X
- 2008
- TV-MA
- HBO
- 2008
- TV-MA
- HBO
- 2008
- TV-MA
- HBO
- 2008
- TV-MA
- HBO
Generation Kill
Season 1 Premiere: Jul 13, 2008
80
8.7
Where to Watch
Where to Watch
All Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 27 Critic Reviews
80
85% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
11% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
4% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 27 Critic Reviews
80
85% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
11% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
4% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
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.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 100 User Ratings
8.7
93% Positive
93 Ratings
93 Ratings
2% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
5% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 100 User Ratings
8.7
93% Positive
93 Ratings
93 Ratings
2% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
5% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
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.
Report
It’s as addictive and absorbing, in its own way, as “The Wire.”
There is a near-perfect symmetry between the sensibility of Wright's book and the work of Simon and Burns.
Wright is a diligent reporter, and his material has been whipped into a smooth script under producers David Simon and Ed Burns.
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.
The end result of all that effort, however, is a miniseries that's as dull and throbbing as a severe headache.
Production Company:
- Boom
- Blown Deadline Productions
- Company Pictures
- HBO Films
Initial Release Date: Jul 13, 2008
Number of seasons: 1 Season
Rating: TV-MA
Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards
• 3 Wins & 11 Nominations
Online Film & Television Association
• 6 Wins & 10 Nominations
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
