Part One

1943. Best friends, US Army Air Corps bomber pilots Majors Gale "Buck" Cleven and John "Bucky" Egan have been posted to the 100th Bomb Group in England, flying B-17 bombers. Cleven will be a squadron commander, Egan the group's air exec. The 100th Bomb Group will be part of the allied air offensive against Germany and nothing can prepare Cleven and Egan for what lies ahead.

A good start to the series. I was initially a bit underwhelmed: the set-up in the US seemed unengaging and token and the two main characters seemed too young for their rank. However, as things progress things get much more gritty and engaging and the pilots of the USAAC were probably really that young.

Some good battle and flying scenes. It's not just about the action - the attention to detail is very good too, e.g. Showing pre-flight checklists, missions gets scrubbed. It's not about gung ho heroism.

CGI is good though maybe not 100% realistic. Feels like a PC game at times.

Overall though, an interesting start. I'll certainly be watching Episode 2.

Greetings from Lithuania.

Part 1 of the "Masters of Air" was a good episode. It introduce audience with shows main and suporting characters, locations and we get to see first air battle together with one of our main characters played by Austin Butler - we get a glimpse of what to come. In terms of character development this show isn't really strong - we will get the basics of each individual. The strong sides of this episode are great cinematography, locations, set designs. Air battle is a good one.

Overall, Part 1 is a good enough episode that is a typical one but not groundbraking.

Taking flight with the highly anticipated "Masters of the Air," the first episode delivers a visually stunning and action-packed introduction to the world of the Eighth Air Force in World War II. But does it stick the landing, or does it sputter out on the runway? Let's dive in.

The aerial cinematography is breathtaking, capturing the vastness of the sky and the intensity of aerial combat with stunning realism. The CGI seamlessly blends with practical effects, creating a believable and immersive experience. The dogfights are intense and exhilarating, putting you right in the cockpit with the pilots as they face enemy fire and desperate maneuvers. The stakes feel real, and the tension builds effectively. While not fully fleshed out yet, the main characters are introduced with enough personality and conflict to pique interest. We see their camaraderie, fear, and bravado, setting the stage for further development. The series seems committed to historical accuracy, depicting the training, camaraderie, and dangers faced by the Eighth Air Force with a degree of realism.

The first episode, while visually impressive, can feel slow at times. The character introductions and training sequences take up a significant portion of the runtime, leaving less room for high-octane action. Though promising, the characters haven't had enough screen time to be fully fleshed out. Their motivations and backstories remain largely unexplored, making it difficult to fully connect with them. The narrative follows a familiar structure, with the brash rookie pilot finding his place among the veterans. While not necessarily a bad thing, it lacks the originality that some might expect.

Austin Butler as Major Gale Cleven, Butler delivers a solid performance, portraying the character's leadership and vulnerability with nuance. Callum Turner brings charm and humor to the role of the charismatic pilot, John Egan. The ensemble cast is solid, with each actor contributing to the overall atmosphere and camaraderie of the crew.

Cinematography is exceptional, as mentioned earlier. The aerial sequences are particularly impressive. Sound Design is immersive and impactful, bringing the sounds of the planes and the chaos of battle to life. Score is uplifting and suspenseful, adding to the emotional weight of the scenes.

"Masters of the Air" takes off with a visually stunning and action-packed first episode. While the pacing might be slow at times, and the characters need further development, the potential for a compelling and historically accurate drama is undeniable. If you're looking for a visually stunning and action-packed World War II drama, then buckle up and give "Masters of the Air" a chance. However, if you crave deeper character exploration and a more innovative narrative, you might find yourself waiting for the series to hit its full altitude.

As always, this is a spoiler-free review.

When Masters of the Air was first introduced to the public, all thoughts went to Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Both, but particularly the first, were pioneers in shaping a new kind of landscape for what 'epic' mini series are supposed to be. With the exemplary vision of epic storytelling from Spielberg, and the craft of nuance and emotion from Hanks, the foresight of having yet another similarly styled mini series was promising. But, as far as expectations for an entire series from a first episode can go, Masters of the Air lacks the same flair and overall excitement of watching something epic.

Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, whose greater work we can first endearingly behold as prime director for True Detective Season 1, episode 1 sets the stage for what Masters of the Air will entail. But while True Detective's first season is one of the most critically acclaimed pieces of TV entertainment to date, the stage set for Masters of the Air is weaker than that of its brothers in arms. Cary's style of building up tension with clear setpieces throughout the episode works well when you can smear it across an entire season. To create the same flow in one episode results in convolution of the storyline. At the end of a first episode of a mini series you want to leave the viewer with a thought of "My world, this is going to be great". While I can say "My world, this is going to be good", I can't predict great.

All this is not to say that Masters of the Air is bad television. Not by any means, in fact. Episode 1 features as a sort of summary of what the entire series will entail. As said, it sets the stage. There's a little bit of all; brotherhood, conflict, action, loss and decision-making. There are enough silver linings to an otherwise mediocre first impression, to make you 'ok' with another episode. One silver lining is the music score, because oh my, is it good. From the main theme's song to the trumpet-blaring intersections, the score does not miss. Another lining that is indeed silver is that the series is aesthetically beautiful. From the indoor set pieces to the flashy but comprehendable action scenes, the budget on finetuning the aesthetics was not mild, to say the least.

Rated 7 out of 10 knots, episode 1 of Masters of the Air sets the stage of something that cán be good, not great.

I've been waiting on this series for a very long time, and my review is likely to be highly biased- you've been warned.

The episode starts off introducing Buck Cleven and Bucky Egan. These two are going to be super-important for the show, as two of the future squadron leaders within the 100th Bomb Group. How do I know this? Harry Crosby (who is the narrator here) wrote a FANTASTIC book about his experience as the group navigator for the 100th, published back in 1990. I've owned this book since then, and it is one of the great memoirs of the USA military in WW2. Read. It.

Back to the episode: we are briefly introduced to many of the key officers (and a few NCOs) of the 100th, as the episode progresses. We also get to see some early glimpses of the horrors they will soon be flying into. We also get to see how Egan is a bit of a loose cannon (holding very well to reality as told by Crosby).

Coming at this from a historical perspective, they've done a tremendous job here. The names, places, dates, details, etc. Are all top-notch. You can find many of these details on the 100th Bomb Group website. There might be a few liberties taken on specific events here and there, but they are illustrating the reality of what it was like to be in these men's shoes.

What does it do very well? For one thing, all of these guys look young. Harold Huglin, the group commander, was the old man of the bunch at 36. Even Cleven and Egan are in their early 20s. Everyone looks young, and they should be- they were new adults thrust into hell. The actors all do a great job as far as I can tell.

What does it do poorly? Well... the narrative is a bit hard to follow at times. There is so much happening here, and a lot of that is happening behind oxygen masks, and it will be easy for people to lose track of who is who and what is what. You're really going to have to pay attention.

Nowhere is this more true than in the combat scenes, which are excellent otherwise. It is pretty hard to tell crew from crew outside of knowing specific crew positions. A lot of these actors just look alike as 'generic white guys' (no offense intended). This is where key guys like Butler, Turner, and Keoghan are useful because they do have very unique eyes and voices, and are adept at acting with them. Everyone else... well, it's just hard to tell who is who, and this is a bit of a problem when they start bleeding and dying. I will say that I find Butler's accent and hair to be a bit overdone for the time... but it does set him apart from the others.

Overall, I am very excited for this one. In the vein of BoB and The Pacific, I think they're going to get it right. Can't wait for the next episodes to run!