Best for when…

You wish to be transported back to World War Two in true Spielberg style

Everyone that has seen Band of Brothers only has rave reviews for it, while those who have heard of it all have it on their ‘Must Watch’ list. It’s also a perfect box set choice for the start of a new university term as the complete run of the series is only ten episodes long. This makes it just long enough to get through without distracting from socialising and the never ending amount of uni work you’ll need to get through.

I stumbled across Band of Brothers, which actually first aired in 2001, due to my flatmate’s obsession with checking IMDB ratings before we watch ANYTHING. After discovering that Band of Brothers had achieved an impressive 9.5 (The Shawshank Redemption got 9.3 just so you know what we’re dealing with) there was no doubt we’d be watching it.

Band of Brothers follows a squadron of American World War Two paratroopers known as Easy Company, and as the brainchild of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who teamed up in the wake of Saving Private Ryan, it couldn’t really have gone badly. The series sees Easy Company progress from training in Georgia, USA to the D-Day victory landings, with various poignant events of WWII covered along the way. The big budget for the series did not disappoint with a display of continuous action and amazing back drops for it. The most rewarding aspect of Band of Brothers however is the feeling you get when you are introduced to the real men that the characters are based on, now in their late seventies at least. You hear their stories in their own words, describing the same events that you have just  seen played out in front of your eyes.

Be warned though, just because this is a tale adapted for Hollywood, don’t expect a fluffy version of events. The horror of war is well and truly brought to life as we see our most beloved characters come and go. These characters are displayed by an incredible cast, who although relatively unknown at the time are now star studded names such as Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy and James McAvoy to name just a few. Many of us, myself included, may have swooned over Damian Lewis in Homeland but you’re guaranteed to fall in love with him all over again as Lieutenant Richard Winters. He is truly stunning throughout the ten episodes displaying all the heroism and emotion needed for the role of a man responsible for the lives of so many in his company.

The ten hours of Band of Brothers really do fly by and you’ll find yourself wishing time and time again that it went on longer.

Caitlin Williams

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