Masters of the Air Mini Series(Apple TV)

[Gambit21]

4 hours ago, DBFlyguy said:

I'm definitely very much looking forward to it! But my goodness, after being spoiled with "Dunkirk", "Maverick" and "Devotion" in recent years.... the over abundance of noticeable and honestly not very good CGI in this is .... a bit disappointing, I'm seriously questioning if they used a single real warbird of any type in the entire production cause it definitely doesn't look like it from any of the video previews we've seen... we'll see in about 2 weeks though!

 

 

 

Looks like hell...I'm skipping. 

I'm going to save myself the "well that sucked" experience and just not bother with it. 

 

Edit: I need to watch Devotion again.

 

 

Edited January 11, 2024 by Gambit21

[DBFlyguy]

9 minutes ago, Gambit21 said:

 

Looks like hell...I'm skipping. 

I'm going to save myself the "well that sucked" experience and just not bother with it. 

 

Edit: I need to watch Devotion again.

 

 

Definitely understand that feeling!

 

I've been waiting and following news for this show for over a decade so I'll still check it out, just with lowered expectations.... 

 

 

[Lusekofte]

Devotion got mixed reviews to bad 

To me it was Corsairs flying. I can watch a bit romance in order to see Corsairs flying

[Gambit21]

21 minutes ago, Lusekofte said:

Devotion got mixed reviews to bad 

 

Pfff...reviews are neither here nor there. Some of the worst movies get good reviews.

 

 

21 minutes ago, Lusekofte said:

To me it was Corsairs flying. I can watch a bit romance in order to see Corsairs flying

 

 

I enjoyed the relationships in the film etc, but I got mad that he died. Yes, yes I know that's what really happened, but it's a drag.

 

 

[DBFlyguy]

The LA premiere was last night, I'm kinda tickled Spielberg decided come in jeans....  I guess when you've got "F U" money and the resume like he does, you get to wear whatever you want.... ???

 

[DBFlyguy]

 

[DBFlyguy]

Apple has released a couple clips and a featurette:

 

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2024 by DBFlyguy

[von_Tom]

 

The trailers do not give me any hope that I will be able to look past the cheese amd to just sit and enjoy the ride.  I will not be "invested" in the characters and it should, after all, be about them.  That ws the strength of Band of Brothers and where Pacific fell short.

 

As aviation folk, for us the aircraft are kinda like characters, and if that isn't right then the whole thing falls flat.

 

We'll see.

 

von Tom

[BladeMeister]

3 hours ago, von_Tom said:

The trailers do not give me any hope that I will be able to look past the cheese amd to just sit and enjoy the ride.  I will not be "invested" in the characters and it should, after all, be about them.  That ws the strength of Band of Brothers and where Pacific fell short.

 

As aviation folk, for us the aircraft are kinda like characters, and if that isn't right then the whole thing falls flat.

 

We'll see.

 

von Tom

You haven't even seen it dude. Give it a rest and pass judgment after you've seen the whole series.

 

S!Blade<><

[tattywelshie]

James Holland watched a preview of it and has said it was ‘superb’ …I’m thinking the cheesy-ness has been kept for the trailers and in amoungst the other stuff it won’t be too obvious, I hope!

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

I seem to recall much of the same angst regarding Midway. Especially after the depiction of a four bladed SBD prop on the poster. The trailers were somewhat wanting as well. Outside of the AAA animation, in film, that one turned out alright. I’ve watched it multiple time since. I despised The Pacific until a second watch this year and enjoyed it by not trying to compare it to Brothers. I’ll give Masters a go and reserve judgement til at least episode three.

[DBFlyguy]

First 5 Minutes of Episode 1:

 

 

 

That last clip.... the 389th BG was actually a B-24 group, the 398th is a B-17 group but they didn't arrive in England until April of 44...  guessing this just sneaked past the final quality checks but hopefully isn't a sign of other errors in the show!

 

Edited January 24, 2024 by DBFlyguy

[Lusekofte]

On 1/23/2024 at 3:33 PM, II/JG17_HerrMurf said:

I seem to recall much of the same angst regarding Midway. Especially after the depiction of a four bladed SBD prop on the poster. The trailers were somewhat wanting as well. Outside of the AAA animation, in film, that one turned out alright. I’ve watched it multiple time since. I despised The Pacific until a second watch this year and enjoyed it by not trying to compare it to Brothers. I’ll give Masters a go and reserve judgement til at least episode three.

I got Apple TV so I watch it. I just think the selection of scenes put into trailers was very bad 

[Gambit21]

On 1/22/2024 at 5:59 PM, von_Tom said:

The trailers do not give me any hope that I will be able to look past the cheese amd to just sit and enjoy the ride.  I will not be "invested" in the characters and it should, after all, be about them.  That ws the strength of Band of Brothers and where Pacific fell short.

 

As aviation folk, for us the aircraft are kinda like characters, and if that isn't right then the whole thing falls flat.

Agree totally - on everything .

 

On 1/23/2024 at 6:00 AM, tattywelshie said:

I’m thinking the cheesy-ness has been kept for the trailers 

Wishful thinking perhaps.

 

[LukeFF]

Good grief, guys, how about actually watching the series first before passing judgment on it? ?

[DBFlyguy]

First episodes are OUT!!!!

Edited January 26, 2024 by DBFlyguy

[Irishratticus72]

12 hours ago, DBFlyguy said:

First episodes are OUT!!!!

Yup, just finished "acquiring them".....

[DBFlyguy]

My initial thoughts after the first watch of episodes 1 & 2:

 

• The 2nd episode was better than the 1st episode by far! They really needed an episode of the group training so we could get to know the characters better instead of rushing into combat... when people died or got wounded I felt nothing. The actors playing Crosby and Biddick are doing a great job so far though, they are my favorites on the show at this point.
• The CGI... it ranges from being "ok" to pretty decent in some spots and in other spots...looks very unfinished. The exterior takeoff scenes are very wonky looking. But the stationary stuff on the ground around the planes and the aircraft interior scenes  where they used more practical sets look great!
• I feel like there is way too much music during the combat scenes. The sound design in several spots could've used some beefing up.
• Even if there aren't the real veterans around to open each episode, some historical context like there was at the beginning of some of "The Pacific" episodes would've been great! There is a lot of assumption that the viewer knows what's going on in the war.
• The RAF isn't portrayed in the best of lights in the show so far which I know is definitely gonna ruffle some feathers...as it should, no idea why they felt this was needed...
• Why are there random children running around on a military base in wartime? Was this a thing in England during the war?

Overall... in the first two episodes its very evident this show isn't to the quality standard of "Band of Brothers" or "The Pacific" by a long shot in my opinion...but it's still decent and I'm looking forward to next week's episode which is supposed to be the Schweinfurt raid.

Edited January 26, 2024 by DBFlyguy

[tattywelshie]

I'm only half way through the first episode, and I agree, the CGI is a bit hit and miss in places, but overall, I think its pretty decent so far. They've got the frontal attacks from the Luftwaffe correct so far, so that's good. The interior stuff is very well done I think.

 

I think it's a tad 'cliche' when it comes to the portrayal of England and the English, but then BOB was a tiny bit similar in that regard. The English generally dont generally wander about taking their cows for a walk you know. And the whole feral kids thing, not sure, i'm guessing these bases were built pretty quickly, so technically the locals might have come along to have a look.

[LukeFF]

Saw this posted on Twitter: 

 

 

[No_85_Gramps]

I watched the first two episodes earlier today. Not Band of Brothers good, but enjoyable. 

[Charlo-VRde]

11 hours ago, tattywelshie said:

And the whole feral kids thing, not sure, i'm guessing these bases were built pretty quickly, so technically the locals might have come along to have a look.

Perhaps there were just a lot more kids out in the English countryside near the airfields since they were moved out of the cities to avoid the German bombing campaign.

[Lofte]

Why do Americans call the Bf-110 "Ju-88"?) Was it normal for USAAF pilots to confuse German types?

[CUJO_1970]

37 minutes ago, Lofte said:

Why do Americans call the Bf-110 "Ju-88"?) Was it normal for USAAF pilots to confuse German types?

They did it constantly in real life.

[Charlo-VRde]

I’m probably not the only one here to see this in his/her YouTube feed

 

 

[SharpeXB]

They put the startup checklist scene in there just for sim players ?

 

 

[LukeFF]

Watched the first episode just now, really liked it. ?? 

[SharpeXB]

I’m curious now about the crosswind landing procedure for a B-17 ? the differential throttle? Plus he lands in the slip which I think would damage the gear. It’s not a perfect landing, the right wheel comes down first and he gets blown right. It’s a good scene cause it’s not textbook and looks pretty authentic. Couldn’t do this stuff with a real B-17 anymore. 

Edited January 28, 2024 by SharpeXB

[Archie]

Was great to see the 110's attacking, makes a real change from 109's and FW's and bought a bit of realism to it.
Enjoyed the first two episodes.

[Lofte]

18 minutes ago, Archie said:

Was great to see the 110's attacking, makes a real change from 109's and FW's and bought a bit of realism to it.
Enjoyed the first two episodes.

Yes, but that explosion looks.. hmm.. let's say little bit atypical..)

PS - and looks like these Me-110s are just from Ostfront )

 

 

 

Edited January 28, 2024 by Lofte

[Varibraun]

15 hours ago, LukeFF said:

Watched the first episode just now, really liked it. ?? 

 

Agreed - watched the 1st two episodes yesterday with 3 family members spanning 3 generations (ages 81, 60, 43) who have no deep historical knowledge of WWII.  My brother in law, the youngest, stopped the playback several times to ask questions (the first of which was during the observation pilot flight, to ask - "wait, how many people are on that airplane?")  The great thing was that within minutes after I gave them the answer they were seeking - the series answered their same question either through the narration or directly in the story.  So, I think so far this amazing team of creators has found the right balance to both educate and entertain an audience who really know almost nothing about this part of WWII. 

 

Face it - Band of Brothers (the obvious gold standard for bringing accurate WWII history back) is a much easier connection to a story for most people to follow than understanding daytime bombing with a bunch of dudes all wearing oxygen masks.  Weaving together the complexities (daylight vs night, Norden bombsight, navigation without GPS, fighter protection challenges, etc.)  and dangers faced from the airplane (extreme crosswind landing scene), the altitude (frostbite injury scene), flak & fighters (pretty good CGI) I thought was well done while preserving the human part of story to maintain interest.  My watching group seemed to maintain interest even in the takeoff scenes with the checklists and calling of airspeed on the runway.  So, I would say "mission accomplished" so far.

 

Regarding some of the criticisms our combat flight sim group will have (or has already expressed) about the series:  I think I know more than 99% of the population about WWII, but I know the 1% that is left knows 99% more than I do - that's many of you guys.  So, you are going to find things wrong that most will never notice and that frankly make no difference to telling an honest historical narrative about this fast disappearing generation of airmen and what they endured and accomplished.  As an old Marine, I still find it staggering to think the 8th Air Force suffered more KIA than than the Marine Corps took during the entire island hopping campaign.  Therefore, I think it is fine to point out some of these errors, but not to allow our "rivet counting" to denigrate the amazing work that Spielberg and Hanks are doing with this series to bring an audience back 80 years into B-17s and the young men who flew them. 

 

Bottom line - I would encourage anyone to watch it, especially if they are in our younger generations.

Edited January 28, 2024 by Varibraun

[tattywelshie]

4 hours ago, Archie said:

Was great to see the 110's attacking, makes a real change from 109's and FW's and bought a bit of realism to it.
Enjoyed the first two episodes.

I’m so glad as well they included them, a rare beast in films! 

[Poochnboo]

This isn't bad. But I do think it should have started with a training scene. Scene opens, Texas, 1942. A Stearman is seen flying along. It suddenly goes into a spin and then pulls out. We see a closeup of the cockpits. The instructor yells into the speaking tube at one of our stars. "Okay, now you do it! It's your airplane!" The Stearman goes into a spin. It keeps spinning. We see the ground coming up closer and closer. The instructor is yelling, "Pull up!! Pull up!!" And the ground keeps getting closer. Scene switches to our hero's face. They're in that bar. Someone pats him on the shoulder and says, "You gonna have a drink or not!?" And he wakes up out of his daydream. A minor thing, but it helps attach us to a character.

Edited January 28, 2024 by Poochnboo

[LukeFF]

10 hours ago, Lofte said:

PS - and looks like these Me-110s are just from Ostfront

 

There were 110s in the West with wide yellow bands. 

[blockheadgreen_]

Very much enjoying it so far!

[Soto_Cinematics]

Enjoying the show so far. Also thought a training episode would've been beneficial from a storytelling point of view. One part rubbed me the wrong way: as an Australian who has a good knowledge of the RAF/Commonwealth contribution to the air war I thought the scenes with the British aircrew very poor indeed and lowered the show's credibility for me. Historically, why are they all upper-class and snarky? - majority of the time this was not common especially for enlisted aircrew. Narratively, what does this stereotype add to the scene? I guess they couldn't resist the overplayed rivalry trope of 'Limeys' v. 'American protagonist'.

[Lusekofte]

7 hours ago, Soto_Cinematics said:

Enjoying the show so far. Also thought a training episode would've been beneficial from a storytelling point of view. One part rubbed me the wrong way: as an Australian who has a good knowledge of the RAF/Commonwealth contribution to the air war I thought the scenes with the British aircrew very poor indeed and lowered the show's credibility for me. Historically, why are they all upper-class and snarky? - majority of the time this was not common especially for enlisted aircrew. Narratively, what does this stereotype add to the scene? I guess they couldn't resist the overplayed rivalry trope of 'Limeys' v. 'American protagonist'.

Reading currently Wellington bombers and earlier a lot of books and articles about bomber crew in bomber command and transport duty. It always struck me the lack of snobbery among Flight Sergeant and commissioned officers within a wing. But still the segregation when it came to catering and such. 
There are stories about some pilots like Guy Gibson having tendencies. 

[kestrel79]

I know folks are comparing this show to BoB and The Pacific...but these shows have been out what 10-20 plus years now? We've all watched them front to back multiple times.

 

I'll be honest I still had trouble telling who was who watching BoB until maybe 3-5 rewatch. Even more so with Pacific. This is a show we've seen 2 episodes of. I don't even think we knew who Bull or Webster was 2 episodes in. They were just in the background until they got their time to shine. So I'm trying to hold back judgement...but it's fun:)

[Lusekofte]

I watched the two episodes yesterday. And I do think they presented daybombing in 1943 very well. I still not bonding well to the characters as I did from the beginning with band of brothers. Not bad acting. 
This is kind of a Pacific deal where I liked the second time much better than first time watching it. 
I look forward to seeing more. And I will keep streaming apple until I am ready to watch it a second time. 

[DBFlyguy]

A few clips have been uploaded, here's the Trondheim raid sequence: