Masters of the Air movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Masters of the Air

This new, dramatic WWII limited series is now playing exclusively on Apple TV+.

RATING: TV-MA

LENGTH: 9 episodes, each under an hour.

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

When Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks worked together to create Saving Private Ryan, they made movie magic. It’s still my favorite WWII movie of all time. Their passion project grew to include the 10-part series Band of Brothers, The Pacific, and now Masters of the Air to honor those who fought in various theaters of World War II.

The first part of this series was released during the end of January 2024 with the final and 9^th installment to air March 15.

THINGS I LIKED:

The cast is terrific and includes Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Barry Keoghan, Rafferty Law, Nate Mann, and many more.
The special effects are pretty amazing, especially the bird’s-eye views from the airplanes.
The series is based on some true events about the 100^th Bomb Group.
Replica B-17s were used in flight sequences by suspending the plans 50 feet in the air on a gimbal inside a 360-degree stage with LED panels.
If viewers get bored during the first few episodes, the good news is that everything gets more interesting in episode 6. Keep watching!
We see some of our favorite characters struggle and get creative while prisoners in the German POW camps.
In episode 8, we learn about D-day in Normandy. My twin sister is a Nurse Practitioner and was selected to be one of the nurses that will be escorting WWII vets to Normandy for the 80^th anniversary there! I’m so excited for her to have that experience! She and I visited Normandy last summer for the first time. It was amazing, devastating, and inspirational all at the same time. One of my husband’s ancestors was a paratrooper that survived his drop in Normandy.
We also get to see the Tuskegee Airmen in episode 8. Nice touch.
Episode 9 is grim as we see lots of dead bodies and the horrors of the Jewish Concentration Camps. I visited Dachau many years ago and it still haunts me.
I hope younger generations that watch this will see what grit, resilience, duty, and honor looks like, and be inspired.
I love that the film doesn’t end with just the last big battle, but it shows the mercy missions some of the pilots went on after the war to drop food and supplies all over Europe. We even get to see the famous Dutch flower fields with the words “Many thanks” spelled out in the fields so the pilots could see their gratitude as they made the supply drops. So sweet.
After the last scene, we get to see pictures of the real men the movie is about and learn what they did with the rest of the lives. So touching.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

I only see Elvis Presley when I see actor Austin Butler. He is constantly talking, acting, and posing like The King. He also always has his coat collar flipped up like Elvis did.
It took a long time for me to become engaged with the various characters. We just don’t get to learn that much about them. Sadly, the inevitable result is we just don’t care that much about them, or who lives or dies. Buck? Bucky? Which one was which? I didn’t truly feel invested until about episode 6.
The first five episodes repeated the same elements of the prior: pilots learn their mission, some live while some die, they party during their breaks. The good news is that everything changes and picks up the intrigue after that. The last 3 episodes are the best and worth the wait.
Sometimes, it’s hard to understand what the pilots are saying when they’re wearing their masks in the plane.
A lot of scenes were shot with CGI. Too many. Too much.
I wanted to better understand the various elements of the war, such as locations and campaigns.
Of course, everyone is comparing this limited series to Band of Brothers. That’s a really hard act to follow. I mean, even the theme song for that one made me cry every time I heard it. While this is decent, it’s not great and feels a little hollow in comparison. I wanted to be swept away. I wanted to feel the pain and cry. I just didn’t. I heard someone refer to this as “Bland of Brothers.” They’re not wrong.
It’s embarrassing how we, Americans, love to act like we’re the heroes of the universe. I didn’t understand why the film showed so much disrespect for the RAF.
The title of the series is revealed in the very last episode.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be bored unless they’re really into airplanes
Brutal, bloody deaths
Fist fighting
Aerial fighting
Alcohol & cigarettes
A man sleeps with a married woman
Married men have affairs
We see a lot of people throw up.
Some profanity, including a few F-bombs.
A little bit of German is spoken with subtitles.
We hear a little bit of French without subtitles.
We see some shirtless men.
Heartbreaking, devastating images
Life in the German camps is illustrated

THEMES:

WWII
Survival
Courage
Brotherhood
Hope

FUNNY LINES:

“Why do you Brits add an ‘s’ to math?” – skinny actor I like “Because there’s more than one.” – British officer
“There are 3 problems with these bloody Americans: they are oversexed, overpaid, and over here.” – British officer
“I pinky square.” – Harry Crosby (Anthony Boyle) “I’m not entirely sure what that means but it sounds official.” – Sandra Westgate (Bel Powley)

INTERESTING LINES:

“Here, stupid means dead.” – French man
“The hardest part of any mission was the anticipation, the waiting.” – Harry Crosby (Anthony Boyle)
“If you got a chance to forget, you took it.” – Lt. Harry Crosby (Anthony Boyle)
“To live, one must make choices.” – woman who survived
“Whoever fights monsters should take care to not become a monster himself.” – Niche (as quoted by Lt. Harry Crosby)
“On occasion, the world must confront itself and answer what we are with who we are.” – Lt. Harry Crosby (Anthony Boyle)