Summary
- Following Band of Brothers and The Pacific, Masters of the Air captures the aerial aspect of World War II with sublime accuracy and attention to detail.
- The flight and battle scenes in the series are fantastic, even if it becomes difficult to distinguish the characters and planes.
- Even if they're a bit too pretty for this, Austin Butler and Callum Turner make great counterparts in their roles and capture the valor and heroism of the men.
Masters of the Air tells the gripping and deeply emotional true story of the 100th Bomb Group's valiant airmen over Europe's bloody skies during World War II. These were the young Americans who flew the B-17 Flying Fortress and brought the fight to Nazi Germany. They suffered catastrophic casualties in near suicidal missions, but developed an unbreakable camaraderie that held firm through savage combat. The series, adapted from historian Donald L. Miller's acclaimed novel, serves as an aerial companion piece to Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's Band of Brothers and The Pacific.
The two-part premiere introduces a slew of heroes but largely focuses on the dashing commanders just entering the war in May 1943. Major John "Bucky" Egan (Callum Turner) was the executive expected to lead from a desk on the ground. His charismatic, hard-drinking demeanor was the polar opposite to his best friend and counterpart. Major Gale Cleven (Austin Butler), nicknamed "Buck" by Egan, confuses everyone they meet with the similarity. Cleven never had a nickname, but allows Egan to be sophomoric. He didn't drink, smoke, or dance. Both men were ready for real action after training for hundreds of hours.
Egan leaves for England weeks before Cleven and their men. He cajoles his superiors into allowing a bombing run. The experience shatters any fanciful notions. The B-17s faced anti-aircraft fire from the Nazis. Flak, exploding artillery, sent shards of metal piercing the airplanes like buckshot. This was followed by swooping fighter attacks that tried to pick off the bombers and disrupt their formation. The B-17s had up to 13 high caliber machine guns, including ball turrets, that faced every direction to repel enemy fighters. This was no easy feat when hitting the ground targets required a direct overhead drop.
A Harrowing Lesson in Heroism
Masters of the Air
3.5 /5
- Release Date
- January 26, 2014
- Seasons
- 1
- Distributor
- Apple TV+
- The attention to detail and accuracy is astounding.
- The flight and battle scenes are fantastic.
- Austin Butler and Callum Turner make great counterparts.
- It's difficult to distinguish the characters from one another.
- Everything is a little too handsome and polished for a war series.
Cleven learns the same harrowing lesson when he arrives. Nothing could have prepared him for the real world scenario. He had to experience hell for himself to truly understand the life and death stakes. The men reconnect as their mission becomes more dire. German U-Boats are decimating Allied merchant ships; the war is lost without a constant flow of supplies.
Lt. Harry Crosby (Anthony Boyle), a navigator who suffers from air sickness, narrates the story. We hear his voiceover as he introduces the characters and suffers from a crippling weakness. Crosby highlights the pilots, radiomen, ground crew, secretaries, and even mess hall cooks that were integral to each mission. He makes it clear that every job was important. There was no room for mistakes or frailty. Crosby's own words ring true as he struggles to do his job under nauseous duress.
Masters of the Air spends equal time on the ground. We see the 100th blowing off steam in bars, dancing, romancing women, and simply enjoying each other's company. Egan and Cleven were much more than senior officers. Their men saw them as brothers who led by shining example. They had the excruciatingly difficult task of remaining steadfast in the wake of heartbreaking losses. Missions had to be flown regardless of manpower or mental exhaustion. There was no giving up against Nazi tyranny.
The Sublime Detail in Masters of the Air
Masters of the Air pays significant attention to detail and historical accuracy. Screenwriter and producer John Orloff (Band of Brothers, Anonymous) crafts a sublime exploration of individual responsibility. The B-17 had a crew of 10 men. They worked in unison to make a complex machine achieve its objectives. Any lapse in teamwork could be deadly. Crosby has to chart the group's position while the pilots dodge incoming assault, gunners retaliate, and bombardiers unleash the payload. He also had to manually arm the bombs and identify the target under extreme duress.
This symphony of destruction only works if the plane stays in the air. Harrowing scenes of engine failure and other mechanical issues radically complicate objectives. Reaching the desired location isn't a given. Some pay the ultimate price without coming close.
There's a lot going on here. Getting past the "Bucky" and "Buck" confusion is the first hurdle. It honestly took a few minutes to figure out who was narrating the story. Orloff's script follows a linear progression of battles on a timeline. The space in between gives him time for character exposition. This allows the large ensemble to interact and build their place in the narrative, but it's not easy to identify everyone. The fliers wear oxygen masks once the planes reach a certain elevation. You really have to pay attention to their voices to avoid confusion. Turner, Butler, and Barry Keoghan's tough yankee, Lt. Curtis Biddick, are discernible, but some of the supporting players do somewhat morph together.
Masters of the Air opens with patriotic fervor, but gets almost too handsome in its casting. Turner and Butler's movie star good looks hearken back to classic war film heartthrobs. It's almost as if they stepped off the catwalk and into a B-17 bomber. Butler sports a pompadour that would make his Elvis character jealous. Perhaps it's all a little too attractive and polished.
Masters of the Air is a production of Playtone, Amblin Television, and Apple Studios. The series premieres exclusively on Apple TV+ with two episodes on Friday, January 26th, followed by a new episode every Friday through March 15th. You can stream the first episode for free through the link below:
Watch on Apple TV+
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