CinemaBlind’s Rating – 99%
There are hundreds of ways to die in a bomber plane and you will see all of them in Apple TV+’s latest war drama series Masters of the Air. From the producers of epic shows like The Pacific and Band of Brothers, we get sort of a third entry in the World War II series by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Created by John Shiban and John Orloff, the World War II drama series revolves around the pilots in the 100th Bomb Group, as they take the war to Hitler’s doorsteps.
Like the previous two WWII shows by Spielberg and Hanks, Masters of the Air is also incredibly epic and poignant. From the first few episodes you might think that the Apple TV+ series is just a cool action drama with some really depressing moments but it soon shows us the horrors of war and what it did to men who fought it. There are no big emotional sequences as most of the characters in the series are stoic and tough, but we do get some glimpses of how the war has changed them and they might never be able to go back the way they were before.
Masters of Air does a great at hooking you in with its epic visuals and aerial combats but what you will truly love is the bond these heroes share, especially the friendship between Major Gale Cleven (Austin Butler) and Major John Egan (Callum Turner), and while these two were the biggest faces on the poster and got the most screentime in promotional materials, the series takes everybody’s stories seriously.
The performances in Masters of the Air are top-notch, while that’s a given with the incredible cast that this series has. Led by Butler and Turner, Masters of the Air also stars Anthony Boyle as Major Harry Crosby, Barry Keoghan as Lt. Curtis Biddick, Nikolai Kinski as Colonel Harold Huglin, Stephen Campbell Moore as Major Marvin Bowman, Sawyer Spielberg as Lt. Roy Frank Claytor, James Murray as Colonel Neil Harding, Isabel May as Marge, and many more actors will leave a lasting impression with their immersive performances.
Every technical aspect of the series is marvelous from its cinematography to aerial combat choreography. The cinematography and score in the series is also magnificent. Based on the book by Donald L. Miller titled Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany, the series does the source material justice, and while it is a guess as I haven’t read the book but I am still making that statement just because I have watched the whole series and know how high the quality of the series is.
In conclusion, Masters of the Air is a great way to start the year and its weekly release schedule is perfect because of how heavy some episodes get. I recommend the series wholeheartedly and if you are a WWII enthusiast, it could become your new favorite series. So, if you don’t have an Apple TV+ subscription like many people, you should buy it right now as it will be worth it just for this series alone.
Masters of the Air is premiering on Apple TV+ with its first two episodes on January 26. You can check out the trailer below: