Generation Kill
What?
I’ve been racking my brains trying to think of a HBO series from the last 10 years that has been anything short of being at the very least ‘interesting’. I use the word ‘interesting’, in this context, as a low benchmark for the output that has been created by this staggeringly accomplished TV Channel. Lets be honest, any channel that can boast a line up that featured just one of the following would be rightfully entitled to rest on its laurels. HBO has offered us such epoch defining hits as Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Sex and the City, The Wire (the best TV series ever TM), The Flight of the Conchords, True Blood, Rome, Deadwood, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Eastbound and Down, Extras, Band of Brothers….just writing those titles makes me feel inadequate. You can now add ‘Generation Kill’ to the list of classics.
‘Green Zone’ is good, ‘Hurt Locker’ is great but, for me, this is the most essential treatment of the current war in the gulf. We spend 40 days with the Marines of the first recon battalion as we experience their fears, frustrations, humour and questions about the battle that they have found themselves entering. Scripted and produced by the creative team behind ‘The Wire’ and acted by a tremendous group of young talent (a number of whom are recognizable from the HBO universe) this is a darkly humorous, wholly enveloping and immersive look at the war from the inside. The film crackles with authenticity and panache with stretches of inconsequentiality punctuated by flashes of pulse racing tension and action. This is a series that draws you in to the characterization and poses complex moral questions to the audience. It is a complete experience and shows a level of ambition which is all to often absent from the majority of television and film. This will stand as a tremendous piece of programming.
Optics:
As per usual, HBO delivers a strong high definition source displaying the highest of production values. However, this being a war narrative, it don’t look too pretty. The image is intentionally slightly soft and lacking in the crispness and detail of more showy transfers. Grain is present throughout and the colour palette of the film is typically washed out as we have come to expect from stories of this type. Despite this the image quality is compelling and a good translation of the source material.
Sonics:
The soundtrack has all the presence of a Hollywood blockbuster during the key action scenes and the DTS MA 5.1 soundtrack delivers punch and clarity throughout. The naturalistic nature of the dialogue is well captured and placed effectively in the mix meaning that you rarely lose track of the dialogue even in the most intense scenes.
Extras:
HBO have been slowly but surely improving the quality of the extras that they offer on their box sets. This set is a case in point with an excellent commentary track on each episode, a helpful glossary that can be accessed on screen throughout and an enlightening couple of ‘making of’ documentaries (the best of which is a video diary by one of the key actors documenting the production). A round tale discussion with the actual people that the film is based on is also engaging but the ‘deleted dialogue’ section is a little redundant.
Well?
The show itself is a triumph and the blu ray presents it to a very high standard with a compelling set of quality extras. This, for me, is an essential purchase.
Chris Hacking
I’ve been racking my brains trying to think of a HBO series from the last 10 years that has been anything short of being at the very least ‘interesting’. I use the word ‘interesting’, in this context, as a low benchmark for the output that has been created by this staggeringly accomplished TV Channel. Lets be honest, any channel that can boast a line up that featured just one of the following would be rightfully entitled to rest on its laurels. HBO has offered us such epoch defining hits as Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Sex and the City, The Wire (the best TV series ever TM), The Flight of the Conchords, True Blood, Rome, Deadwood, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Eastbound and Down, Extras, Band of Brothers….just writing those titles makes me feel inadequate. You can now add ‘Generation Kill’ to the list of classics.
‘Green Zone’ is good, ‘Hurt Locker’ is great but, for me, this is the most essential treatment of the current war in the gulf. We spend 40 days with the Marines of the first recon battalion as we experience their fears, frustrations, humour and questions about the battle that they have found themselves entering. Scripted and produced by the creative team behind ‘The Wire’ and acted by a tremendous group of young talent (a number of whom are recognizable from the HBO universe) this is a darkly humorous, wholly enveloping and immersive look at the war from the inside. The film crackles with authenticity and panache with stretches of inconsequentiality punctuated by flashes of pulse racing tension and action. This is a series that draws you in to the characterization and poses complex moral questions to the audience. It is a complete experience and shows a level of ambition which is all to often absent from the majority of television and film. This will stand as a tremendous piece of programming.
Optics:
As per usual, HBO delivers a strong high definition source displaying the highest of production values. However, this being a war narrative, it don’t look too pretty. The image is intentionally slightly soft and lacking in the crispness and detail of more showy transfers. Grain is present throughout and the colour palette of the film is typically washed out as we have come to expect from stories of this type. Despite this the image quality is compelling and a good translation of the source material.
Sonics:
The soundtrack has all the presence of a Hollywood blockbuster during the key action scenes and the DTS MA 5.1 soundtrack delivers punch and clarity throughout. The naturalistic nature of the dialogue is well captured and placed effectively in the mix meaning that you rarely lose track of the dialogue even in the most intense scenes.
Extras:
HBO have been slowly but surely improving the quality of the extras that they offer on their box sets. This set is a case in point with an excellent commentary track on each episode, a helpful glossary that can be accessed on screen throughout and an enlightening couple of ‘making of’ documentaries (the best of which is a video diary by one of the key actors documenting the production). A round tale discussion with the actual people that the film is based on is also engaging but the ‘deleted dialogue’ section is a little redundant.
Well?
The show itself is a triumph and the blu ray presents it to a very high standard with a compelling set of quality extras. This, for me, is an essential purchase.
Chris Hacking
Director:
Susanna White, Simon Cellan Jones
Starring:
Alexander Skarsgard
James Ransone
Lee Tergesen
Jon Huertas
Stark Sands
Billy Lush
Jonah Lotan
Wilson Bethel
Best line:
Tagline:
Description:
HBO
UK
Region free
Rated 15
1.85:1
DTS-HD 5.1 MA
Audio commentaries
Deleted dialogue
Round table discussion
Making of documentaries
Episode previews and re-caps
Ratings: (Out of 10)
Film 10.0
Optics 7.0
Sonics 8.0
Extras 7.0
Overall 8.0
