains interviews of pilots and archival records. This is an interesting account of the fate of American pilots and one of the most important components of World War II, namely the airspace in the theater of war. In the review below, we describe how this report looks on the movie screen.
Pluses:
a good cast; beautifully executed aerial scenes that are breathtaking; masterful execution of all elements without exception — from clothes to sets and location filming; in general, an expensive, large-scale and high-quality project from well-known producers
Minuses:
somewhat uneven pacing of the narration with minimal slack; sometimes the picture is too glossy for the realities in dirty concentration camps; sketchiness of many characters and some plot lines
«Masters of the Air»
Genre war drama
Creators John Shiban, John Orloff
Starring Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan, Anthony Boyle, Nate Mann, Bel Powley
Premiere Apple TV+
Year of issue 2024
Website IMDb
In the midst of World War II, in the spring of 1943, American military pilots and best friends, Majors Gail Cliven and John Egan, as part of the 100th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force, were sent to England. There, they will carry out deadly combat missions and bomb strategically important targets directly on enemy territory.
The pilots will be flying B-17 heavy bombers, and in the air they will not only have to pass through walls of dense anti-aircraft fire, but also fight off many deadly «birds» Luftwaffe.
«Masters of the Air» — is the third joint production project of Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman after «Band of Brothers» (2001) and «The Pacific» (2010). The previous series told the story of paratroopers and marines, respectively, and now military battles are being transferred to the air. Thus, «Masters of the Air» closes a large-scale trilogy dedicated to the bloody battles of the Second World War.
This is a classic example of an epic television blockbuster with an equally classic approach to its realization. Everything here is based on the templates of high-budget war dramas like «Saving Private Ryan» by the same Spielberg, but this does not mean that this concept has lost its relevance or is irrevocably outdated. On the contrary, today such a commitment to well-tested creative methods inspires respect and confidence in the result, and a loud reminder of the catastrophic consequences of wars again makes a lot of sense.
The first three episodes of the nine episodes are structured in a single way, as the pilots attend a mandatory briefing with instructions for the upcoming flight, after which they are given a warm welcome in enemy territory. This rather monotonous, but no less interesting process is diluted by the guys’ life-saving beer breaks or the voiceover of one of the characters, played by Anthony Boyle, who guides the viewer through the situation.
For example, the second episode explains that the British and Americans had fundamentally different approaches to achieving their goals. While the former preferred to use nighttime carpet bombing, the latter resorted to spot bombing and carried out them during the day. These sorties were much riskier, and it was because of the huge losses that the 100th Bomb Squadron was called the «Bloody Hundredth».
However, the creators clearly did not plan to execute the entire series according to a single scheme, and the fourth episode (the final one under the direction of Cary Fukunaga, responsible for the first season of «True Detective») breaks the established structure and offers an appropriate development of the story.
From that moment on, the story will go far beyond the RAF Thorpe Abbotts airbase in eastern England. Some will have to flee the occupied territories, some will be captured, and for some the raid on Schweinfurt and Regensburg in August 1943 will be the last.
If you haven’t been able to distinguish between the many characters so far (and this may well happen), this problem should disappear automatically from now on. The characters of the two friends — Majors Gale Clevin (Austin Butler) and John Egan (Callum Turner) are particularly contrasting. The former is reserved, responsible, and cold-blooded. The latter is a hot-tempered lover of alcohol and female company. Speaking of contrasts, the scene in which Egan and the Polish widow make love against the backdrop of bombing outside the window is telling. «Make love, not war», right? Only as of now, this slogan no longer works.
Moreover, the local cast includes Jude Law’s son Ruff, a young copy of his father, and stars of other war dramas. In particular, the performer of one of the main roles in the film adaptation «All the Light We Cannot See» by the German actor Louis Hoffmann, and Belle Pauly, who played Miep Gies in the National Geographic biopic «A Small Light». Here, Pauli’s character is the only female character who can be considered more or less full-fledged, rather than episodic.
In general, the plot, as befits a great war drama, has found a place for desperate heroism, a certain amount of pathos (especially during the opening cutscene), and a sublime orchestral soundtrack designed to set the obvious tone for the respective scenes. But first and foremost, it’s still worth noting the fierce and indescribably exciting scenes of combat missions and aerial duels.
The flights, both technically and dramaturgically, are performed at the highest level, and when the characters soar high into the sky on their «flying fortresses», the viewer has no choice but to literally stick to the screen and watch what is happening there.
The series will not reveal any new truths about war and the ruthless nature of absolute evil, but it is not required to do so. Ukrainians, like no one else, know the horrors of war and are forced to face new challenges and tragedies every day. However, albeit in a dotted line fashion, the creators pay some attention to the Holocaust tragedy, which is not surprising given how much Spielberg himself — the director of the outstanding «Schindler’s List» cares about this topic.
The power of the propaganda machine’s influence on ordinary civilians, who are constantly flashing in the frame, is also clearly visible in «Masters of the Air». And you can’t say anything good about any of them.
Ordinary farmers are eagerly searching for an American pilot who was forced to eject in enemy territory, and their children are shouting at the top of their lungs «American, American! The bombed-out townspeople are ready to tear the captured pilots to shreds, not realizing that it was the Fuhrer who condemned them to such a fate. Stupid teenagers in military uniforms are stabbing concentration camp escapees with bayonets without any hesitation. Boy, your Hitler has almost lost, and you have to live with this burden.
If we rely on the thesis of the cyclical nature of history, then we should hardly be surprised by the current war. But if we are really to be guided by this theory, it makes sense not to forget that evil suffered a crushing defeat last time. And the series is good. Don’t miss it.