‘Mesmerising’ new WW2 show from Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg has finally dropped
Anyone that loves HBO's Band of Brothers or The Pacific will be chomping at the bit to finish work so they can settle down to watch the latest war drama created by the famous team behind them.
Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman have teamed up once again for Masters of the Air which has debuted on Apple TV+ today (26 January).
The three serve as executive producers to a cast that includes Austin Butler (Elvis), Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts), and Barry Keoghan (Saltburn).
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Masters of the Air is based on the book Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany by Donald L. Miller.
The 2006 book and show follow the 100th Bomb Group, a B-17 Flying Fortress unit in the United States Air Force during the Second World War. The unit was nicknamed the 'Bloody 100th' due to the sheer number of casualties it suffered.
What follows is a tale with familiarities to the other two shows brought to us by Hanks and Spielberg, with heartbreak and camaraderie at the core of everything we watch.
The first two episodes were released at the same time, with weekly episodes dropping through February and March.
A total of nine episodes will be released, culminating on 15 March.
Over on Rotten Tomatoes, both critics and audiences alike have welcomed the show with open arms.
A critic score of 83 percent has been tabled alongside a better audience ranking of 92 percent.
Top notch stuff but one that comes at no surprise when you realise Cary Joji Fukunaga (No Time to Die) directed the first two airings.
John Anderson, of the Wall Street Journal, said: "The violent action and the loss of life can be so abrupt and unmerciful that viewers can only be grateful they aren’t part of it, and that someone was."
Hugo Rifkind, of The Times, posted: "As with Band of Brothers, it’s all about the fraternity, the sacrifice, the bravery.
"The love that young men have for young men, which nudges towards the homoerotic, but only nudges, and is all the more heart-stopping for it."
And Kayleigh Dray, of the AV Club, wrote: "Many will praise the series for offering up an ambitious spectacle.
"But we honestly believe that its success lies in its refusal to shy away from the humanity of war. Which is all to say: Watch this show."
Meghan O'Keefe, from Decider, said: "Check it out for the gripping battle sequences in the air and the mesmerising performances of its stars, but don’t expect a show quite on the level of the great Band of Brothers."
Masters of the Air is available to watch now on Apple TV+ with new episodes dropping every Friday.
Topics: Apple, Austin Butler, TV and Film, Tom Hanks, Celebrity, World War 2
Tom Earnshaw