Band of Brothers

Starring: Scott Grimes (10 episodes), Matthew Leitch (10 episodes), Damian Lewis (10 episodes), Ron Livingston (10 episodes), Shane Taylor (10 episodes), Donnie Wahlberg (10 episodes), Peter Youngblood Hills (10 episodes), Nicholas Aaron (9 episodes), Philip Barantini (9 episodes), Michael Cudlitz (9 episodes), Rick Gomez (9 episodes), James Madio (9 episodes), Ross McCall (9 episodes), Doug Allen (8 episodes), Dexter Fletcher (8 episodes), Neal McDonough (8 episodes), Rick Warden (8 episodes), Robin Lang (8 episodes), Michael Fassbender (7 episodes), Tim Matthews (7 episodes), Douglas Spain (7 episodes), Richard Speight Jr. (7 episodes), Kirk Acevedo (6 episodes), Matthew Settle (6 episodes), David Schwimmer (3 episodes), Colin Hanks (2 episodes), Tom Hardy (2 episodes), Jason O'Mara (2 episodes), Simon Pegg (2 episodes), Dominic Cooper (1 episode), Jimmy Fallon (1 episode), James McAvoy (1 episode)
Directed by: David Frankel (2 episodes), Mikael Salomon (2 episodes), Tom Hanks (1 episode), David Leland (1 episode)
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Action, Drama, War
2001

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: East Company fights in Europe during World War II.

Review:
Tim: It took me a long time to watch "Band of Brothers". Some of that was my bias for TV, some of it was the time commitment. When I finally sat down to watch it, I'd heard enough about it to expect to enjoy the miniseries. I did not expect to love it. I have to admit, I was very surprised by how invested I got in the story and the characters. I knew with Executive Producers like Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, this series should have been good. It very much exceeded my expectations.

Now, I've seen a lot of World War II movies, so going into this series, I felt like I had a good sense of what to expect. Where "Band of Brothers" differs in its length and leveraging its length to develop these deep emotional connections with the characters. Most WWII movies I've seen are between 1.5-2.5 hours. "Band of Brothers" clocks in at over 11 hours. That extended time is critical for character development. By the end of the series, I felt so closely connected (with the characters who survived). I admit it was a little hard for me to keep track of everyone at the beginning. As the body count rises, though, the connection with the surviving characters increases.

I also have to say that the production values here were incredible. The work that went into making this film look authentic is outstanding. Sometimes I struggle watching things on television because the budget is so obviously not up to movie standards that the cheapness of the production detracts from the viewing experience. That did not happen here. HBO invested enough money to make this feel movie-quality. That is amazing and it goes a long way towards establishing this as something truly special.

"Band of Brothers" is a must-see. The film won the Golden Globe for Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television, as well as 6 Primetime Emmys- Outstanding Cast for a Miniseries, Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Outstanding Miniseries, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, and Outstanding Single Camera Sound Mixing for a Miniseries. That is impressive.

The cast is incredible. Damian Lewis deserves great credit for having the biggest role (and doing a tremendous job), but Ron Livingston was fantastic as well. The whole cast gives memorable, heartfelt, powerful performances. You'll be amazed at how many recognizable actors show up here.

I really can't say enough about how much I enjoyed "Band of Brothers". It was an incredible viewing experience- I truly loved every minute of it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



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