The Pacific

:

Season 1
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Mar 14, 2010
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 239 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 188 out of 239
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 239
  3. Negative: 26 out of 239
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User Reviews

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  1. steven
    Aug 31, 2010
    4
    I had such high hopes for The Pacific after having watched Band of Brothers. I expected an intertwining storyline moving in a linear manner with high drama and a soulful look at the changes a man goes through living and fighting in a hellish war. What I received was an incoherent jumble of storylines mixing like oil and water with a love story inserted as a change of pace. DisappointingI had such high hopes for The Pacific after having watched Band of Brothers. I expected an intertwining storyline moving in a linear manner with high drama and a soulful look at the changes a man goes through living and fighting in a hellish war. What I received was an incoherent jumble of storylines mixing like oil and water with a love story inserted as a change of pace. Disappointing to say the least.… Expand
  2. meh
    Aug 11, 2010
    5
    The Pacific is a ringing endorsement for meh. Not as riveting as its predecessor, Band of Brothers, but better than most war movies. Having to condense the entirety of the Pacific War into 10 episodes was too much in my opinion. Also, the jumping POV between the various characters made it difficult to follow.
  3. Acriminal
    Aug 22, 2010
    5
    The Pacific is definitely not Band of Brothers. The stories all seem separate from eachother and are rather dull. There is no spark between any of the characters. The battle scenes are amazing but I just didn't get gripped by the story like I did when watching Band of Brothers. Really the best part of the show was the opening theme song, and even that wasn't as good as what they hadThe Pacific is definitely not Band of Brothers. The stories all seem separate from eachother and are rather dull. There is no spark between any of the characters. The battle scenes are amazing but I just didn't get gripped by the story like I did when watching Band of Brothers. Really the best part of the show was the opening theme song, and even that wasn't as good as what they had for Band of Brothers. I was excited about The Pacific for a long time, but I had hoped for much better.… Expand
  4. Ravenous
    Nov 6, 2010
    5
    The fact is that the Pacific is not even close to being as good as Band of Brothers. For starters, the focus on the characters in The Pacific is disjointed and somewhat haphazard, resulting in the overall story itself lacking any feeling of cohesion, at least for the entire first half of the series. Secondly, aside from Sledge, the characters just aren't all that interesting, and theThe fact is that the Pacific is not even close to being as good as Band of Brothers. For starters, the focus on the characters in The Pacific is disjointed and somewhat haphazard, resulting in the overall story itself lacking any feeling of cohesion, at least for the entire first half of the series. Secondly, aside from Sledge, the characters just aren't all that interesting, and the half-baked attempts to show the families on the homefront falls completely flat. I was bored for the first several episodes, at least until they get to Peleliu. In sharp contrast with Band of Brothers, the audience simply doesn't have enough time to really get to know the characters and their stories, and the fact that the episodes themselves are shorter than those in B.o.B. only makes this problem worse. Overall, The Pacific is just plain disappointing. Do yourself a favor, read Sledge's book 'With the Old Breed' instead... best World War II novel ever written (makes the Naked and the Dead seem lazy and unrealistic in comparison).… Expand
  5. KundK
    Aug 28, 2010
    6
    Technically perfect, but more disjointed and much less engaging than the fantastic Band of Brothers. I could not make myself care for any of the characters and that kills everything, even the will to finish watching the last two episodes. It seems the story would function better if they ditched the idea of following the books and made a cast of composite characters (still true) who wouldTechnically perfect, but more disjointed and much less engaging than the fantastic Band of Brothers. I could not make myself care for any of the characters and that kills everything, even the will to finish watching the last two episodes. It seems the story would function better if they ditched the idea of following the books and made a cast of composite characters (still true) who would be with us all the way.… Expand
  6. Arimack
    Apr 7, 2010
    6
    I so wanted to like this series. I own Band of Brothers and have read Sledge's book on which part of the series is based. Unfortunately is is clear early on that this is not in the same league as BoB. The issue comes not from the technical aspects of the series which if anything surpass some of BoB's best scenes. What is missing is the ensemble cast that flow thru the series and I so wanted to like this series. I own Band of Brothers and have read Sledge's book on which part of the series is based. Unfortunately is is clear early on that this is not in the same league as BoB. The issue comes not from the technical aspects of the series which if anything surpass some of BoB's best scenes. What is missing is the ensemble cast that flow thru the series and are ever present even when they are not the focus of the episode. I grew to care deeply about the ensemble of BoB. I am having a great deal of difficulty following even the leads in the Pacific. The ensemble supporting them is almost lost with little back story on any of them. That is where the Pacific fails. It does not follow a group who came together and fought across the war together. It follows three individuals, separately, as they struggle in the vast Pacific. The fact that they have to open each episode with a narrative of what is going on in the war, also shows the lack of a clear driving story behind the whole production. Sad because I so wanted to like this series. I will watch the whole thing...but I will not be happy about it.… Expand
  7. MichaelB
    Mar 28, 2010
    4
    One single omission speaks volumes why the Pacific simply does not work.The most critical battle of the entire Pacific Campaign is not mentioned that being the Battle of Midway which put the Japanese on the defensive, losing 4 aircraft carriers. Without that epic victory Guadalcanal could never have been attempted. On virtually every level- acting, direction, editing and particularly One single omission speaks volumes why the Pacific simply does not work.The most critical battle of the entire Pacific Campaign is not mentioned that being the Battle of Midway which put the Japanese on the defensive, losing 4 aircraft carriers. Without that epic victory Guadalcanal could never have been attempted. On virtually every level- acting, direction, editing and particularly writing- The Pacific is substantially inferior to A Band of Brothers. The Battle of Guadalcanal was incoherently told at best. As for the Australia R&R episode please, this was stale and boring, lifted from a few hundred earlier war films. All in all a major disappointment.… Expand
  8. kman5473
    Mar 14, 2019
    6
    First and foremost: though this may have been made by the same people who made Band of Brothers, and in the same HBO 10-part mini-series, this cannot be compared to Band of Brothers.

    I say this, because the Pacific seeks to tell the story of the Pacific Theater of WWII, a much longer, complex, and larger part of the war as a whole. In 10 episodes, this series goes from 1941 to 1946    First and foremost: though this may have been made by the same people who made Band of Brothers, and in the same HBO 10-part mini-series, this cannot be compared to Band of Brothers.

    I say this, because the Pacific seeks to tell the story of the Pacific Theater of WWII, a much longer, complex, and larger part of the war as a whole. In 10 episodes, this series goes from 1941 to 1946 (whereas Band of Brothers takes place over the span of about 500 days). In addition to this, The Pacific focus solely on the Marine Corps involvement in the war, and (I believe, given the chosen stories told) there was no one individual nor company of men that fought in every major battle throughout the war. Thus, we end up with three characters--all Marines--that had over-lapping careers in combat.
    The scope of this part of the war alone does not allow for the same kind of character build that Band of Brothers had, and furthermore the war in the Pacific was significantly more costly and grizzly than the European one entirely. In the Pacific, we're fighting for islands with cave systems. One amphibious land invasion at a time.
    It's brutal, it's honest, and it really makes you question the price that is paid to fight wars.
    However, for a show that sets itself up to be "the definitive series to cover the Pacific war," this series, by most accounts, fails because that theater was just so huge. If it weren't for the fact that this was branded as a follow-up to Band Of Brothers, and its title was, "The Pacific," (something else that is more accurate to the limited, but respectable scope this story tells) then I would be more kind in critiquing it.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best TV Season of 2010
22
#22 Most Discussed TV Season of 2010
6
#6 Most Shared TV Season of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    91
    By dramatizing the true stories of the men who fought there, Spielberg and Hanks craft perhaps their most psychologically grounded work.
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  2. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Maureen Ryan
    100
    Certain moments may verge on cliche (and once in a while, the dialogue is a little corny), but overall, The Pacific is crafted and acted with such loving devotion that it's hard to find fault with its sincerity and sentimental forays.
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  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    83
    The Pacific has both grand scale and intimacy. It builds in intensity as the series proceeds.
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