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In the new Apple TV+ series “Masters of the Air,” Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks revive their acclaimed style of World War II prestige television for the streaming age. The series, which was produced by both men and concludes a loose trilogy that began with “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific,” follows 10 young Air Force pilots who operate a bomber outnumbered by German aircraft during the darkest days of war.
The series, like the shows that preceded it, is defined by its mix of patriotism and brutality, honoring America’s veterans without sugarcoating what they endured. It’s a formula Hanks and Spielberg have been perfecting since they released “Saving Private Ryan” in 1998. And when it came time to start filming, Hanks shared some wisdom with his cast about how to make effective war dramas.
In a new interview with New York Post“Masters of the Air” star Anthony Boyle recalled the advice Hanks gave him after joining the project.
“I remember before filming started sitting with Tom and him telling me, ‘Don’t lean toward sentimentality or solemnity; these were kids just trying to do the right thing. They didn’t walk around thinking they were war heroes, which they were. They were just trying to save the world, and they did,” Boyle said.
While “Masters of the Air” generated a lot of initial buzz due to its acclaimed predecessors and high-profile cast, its critical reception has not lived up to the standard set by “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific.”
“’Band of Brothers’ grew out of Hanks and Spielberg’s collaboration on ‘Saving Private Ryan.’ Even after making a three-hour war movie with a large cast and considerable scope, they (presumably) realized there were still a lot of untold stories,” wrote IndieWire’s Ben Travers in his review of “Masters of the Air ”. “Television offers a lot of time to honor those stories, as ‘Band of Brothers,’ ‘The Pacific’ and ‘Masters of the Air’ aim to do with their deeply respectful odes to American heroism. But the third part of the trilogy invests too much in recreating what we’ve seen before and little investment in what made those previous series so impactful. It’s not the carnage or the spectacle. They are the men. And the men of ‘Masters of the Air’ never come down to earth.”