Last weekend I had the pleasure of finishing “Masters of the Air” (2024), a production by the renowned duo Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. This series, adapted from a book by Donald L. Miller, a former Lafayette College professor, delves into the harrowing experiences of the 100th Bomb Group, also known as “The Bloody Hundredth,” and their significant casualties and heroic actions during World War II.
The show features a stellar cast, including Austin Butler and Callum Turner as Major Gale ‘Buck’ Cleven and Major John ‘Bucky’ Egan, respectively, along with Anthony Boyle, Nate Mann and Barry Keoghan.
Coming off of producing HBO’s “The Pacific” (2010) and “Band of Brothers” (2001), two critically and commercially acclaimed series, Spielberg and Hanks chose “Masters of the Air” as their next WWII-based television show because, according to an article from NBC News, Spielberg’s father was a pilot of a B-17 during the war. He flew frequent missions to Burma and would tell young Spielberg stories about the war.
Throughout all nine episodes, “Masters of the Air” features compelling performances from every cast member. Butler and Turner exude confidence and charisma at every turn, accurately portraying Egan and Gale’s leadership and trust over the men of the 100th Bomb Group. Anthony Boyle as Lieutenant Harry Crosby does a fantastic job at being the surrogate for the audience, narrating and guiding us through months, even years, of the war. Nate Mann as Lieutenant Robert ‘Rosie’ Robertson shows what courage and specific skills it takes to pilot a B-17.
Even though the production of “Masters of the Air” took place during the pandemic, you cannot tell. The aerial combat sequences are some of the tensest, best shot and best edited battles I have seen in a long time. You feel like you’re really in the plane with the men, all that way up in the air, getting shot at by German fighter planes. Watching these events unfold makes you question why daytime bombing was ever a consideration, as they are sitting ducks every time they fly. “Masters of the Air” also slows down at times, showing the effects these bombing raids have on the psyche.
However, there were some things about the show I did not enjoy. I thought the pacing was not great, with the show feeling too slow at the beginning and too fast towards the end. Also, some storylines felt either rushed or completely overlooked for what were, in my opinion, less exciting options.
While “Masters of the Air” surely is not at the same quality as “Band of Brothers” and isn’t quite as good as “The Pacific,” the show is still very enjoyable and has more than enough satisfying action sequences to make up for the rough pacing. Plus, one can never get enough of Butler and Turner being best friends.
