Masters of the Air is the third series from producing partners Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.  The first two Band of Brothers and the Pacific both aired on HBO, while this new one airs on Apple TV Plus. It’s the culmination of these two greats in the film industry’s three-part saga, celebrating the men and women of our armed forces during WWII. The first two were widely celebrated, and the third should be as 

During WWII, the United States fought on multiple fronts and with various branches of the military. Besides the Navy and the Army, the Air Force, in the case of this series, the 100th Bomb Group flew hundreds of missions over Nazi Germany, France, and surrounding countries. In the show, these men braved tremendous odds to defend their country. This is an achievement that equals if not surpasses the previous two series from Hanks and Speilberg.

The acting ensemble in this show is vast and exceptional, to say the least. The cast including Callum Turner, The Boys in the Boat, Austin Butler, Elvis, and Barry Keoghan, Saltburn are all in this film and do very good work. The flying was not easy for them to act while doing this. The period nature of the story helped these guys, and plenty of others become these men in this story. Men were not the only ones in the show, though. There are love interests and family members who have parts to play in this story.

Along with the cast, there are a bunch of great directors who tackle various episodes of the series. Among them include Cary Joji Fukunaga, No Time To Die, Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, Mississippi Grind, Dee Rees, Mudbound, and Timothy Van Patten, who has directed many hours of television in his career. This is an acclaimed lineup of directors for the show.  They had their hands full with everything they had to work with.

With a series like this there are a lot of moving parts and with that comes the three main technical aspects I should mention that are incredible. Those are the cinematography by Adam Arkapow, Jac Fitzgerald, and Richard Rutkowski, the score by Blake Neely, and the production design by Chris Seagers. These three aspects of the show are credible. They bring the world of WWII vividly to life. The sounds and everything included made this series jump off of the screen I was watching it on.

With any series or show you have to have elements that keep the audience watching it in a theater, and this is a theatrical experience people are getting, or at home on their television sets the best viewing experience.  This show delivers on that with phenomenal dogfights involving German Zeroes and many different kinds of US Airplanes big and small. There were a lot of various types of planes used in the show. That variety helped make the series more authentic.

A few things I liked which made the show better was the narration, by one or more characters. Which gave different perspectives on what was going on. The politics that was going on at the time between various countries and their leaders was a nice bonus as well. With so many characters and stories going on simultaneously, there are the inevitable jealousies between men but also the camaraderie that comes with such, a brotherhood, as flying jets for your country.

I am a big fan of an authentic realistic portrayal of historical events such as this. The clothes and other aspects helped me get into the series right off the bat. Bomber jackets and insignias on planes and nicknames were big to me. I loved this stuff the show got right from the very beginning.  Men who may have lived in this war will inevitably be critical of what the series got right or wrong. I’m betting it got a lot more right than wrong. This show is as authentic as any I’ve ever seen from my point of view.

Masters of the Air is another crowning achievement from Hanks and Speilberg.  The vast cast including Turner, Butler Keoghan, and many others are all exceptional.  The direction by Fukunaga,  Fleck & Boden, and Rees along with others was terrific. The score, cinematography, and production design were all on par with the best WWII films and shows I’ve seen before. Apple tv + has another hit on their hands. This show will definitely be nominated for many Emmys in September. This is an incredible series everybody should watch, old or young. Ho back and watch Band of Brothers and The Pacific while your at it.

5 stars

Dan Skip Allen