
The characters seemed a tad one-dimensional but I didn't think that the killing of prisoners or the character traits themselves were that much out of place. While I'm okay with it not being 100 % realistic, it was still a commendable effort in terms of tactics, strategies. I loved the movie until the Battle of the Crossroads, which I'll just pretend never happened. You can even hear sound effects recycled from Saving Private Ryan. It was an independant trailer to gauge the interest for a movie of the same title. The trailer you posted is not related to Spielberg's series. I know Tom Hanks and Spielberg tried their best, and that's all I can ask for. Overall I think The Pacific has to be taken for what it is, and I'm fine with that. Characters are hardly developed, they are given silly names like Hoosier and Runner, and at the end of the book you get no sense of knowing Robert Leckie any more than before reading the book. I read Robert Leckie's book (Helmet for my Pillow), but it's more of an exercice of stylistic writing than an account of WWII battles. Overall, The Pacific and Band of Brothers had two different dynamics and it showed the opposing realities of the Pacific theater compared to Europe. While I wouldn't dare take something away from the 101st Airborne, Easy Company fought for a year tops (1944-1945). Plus: The Pacific is set from 1942 (Guadalcanal) to 1945 (Okinawa).

The casualty rates were just too high if you compare with BoB. But, you gotta keep in mind that in the Pacific Theater, marine regiments got decimated to the point where between 1 or 2 battles there was almost no way to follow a single bunch of guys. Band of Brothers had this narrative about a single company going through Camp Toccoa, D-Day, Holland, France and Germany. However I think that a series on The Pacific was doomed from the beginning. I still loved the TV series, don't get me wrong. Mazello didn't capture Sledge's personality that I saw through the books and TV interviews with him. I think Joseph Mazello, even if he did a good job as an actor.

I got much more enjoyment reading Sledge's book (With the Old Breed and China Marine) than watching the series.
