Masters of the Air
Masters of the Air is a perfectly decent war epic crushed by the one it can't escape.
Life is a series of expectations. Managing them. Failing them. Getting crushed by them. So when the team behind Band of Brothers announced another giant World War II epic – Spielberg. Hanks. Apple blank-check money. A stacked cast of future movie stars – expectations for Masters of the Air immediately went through the roof.
On paper, this thing should've been untouchable. Instead, it's just… pretty decent.
The series follows the bomber crews of the 100th Bomb Group as they fly repeated missions over Nazi Germany, knowing every trip into the sky could be their last.
A lot of this works. The aerial combat sequences are huge, terrifying, and sometimes exhausting to watch. Engines ripping apart midair. Bombers exploding beside each other. Young guys trying not to panic while flak tears through the sky around them. When the show locks into the sheer horror of these missions, it's incredibly effective. Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, and Barry Keoghan are all actors you should walk away obsessed with. They're great. The problem is you never get quite as attached to them as you wish you would.
Somewhere between the cockpits and the spectacle, Masters of the Air loses the intimacy that made Band of Brothers hit so hard. That show put you in the mud beside those soldiers. You felt like you knew them. Their friendships. Their fear. Every death punched you in the teeth. Here, everything looks incredible. Sometimes too incredible. The show is so determined to make every shot look iconic that it occasionally forgets war is supposed to be ugly.
Look, aerial warfare's tough to dramatize. It's hard to get close to people who spend half the show hidden behind oxygen masks and cockpit glass. It's harder to connect with the boys inside the planes the same way you could with Easy Company. And there aren't many victories to rally around. Mostly just survival, loss, and the dread of having to climb back into those bombers.
Still, if you love war epics or watching people survive hell at 25,000 feet, there's plenty here for you. The problem is that every scene reminds you of the show you actually want to be watching: Band of Brothers.
The Rundown
Performances
It's always fun when Callum Turner pops up onscreen, while Anthony Boyle quietly ends up carrying the weight. Austin Butler brings movie-star energy to the small screen.
What You Come Here For
Your WWII fix. Handsome fly-boys, terrifying bomber sequences, and WWII aviation spectacle on a scale television rarely even attempts.
Best Episode
"Part Five" (S1E5) — the Münster raid. Absolute nightmare fuel.
Weak Spots
A little too glossy. The CGI can get messy, the battles occasionally turn confusing, and it never really builds the connection between the men the way Band of Brothers did.
Pair With
Band of Brothers, Dunkirk, The Pacific.
Included In
What Our
Ratings Mean
Learn More →It's Dicey: You could do worse. These might scratch a specific itch or work for the right audience — but watch at your own risk.
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Beef
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