Although Bradley has been warning himself not to compare "War in the Pacific" with "Band of Brothers", even if the production team is similar, these are two completely different works, but when the series started, the kind of The feeling of excitement still couldn't help but think of the highly acclaimed and classic masterpiece that year.
"Ooh! Ooh!" When the interview screen of the real veteran appeared on the big screen again, there were roars and screams in the screening room. "Pacific War" and "Band of Brothers" are the same as the beginning of each episode. The interviews of the veterans are used as the cut-in to lead the audience back to those days.
The similar picture texture and similar frame structure aroused the inner excitement of the audience. The audience's expectations for the "Pacific War" can be clearly felt at the scene. The long-lost excitement and joy overflowed without disguise. Bradley couldn't help but smile and waved symbolically. fist.
But soon, Bradley discovered the difference between the two works, which are two works that are completely and completely.
The first episode of "Band of Brothers" opens with a boot camp. As many as twenty characters are intertwined, which makes the face blind patient really miserable. The pen becomes three-dimensional, and the tension in the air makes people deeply feel the urgency of war. It can be said that the opening group show demonstrated a profound foundation of scheduling and control, and quickly raised the sense of expectation.
The "Pacific War" chose to start with family life, describing the direct response of American society to the war after the Pearl Harbor incident that year.
The series uses the ordinary day before Robert Letch and John Basilone join the army as an entry point, and describes their lives with their families. The trivial daily life stories do not seem to be deliberately depicted, but the details revealed. The ingenuity always reflects the people's reaction to the war at that time - full of confidence and headed forward, their unease about the war was concealed under the confidence of victory, and even the atmosphere of the festival was a little more restless.
Without the hardships of the "Company of Brothers" boot camp, it is more realistic and truly connects the war with reality, which adds a touch of reality to the show and awakens the audience's inner resonance.
Bradley felt a little surprised that such a start was undoubtedly bold, but also wise. As a reporter, he is not a professional film critic, but he is not an ordinary audience. He knows that such a choice will weaken the audience's expectations and is likely to receive bad reviews. However, such a drastic change is a big change for "Pacific War" Good thing, it shows Steven Spielberg's determination to create a different series, which makes him have vague expectations for the follow-up story.
The opening chapter of "Band of Brothers" is not earth-shattering or fascinating, but it sees the truth in the bland. It initially establishes the friendship between soldiers and soldiers. At the same time, it also contrasts the difficulties of the boot camp with the horrors of the battlefield later. The splendid collection has laid a solid foundation.
"One Sword"
The opening chapter of "War in the Pacific" is mundane and trivial, giving the characters enough time to present it to the audience in a complete and clear manner. , which made Bradley wonder, what is the purpose of this
Use the tranquility and harmony of family life to contrast the cruelty and cold-bloodedness of the war, or use family fetters to outline the pain and hardships of the three characters on the battlefield? Or have other ideas
While thinking about it, Bradley's eyes suddenly lit up, and Renly appeared.
Eugene Sledge, like the other two main characters, begins with a family life. The doctor's father announced the verdict. Eugene failed the soldier's test because of a heart murmur, so he could not join the army; while Eugene's brother had changed his military uniform and was about to enter the battlefield. Seeing the presence of his father and brother, Eugene leaves home in dismay and anger to see off his good friend Sid - who will also be enlisting tomorrow.
Bradley's eyes lit up slightly. Renly's performance really made people taste a little different. This should be the first bright spot since the opening twenty minutes.
"Huh..." He let out a long sigh, and Kyle-Smith, a senior professional film critic of The Wall Street Journal, shook his head and spit out the turbid air accumulated in his chest. His thoughts were a little mixed and a little heavy. . The broadcast of the first episode has ended. It is nearly an hour long. He needs to sort out his thoughts, sort out his sense of anticipation and excitement, and then judge the episode objectively.
From the perspective of frame structure, "War in the Pacific" abandoned the production method of "Band of Brothers" and adopted a method closer to the mini-series.
"Band of Brothers" can be said to be an episode of a story, and each story is related to each other and independent of each other. This cinematic production method makes the drama collection present a cinematic quality, which is compact, concentrated, and climax/climax. The first episode of "The Pacific War" can clearly see that the script structure is layered and advanced, and the foreshadowing buried today may not emerge until the next few episodes.
In the first third of the first episode, the three protagonists made their debut, but later on, Robert Leczi became the leading character, and the other two characters disappeared.
The disadvantage of this production method is that it loses the unique movie texture of "Band of Brothers"; but the advantage is that the ideological core of the whole series is gradually superimposed. If it can finally detonate and sublime, the depth, height and thickness of the series All will exceed the shock brought by "Band of Brothers".
This maintains the anticipation of "War in the Pacific", after all, only the first episode was broadcast today.
Judging from the quality of the lens and the special effects of the shooting, the investment of 223 million yuan in the "Pacific War" has undoubtedly paid off. The particularity, hardship and intensity of the island war have been demonstrated. The war scene is magnificent and the effect is shocking. , and more importantly, the second half of the first episode brought the torture of human nature.
When the U.S. Army successfully ambushed and annihilated all the incoming Japanese troops, only one Japanese soldier remained stubbornly resisting on the other side of the river. The soldiers began to use the Japanese soldier as a target and played the game of cat troupe, toying with their lives. Between the applause, this brought a strong shock to Robert, in stark contrast to the daily life at the beginning of the series, and the core idea of "War in the Pacific" was first revealed.
But unfortunately, the first episode is a little conservative, the whole script structure and plot direction are not too novel, and the plot seems a bit fragmented, some places are too strong, and some places are slightly insufficient.
As a set of miniseries, the first episode of "War in the Pacific" is enough to score an 80. In Kyle's mind, the first episode of "Band of Brothers" is 85 points, and it can be felt that the overall level of the two episodes is slightly different. But Kyle didn't seem sorry at all, because the first episode brought a surprise!
Renly-Hall.
Kyle has to admit that this newcomer actor who made his debut on the screen burst out with unimaginable acting charm. Although Eugene, played by Renly, only appeared for less than three minutes, the intricate emotions burst out a powerful shock in the restrained performance.
The most impressive thing is undoubtedly the scene where Eugene stood at the door of the hall and looked at his father and brother. It was only a three-second pause, but he could clearly feel the cruelty and pain of the sun on his thin shoulders. , the subtle changes in the muscles can be seen in the shadow cast by the side face, and the inner struggle, contradiction, forbearance, well-behaved, and sincerity are vividly displayed.
He didn't even show his face, let alone his eyes. The expressive power of body language is natural, and when he appears on the screen, the audience's eyes can't help but focus on the past.
Just a glimpse, but it left an infinite aftertaste, which is unforgettable.
Kyle couldn't help but become curious about the actor Renly. He wondered how high his acting talent could reach. He wondered if it was just an epiphany or could it continue into all subsequent performances. What kind of story is given to the character of Eugene, after all, it's only three minutes of content in the first episode, which is amazing, but doesn't explain much.
But it is undeniable that, as an actor, Renly's debut left a deep impression on people.
Recalling the respect and admiration of Tom and Steven at the premiere, Kyle originally thought it was just a means of publicity. Compared with the other two leading actors, Renly is younger, fresher, more handsome, and has a publicity value. And commercial value has more potential to tap, the tout of the crew should be a part of the publicity strategy; but now, Kyle feels that things may not be just that, maybe, this unknown newcomer can really be a surprise.
If Renly aside, the rating of the first episode is estimated to be seventy-five points, but it is precisely because of Renly's flash that Kyle is full of expectations.
What's more, this is only the first episode of "War in the Pacific". It is mainly about laying the groundwork and layout. The content of the next nine episodes is the real essence.
If, before the premiere tonight, the high rating of "Band of Brothers" made people have some doubts about "War in the Pacific", then after the premiere ended, Kyle believes that at least the first episode successfully completed the task, and maintained expectations.
Kyle is already a little impatient. On the one hand, he is looking forward to the trend of quality and whether it can reach the level of "Brothers"; Performance.
Is he not yet twenty-one years old this year? This is really amazing!