Well, if the first episode of Masters of the Air is any indication, then the legendary Steven Spielberg might just be about to deliver on that promise – with a little help from the show’s creator John Orloff (A Mighty Heart).
The mini-series tells the story of the American Air Force pilots who went to Europe during World War II with the mission of bringing the war to Hitler’s doorstep. Centering around young pilots, Major John ‘Bucky’ Egan (Callum Turner – Green Room) and Major Gale ‘Buck’ Cleven (Austin Butler – Elvis), the first episode sees Buck shipped off to Europe first with Bucky arriving soon after.
Upon arriving in England, Buck is slightly annoyed that Bucky has seen action first but also shares his friend’s disappointment of being grounded by the top brass who feel that he is better suited to being a leader on the ground.
Soon Buck finds himself thrown into the deep end alongside the gruff but good at his job Lt Curtis Biddick (Barry Keoghan – Saltburn) and their squadron are sent behind enemy lines on a bombing mission in the first-of-its-kind B-17 Flying Fortress. But they quickly find out that these missions are not the ‘excitement rides’ that they were expecting – instead they are confronted with crew getting air-sick at important times, planes that experience ‘gremlins’, a relentless skilled enemy and the deaths of their colleagues.
Masters of the Air does not just share the same creative team as Band of Brothers and The Pacific, it also shares its common themes. Once again Orloff, Spielberg and co explore the notion that war was not the ‘fun time’ that so many men expected it to be. That is not only shown through an amazing screenplay but also through some hair-raising visuals brought together by some of the world’s leading cinematographers.
While watching Masters of the Air you find yourself lulled into a strange sense of realism. Such is the way that the show is shot you find yourself not only gripping hold of your chair as the enemy approaches but you swear that you can smell the gasoline and oil and feel the smoke stinging your eyes. Somehow this team has not only brought that blockbuster experience into your living room, they have allowed it to invade your senses.
From there the audience is taken on even more of a ride as the brilliant creative team even manage to outdo the flying sequences of films like Pearl Harbor and Flyboys with images that seem to be even more realistic than anything that we have seen on the screen previously. Honestly, if this were a movie it would be a shoe-in for winning all the major visual awards.
The rare energy and emotion of the show is only further enhanced by the strong screenplay. It doesn’t take very long for the writing to have the audience siding with Buck and Bucky. While they are heroes there is a human side brought to them that quickly has the audience warming to them. The skill of the screenwriters here is never more evident than when they show the ability of depicting Bucky’s disappointment of not being able to fly with just one scene of dialogue and then some glances as his friends fly off rather than the Hollywood norm of countless scenes of him exclaiming “I wish I could fly… it’s not fair!”
Their characters are made even more likable and believable by the performances of Austin Butler and Callum Turner. Turner is brilliant at how he can portray Bucky’s two sides so well. He goes from showing the fun-loving side of Bucky that can win over a bar to the serious side that will do anything to protect the men under his guard in an instant. Then there is Austin Butler who shows why many have labelled him a star of the future as he oozes the charisma and cool of James Dean while still clearly showing how the war is affecting his character to the core.
It seems strange saying it in January, but it is going to be hard to top Masters of the Air as the best new show of 2024. The visuals look so good that they can only set a new standard for all streaming service productions while the story at hand lends itself to one of the most exciting and emotional adventures that audiences will be taken on this year.
Masters of the Air is currently screening in Phuket on Apple TV+.
David Griffiths has been working as a film and music reviewer for over 20 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. He is also an accredited reviewer for Rotten Tomatoes. You can follow him at www.facebook.com/subcultureentertainmentaus