Ok, let's do the good first. This is an outstanding series that opens us up to a world we could not know, the 100st Bomber Wing during the length of WWII. It is an amazing story of friendship, camaraderie and survival against insurmountable odds. The action is the best I've ever seen for a film with planes, the scale and scope of the combat is overwhelming as is the damage done to the planes on each mission. The acting is first rate, clearly these are great actors at their best with Austin Butler leading a cadre of young actors all in their prime. The best part is the writing, each episode touches on a different aspect of this air war and all involved.
Now for the bad... Jamming the Tuskege Airmen into a show about the 100st was done purely for PC/Woke purposes. I believe the episodes actually do injustice to the Airmen and their incredible skill and bravery. If you want to make a series about them, than do that, but this series was about the 100st and it's jammed in ham-handed in the last episodes and it's beyond obvious why. Shame on Spielberg and Hanks for servicing this anti-merit movement in their storytelling. You get the feeling these guys would have folded in a New York second during the Black List days and the rest. They are cowards and it's sad to see cowards telling a story of bravery.
Should you watch it? YES! Should you get mad about the Tuskege Airmen/PC/Woke episodes, yes.
This is the kind of movie that flyover country want Hollywood to make. At its essence it's the story of a woman who fights the demons and failures in her own life by essentially becoming an angel to a family truly in need. She takes on the burdens of this family to avoid dealing with her own life and in the process is transformed through these acts of pure selfless kindness.
Hillary Swank puts on an Oscar worthy performance as Sharon Stevens, our ordinary angel. She slows us all sides of this character, both highs and lows. This is a top actress at the top of her game and she delivers.
Alan Richson, of Reacher fame, plays the family's father Ed Schmitt. Just based on the physical size of RIchson, I thought this would be a stretch, but not at all. Richson delivers an amazing performance, filled with nuance and emotion. He has an amazing way of drawing you into his character and feeling his desperation and urgency.
All the supporting characters add to the sense of community and love the film delivers in bunches. This kind of flyover country optimism is frowned upon by professional film critics who are mostly cynical elitists who enjoy watching perversion and destruction.
So ignore the useless critics and go see this movie. It's so worth your time and money and you'll leave the theater feeling better for it.
