SummaryNot for the faint-hearted, this seven-hour scripted mini-series spotlights Marines fighting in the Iraq war during the early onset of the conflict. This is an adaptation of Rolling Stone's contributing editor Evan Wright's book of the same name.
SummaryNot for the faint-hearted, this seven-hour scripted mini-series spotlights Marines fighting in the Iraq war during the early onset of the conflict. This is an adaptation of Rolling Stone's contributing editor Evan Wright's book of the same name.
Wright says. "After the Vietnam War ended, the onus of shame largely fell on the veterans. This time around, if shame is to be had when the Iraq conflict ends--and all indications are there will be plenty of it--the veterans are the last people in America to deserve it." Generation Kill makes that point so powerfully as to stand among the truest and most trenchant war movies of all time.
Kill pays both you and its subjects two solid compliments: It doesn't scream ''Take heed: This is a work of art!'' And it lets you form your own opinions about what its social commentary is.
Easily a 10/10. This is a war epic with a deep undercurrent of observational irony. Nothing hits home like the sad irony observed in the reality of war. In the end, little feels epic and there is no closure as the war has yet to rage another 17 years though as we all remember, "Mission Accomplished". However, the show is less of a dark satire or cynical humor than it is an observation of what defines modern war in the Post Vietnam era and admittedly, there may be some overlap.
This is where the story's writer - Evan Wright's anti war sentiment comes in. He attempts to show that no matter the motivation or objectives, everyone in war is foolhardy. As time goes on, the marines shed their preconceptions about war and grow to despise and mistrust their leaders for their foolhardiness, yet at times these same marines expect their leaders to make such decisions on their terms as their morality reemerges and is questioned. The entire series is dripping with this sad irony. It's easy to miss some of these elements and focus on the failures of the leadership, while praising positive morality of some individuals, just like it is in war. The subculture of the Recon Marines numbs morality - for good reason, but it also magnifies the flaws in human society with its rigidity against the backdrop of war. Morality when it reawakens in war is troublesome and diverse in its presentation. This series encapsulates the experience of war in microcosm. It can be enjoyed on many levels and requires several viewings.
Probably the most underrated show of all time, Generation Kill is something like Band of Brothers for Iraq War, realistically depicting everything from horrors of war to soldier banter.
Generation Kill tends to play as a series of discrete events. I suppose an argument might be made that this mirrors the way that the constant threat of extinction, and subject always to a sudden change in (rarely explained) orders, makes one live in the moment. I don't think that was what the producers intended, but it works well enough for watching it.
Absolutely wonderful show, based on the writings of a Rolling Stone reporter. Good actors, great characters, amazing dialogs, fantastic battle scenes. Must see!
Absolutely wonderful show, based on the writings of a Rolling Stone reporter. Good actors, great characters, amazing dialogs, fantastic battle scenes. Must see!