• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Is Band of Brothers a masterpiece?

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

thequickandthedead

Member
When talking about the greatest TV shows of all time you often hear about series such as Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, The Wire, etc. but you don't really hear Band of Brothers as often. The thing is, this series has one hell of a cult following. The hardcore fans are extremely vocal and often make seemingly hyperbolic claims saying that its easily one of the greatest TV shows ever made, a masterpiece, etc. So to Gaffers who have watched this series, why should I watch Band of Brothers above series like BrBa, Sopranos and the Wire?
 
It was fucking popular during its time. And yes its still a masterpiece. Good series. Well done. Maybe ahead of its time?

Yours,

Franck
 
Pretty sure BoB pops up in every single "recommend me a tv show" or "what is the best tv show" thread, or similar subject. It's an amazing series for sure.
 
It manages to achieve the best things about those other shows. Character building, personal relationships, while still being succinct enough that you don't feel any down time between those and the major plot points/battles.

You get the best of both worlds without any episodes that feel like filler.
 
strafer said:
Yes, but The Pacific is slightly better.
Click to expand...
All my friends think i am crazy whenever i say this but i stand by it.

I also think Generation Kill is better than both Pacific and Band of Brothers but Generation Kill has an advantage because it's a series that speaks to me on a more personal level, i can relate to it and the characters more.
 
I'm watching it for the first time and I'm up to episode 4. It's pretty good, although I wouldn't place it in the upper echelon of television so far. Maybe that could change, but the writing/dialogue is nowhere near the level of something like The Wire or Deadwood.
 
Parts of me wish Generation Kill had more eps. But I will say that Pacific is pretty bad compared to BoB
 
It's a phenomenal bit of TV and my favourite series to ever grace the small screen but i feel since its a mini series it can get overlooked.
 
Masterpiece? Sure, why not?

Interesting that BoB is from 2001. I had to look that up. That's so long ago; almost ancient. I watched the series when it first aired, but it doesn't "feel" that long ago.

Perhaps its age is why people don't talk about it that often now. I don't know.
 
Maybe it doens't get mentioned as much because it was a mini-series and there aren't multiple season. That said, yes, it's spectacular television, IMO.
 
Thought it was outstanding. Pacific was also excellent, although enjoyed the book version of the latter more than the series (the story following the dive bomber would have been badass onscreen).
 
zomaha said:
it was so good i didn't even mind david schwimmer being in it
Click to expand...

Those five seconds with Jimmy Fallon nearly ruined the entire series though.

As noted above, BoB is considered a "mini-series" and as such doesn't stack against BrBa and The Wire.

I think BoB is the best work about the "theatre of war." After BoB there is no better depiction of the front lines. If you want to do a war movie now, it has to be about military court, or spies, or intelligence, whathaveyou, as BoB just owned the fighting side of war forever.
 
Brian Fellows said:
Sledge's book or Leckie's?
Click to expand...

Neither? I think...been awhile since I read, but both Sledge and Leckie were transitioned into the HBO series well, but there was a third character they only followed in the book. Was a pilot who ended up training dive bombers against Japanese ships, I'll look it up quick and report back.

Edit: Found it - Vernon "Mike" Michaeel. Pilot who flew in the battle of Midway - acted as flight leader and ultimately trained new bomber pilots during the war. Great read, and an aspect of the war they never touched on in either series really.
 
Band of Brothers is great, but as for why people often don't list it as one of the best TV series' is probably because a lot of people hold a mini-series in a different category than an ongoing series.
 
It's a masterpiece but it's hard to put it up there with the likes of Sopranos and The Wire because it's a miniseries. Also Generation Kill is miles better than The Pacific.
 
As with any war drama, I'm having real problems to distinguish the different characters when they are in full gear in battle or during the night. I was rooting for
Simon Pegg's
character and didn't even notice when he died alongside other red shirts. That kind of stuff always bums me out, but I'm on episode 4 and I'm enjoying it still. Episode 3 was fantastic.
 
I just finished it for the first time and it really blew me away. They really did a great job capturing the triumphs of warfare as well as the crushing pressure and insanity of it all. It definitely resonated with me and displayed the human element of war better than most media. It holds up extremely well today. Also the intro theme is great.

BoB definitely ranks as one of my favorite viewing experiences of all time and I say this after watching it right after finishing The Wire for the first time.

I am interested in watching other perspectives, like German or Russian, from the war in the style of Band of Brothers. I heard of Generation War which is said to be like the German Band of Brothers but I don't know of any others.
 
Juz said:
It's a masterpiece but it's hard to put it up there with the likes of Sopranos and The Wire because it's a miniseries. Also Generation Kill is miles better than The Pacific.
Click to expand...

It's very easy for me to put it above the Sopranos since I hated every single character on the Sopranos.
 
I find it to be a bit too simple and "typical" to be a masterpiece. Its greatest strength is in production and the subject matter, but it doesn't really do anything interesting with it.
 
Band of brothers is better than breaking bad IMO. Although I haven't really finished breaking bad. What they do in band of brothers is way more impressive and a lot more exciting overall I think.

They're sort of hard to compare and I imagine it would be the same with the other shows you mentioned which I have yet to see
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

ET The Extra Terrestrial is still a masterpiece
20
392
GateofD replied
  • Poll
Flock of Seagulls, good band? Or no?
12
243
Wildebeest replied
Which band or artist has the longest length of time between great songs?
19
465
Trogdor1123 replied
Can you think of a band that sucks as much as Primus?
2
65
1K
ConkerTheSquirrel. replied
Is there anything else on TV quite like Band of Brothers and The Pacific?
37
4K
Insane Metal replied
Top Bottom