In 2001, many would agree that one of the greatest television mini-series (and at the time, the most expensive mini-series ever produced with a budget of $125 million USD) premiered on HBO. Band of Brothers was, and still is, heralded as one of the most authentic, visceral, and intense looks into the front lines of war, following the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, better known as “Easy Company”, on the Western Front during the second World War. The masterpiece quality of Band of Brothers came as no surprise considering the series was produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, who only 3 years before won 5 Oscars for their brilliant World War II drama, Saving Private Ryan.
Seven years later, after much anticipation, Hanks and Spielberg released their companion piece to Band of Brothers, this time following the United States Marine Corps efforts withing the wider Pacific War in The Pacific, which again broke the record for most expensive mini-series of all time. And while the follow up series was not as well received as it’s predecessor, the sheer production value, intense war scenes, and pure passion from Hanks and Spielberg to tell these heartbreaking and inspiring stories from the front lines left audiences wanting more.
While development for a third series began in 2012, and switched hands from HBO to Apple TV+, the over-decade long gestation of Masters of the Air swaps the stories of soldiers in the trenches, and takes the action to the sky, following a B-17 Flying Fortress unit nicknamed the ‘Bloody Hundredth’ – named due to the devastating losses the group took during their combat missions flying through the hostile skies of Europe during World War II.
Much like Band of Brothers and The Pacific, Masters of the Air, boasts an ensemble cast of the 21st centuries most exciting and up-and-coming actors as the series, including Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan, and Sawyer Spielberg (son of Steven Spielberg). The story focuses on the friendship between Major Gale Cleven (Butler) and Major John Egan (Turner), who are entertainingly, and somewhat confusingly for the people around them, nicknamed ‘Buck’ and ‘Bucky’ respectively, albeit for completely unrelated reasons.
Despite their closeness and the fact that they both went through basic air training together, Egan rises through the ranks, effectively removing him from aerial combat in order to make decisions from the ground, much to his disdain. All the while, Cleven leads the 100th Bomb Group in the skies through the treacherous, literal minefields, on various combat missions that include destroying enemy outposts, engaging in terrifying mid-air battles, or transporting cargo through hostile airspace, often leaving behind a devastating trail of fire, death, and destruction on the way.
Where the heart of Master of the Air truly lies, much like the previous series, is the camaraderie and brotherhood between the soldiers of the ‘Bloody Hundredth’. Many of whom the audience will form strong emotional connections with, and many of whom will tragically be torn away from the story in heartbreaking fashion. It’s impossible to not feel the weight of the deaths in this series, most of which do not shy away from the brutality of combat. The idea of these giant, flying, death machines being unable to shield the selfless occupants from barrages of bullets in the air takes away any form of safety during the combat scenes, increasing the visceral intensity of every moment a plane takes to the air for what seems like impossible missions.
It’s hard not to compare the emotional and dramatic investment into the story and characters of Masters of the Air to the previous two series, and with that, Masters of the Air is probably feels the most emotionally distant from the characters. The first episode of Band of Brothers is a masterclass in introducing characters and immediately creating a strong connection, not just between the characters themselves who are bonded through the struggles of basic training, but the connections those characters have with the audience. The Pacific also did a brilliant job of making the audience really care for it’s three core characters. Masters of the Air absolutely attempts to create that same emotional investment, especially into Egan and Cleven, and their friendship. But it’s obvious early on that something is missing, and the speed that the story moves along may have something to do with that.
The first episode of the series seems to rush through important character development to get to the skies for some bombastic action and tension, and while the excitement is there, it can feel slightly empty. The performances of Butler and Turner are solid, both exuding an energy that reflects a mixture of cool, confident airman, but two men who are burdened by the fact that they must lead their men into incredibly dangerous situations, and their chemistry together is believable. But the script doesn’t dive into that enough in the early stages of the show, and by the time the conflicts begin between characters, it doesn’t feel as emotionally earned.
What Masters of the Air does incredibly well is the action. It’s no shock that air combat of this magnitude requires a lot of special and visual effects. But the fact that 3 B-17 replica aircrafts had to be created for the series because none are left in existence, means respect must be shown to the fact that there was as much practicality used to recreate authentic battles in the sky. A B-17 is a large plane, not like the fighter jets most audiences are used to seeing in the aerial dogfights of things like Dunkirk or Top Gun. In fact, most of the combat for the ‘Bloody Hundredth’ is defensive as the get out-manoeuvred by the fast-flying German planes. So, a lot of the action and destruction is show from inside the B-17’s. It’s watching bullets tear holes through the cabins, and the defensive reactions of the crew on board that add such an immersive, intimate, and visceral perspective of the terror of being in the skies for those battles. It’s as exciting as it is terrifying.
Masters of the Air may not live up to the incredibly high-standard that Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and the rest of the production team, set with Band of Brothers, but it is a worthy companion piece to this on-going series by showcasing technically fantastic combat scenes that also highlight the horrors of war, and the terror of fighting 30,000 feet in the air. While the characters aren’t necessarily as fleshed out to feel connected to them, the performances of the ensemble cast, and the leads performances of Austin Butler and Callum Turner still bring a credible authenticity to the time period, leading to some truly devastating moments as the series goes on.
The first two episodes of Masters of the Air premiere of Apple TV+ January 26, with episodes releasing every Friday through to March 15.
