135 reviews
I stumbled across this late on a Friday night. The last war documentary that I'd seen was Peter Jackson's "They Shall Not Grow Old" and I had been yearning for a similar experience ever since. Well, safe to say-- I found it. This is an enthralling watch. The colorization of such massively historical events allows us viewers 70+ years later to empathize in an unimaginable way, and is careful enough to give us fresh insight into perspectives from both sides. Well done to all involved. Netflix in my opinion is hit or miss but this is without a doubt as good as it gets. Top class. A real tribute to the heroic men and women of that generation.
Side note: Pay no heed to the so-called political connotations suggested by other reviewers. Having watched the entire series through, my mind never once went there, I was too enraptured by the images and the quality on display. It in no way detracts from the documentary itself, if you're reading this prior to watching don't let such comments dismay you. I couldn't recommend this film highly enough.
Side note: Pay no heed to the so-called political connotations suggested by other reviewers. Having watched the entire series through, my mind never once went there, I was too enraptured by the images and the quality on display. It in no way detracts from the documentary itself, if you're reading this prior to watching don't let such comments dismay you. I couldn't recommend this film highly enough.
- bgessner7-429-599936
- Nov 8, 2019
- Permalink
If you're someone who'd like to better understand WWII in a thoughtful, comprehensive, well-paced film... this is it.
And here are 3 reasons why:
It is totally captivating. I've seen countless films on WWII, but this moves with a pace that allows you to absorb the key events while gaining insight on why things happened the way they did. Although I've seen so many accounts of the war, this summarized it better than any other film in my opinion.
It's binge-worthy. I stayed up all night long watching this - much more engaging than the typical war documentaries that put us all to sleep. I will watch it again with my wife and I know she will like it because you're compelled to watch the next episode.
It's relevant. The approach they've taken - beautifully restored and colorized film combined with thoughtful accounts by historians and veterans - is to be commended and treasured. But more importantly, it reminds us of what people with bad ideas can accomplish when the rest of us stay silent. A timeless and painful lesson.
And here are 3 reasons why:
It is totally captivating. I've seen countless films on WWII, but this moves with a pace that allows you to absorb the key events while gaining insight on why things happened the way they did. Although I've seen so many accounts of the war, this summarized it better than any other film in my opinion.
It's binge-worthy. I stayed up all night long watching this - much more engaging than the typical war documentaries that put us all to sleep. I will watch it again with my wife and I know she will like it because you're compelled to watch the next episode.
It's relevant. The approach they've taken - beautifully restored and colorized film combined with thoughtful accounts by historians and veterans - is to be commended and treasured. But more importantly, it reminds us of what people with bad ideas can accomplish when the rest of us stay silent. A timeless and painful lesson.
- darren_bowden
- Jan 3, 2020
- Permalink
Its so sad listening to so many butthurt complainers nitpicking at everything in this documentary. Honestly you could make a 30 or 40 part documentary series on ww2 and not even scratch the surface of the entire war and do every aspect and every service person justice. Those who complain that their country isn't mentioned... so what. You can't mention every damn country in detail.
I think this documentary series does a splendid job as acting as an introductory series to perhaps children/teenagers learning about ww2 for the first time. (then move on to books) Personally I knew most of the information but I enjoyed hearing it again with some coloured footage. The narrator is really easy to listen to and his commentary is mixed in with some war authors and some vetrans (who are becoming very very few, so these documentations of their experiences are essential)
I think this documentary series does a splendid job as acting as an introductory series to perhaps children/teenagers learning about ww2 for the first time. (then move on to books) Personally I knew most of the information but I enjoyed hearing it again with some coloured footage. The narrator is really easy to listen to and his commentary is mixed in with some war authors and some vetrans (who are becoming very very few, so these documentations of their experiences are essential)
This series main selling point, according to Netflix is "rare footage from around the world, expertly restored in full color, tells the story as you've never seen it before."
It's true. I've never seen it told with such inaccuracy.
From a purely narrated standpoint, it's not a totally bad documentary. It omits a TON, but makes up for it somewhat by revealing little known details and recollections from people who lived it.
My main beef with this series is that their main selling point is bs. The Dunkirk episode supposedly depicts Ju-87 Stuka dive bombers attempting to pick off English boats and ships in the channel supporting the British Expeditionary Force's evacuation of France. But the footage is not of Stukas, but some other aircraft I had some trouble recognizing. In the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire is mentioned frequently, but the footage is of Hawker Hurricanes, which was already considered obsolete by Spitfire standards by the Summer of 1940. However, the big aerial fight scenes depicting German He-111 medium range bombers and Bf-109E fighters engaging Spitfires over London, are actually re-enactments from the 1969 historical drama "Battle of Britain." The Bf-109Es were not actual Messerschmitts, even, but Spanish HA-1112 Buchons built after the war in the 1950s, that existed in flying condition in greater numbers than actual Messerschmitts, many of which were destroyed by the Allied and Soviet forces as they closed in on Berlin.
Often, substitute footage is used when authentic footage is unavailable or scarce. I get it though. The layman won't be able to tell the difference. What I didn't like so much was that Netflix is peddling this as "rare footage ... expertly restored in full color" -- which leads you to believe all of it, at the very least, is from the era in question, and it's been colorized to give a more accurate depiction of the war.
The final straw for me was a scene during the Pearl Harbor episode, which supposedly depicted Japanese dive bombers attacking Pearl Harbor, with the big red sun emblazoned on their fuselages. But this footage is actually of a US Navy dive bomber called the SBD Dauntless, its stars and bars "photoshopped out" and replaced with the rising sun of Japan. What the hell, Netflix? Top Gun did something similar, by reimagining the USAF F-5 Tiger as the fictious Mig-28, but I doubt any of us went into that theater thinking that this was anything more than RAD on steroids.
If you want to watch a really good documentary on WW2, Ken Burns's "The War" is a great choice. Also, the History Channel ran a terrific series called the "War Room" -- and instead of taking liberties with scarce historical footage, they supplemented their narrative with really neat graphic animations that talked about the tactics and strategies that either lost or won the battles. This Netflix series is a bit of clickbait, and a little bait and switch. There are so many better sources to learn about WW2.
It's true. I've never seen it told with such inaccuracy.
From a purely narrated standpoint, it's not a totally bad documentary. It omits a TON, but makes up for it somewhat by revealing little known details and recollections from people who lived it.
My main beef with this series is that their main selling point is bs. The Dunkirk episode supposedly depicts Ju-87 Stuka dive bombers attempting to pick off English boats and ships in the channel supporting the British Expeditionary Force's evacuation of France. But the footage is not of Stukas, but some other aircraft I had some trouble recognizing. In the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire is mentioned frequently, but the footage is of Hawker Hurricanes, which was already considered obsolete by Spitfire standards by the Summer of 1940. However, the big aerial fight scenes depicting German He-111 medium range bombers and Bf-109E fighters engaging Spitfires over London, are actually re-enactments from the 1969 historical drama "Battle of Britain." The Bf-109Es were not actual Messerschmitts, even, but Spanish HA-1112 Buchons built after the war in the 1950s, that existed in flying condition in greater numbers than actual Messerschmitts, many of which were destroyed by the Allied and Soviet forces as they closed in on Berlin.
Often, substitute footage is used when authentic footage is unavailable or scarce. I get it though. The layman won't be able to tell the difference. What I didn't like so much was that Netflix is peddling this as "rare footage ... expertly restored in full color" -- which leads you to believe all of it, at the very least, is from the era in question, and it's been colorized to give a more accurate depiction of the war.
The final straw for me was a scene during the Pearl Harbor episode, which supposedly depicted Japanese dive bombers attacking Pearl Harbor, with the big red sun emblazoned on their fuselages. But this footage is actually of a US Navy dive bomber called the SBD Dauntless, its stars and bars "photoshopped out" and replaced with the rising sun of Japan. What the hell, Netflix? Top Gun did something similar, by reimagining the USAF F-5 Tiger as the fictious Mig-28, but I doubt any of us went into that theater thinking that this was anything more than RAD on steroids.
If you want to watch a really good documentary on WW2, Ken Burns's "The War" is a great choice. Also, the History Channel ran a terrific series called the "War Room" -- and instead of taking liberties with scarce historical footage, they supplemented their narrative with really neat graphic animations that talked about the tactics and strategies that either lost or won the battles. This Netflix series is a bit of clickbait, and a little bait and switch. There are so many better sources to learn about WW2.
- mattmatthew-01656
- Nov 14, 2019
- Permalink
Though I've studied WWII for much of my life, I found this series to be a good, concise description of key events. While it does not go into great depth, it still manages to pack in enough detail with empathetic insights from both Axis and Allied viewpoints. It's an excellent refresher or starting point for key events, which will hopefully engage the viewer to research further.
My only qualm was that the series ends abruptly, with no conclusion/summary. I'd be interested to see a 2nd season into the Cold War, as is hinted at the end of Ep.10.
My only qualm was that the series ends abruptly, with no conclusion/summary. I'd be interested to see a 2nd season into the Cold War, as is hinted at the end of Ep.10.
From the beginning I was hooked. The way the show details the events, the strategies, the beautiful footage, interviews, etc was gripping and I binge watched the show over 2 days. It goes into the psychology of the most important people and what led to their decisions. It takes into account the culture of the individual countries at the time and is filled with suspense and twists. It was also very informative, I knew a little bit about WWII from high school classes, but this really helped fill in the gaps in a satisfying way. I feel like I've learned more than in the 2 days of watching this show than I would in a year of study. If you are slightly interested in the events of WWII and want a dramatic narrative of the most important events, this show is for you!
- jonasleaparis
- Nov 9, 2019
- Permalink
Honestly, the footage in the first two episodes of this documentary is NOT why you should be watching this series.
This series is English, and the narrator and script is first rate. The war historians and professors are also top notch. Add to that a few surviving veterans and some truly solid human interest stories about the top leaders, generals, on down to the soldiers and pilots, and it's a surprisingly emotional and beautifully produced documentary series.
This isn't as sterile and rote as many WWII documentaries, and it's certainly more about people than the title would have you believe. I almost didn't watch it because of the title, and to be honest, there is footage in here from films, modern re-enactments, and some colorized B&W as well. There is a majority amount of authentic color footage as well, much of it I've never seen before.
The documentary also seems to delve into the true motivations and machinations of various real events in WWII, and the invasion of France in particular included a lot of information which was new to me. I consider myself knowledgeable, but certainly not a scholar, but it was interesting to hear various facts and theories related by scholars I had not considered before.
The second episode is dedicated to a real veteran pilot of the Battle Of Britain who was interviewed for the episode. You really got the sense of heroism and duty from this clearly very aged but lucid survivor. The editing is fast paced but really easy to absorb.
Honestly, this was far better than I expected. This is up there with the much older World at War series that Olivier narrated, though it's hard to beat Olivier for gravitas. Still, this really is worth seeing for any history buff and good for newbies as well. To those discussing omissions, of course that is going to happen in such a hugely broad topic.
What also comes across quickly in this series, more so than in other series I've seen, is the unnecessary futility and outright stupidity of Hitler's goals and ambitions, and the tragic waste of the entire war. Whatever savvy innovations the Germans proved they had in the first 9 months of the war was clearly being squandered from Dunkirk on. The first episode also does gives the best explanation I've ever heard of explaining how and why the French folded.
This series is English, and the narrator and script is first rate. The war historians and professors are also top notch. Add to that a few surviving veterans and some truly solid human interest stories about the top leaders, generals, on down to the soldiers and pilots, and it's a surprisingly emotional and beautifully produced documentary series.
This isn't as sterile and rote as many WWII documentaries, and it's certainly more about people than the title would have you believe. I almost didn't watch it because of the title, and to be honest, there is footage in here from films, modern re-enactments, and some colorized B&W as well. There is a majority amount of authentic color footage as well, much of it I've never seen before.
The documentary also seems to delve into the true motivations and machinations of various real events in WWII, and the invasion of France in particular included a lot of information which was new to me. I consider myself knowledgeable, but certainly not a scholar, but it was interesting to hear various facts and theories related by scholars I had not considered before.
The second episode is dedicated to a real veteran pilot of the Battle Of Britain who was interviewed for the episode. You really got the sense of heroism and duty from this clearly very aged but lucid survivor. The editing is fast paced but really easy to absorb.
Honestly, this was far better than I expected. This is up there with the much older World at War series that Olivier narrated, though it's hard to beat Olivier for gravitas. Still, this really is worth seeing for any history buff and good for newbies as well. To those discussing omissions, of course that is going to happen in such a hugely broad topic.
What also comes across quickly in this series, more so than in other series I've seen, is the unnecessary futility and outright stupidity of Hitler's goals and ambitions, and the tragic waste of the entire war. Whatever savvy innovations the Germans proved they had in the first 9 months of the war was clearly being squandered from Dunkirk on. The first episode also does gives the best explanation I've ever heard of explaining how and why the French folded.
Whilst there are no startling revelations within this series, as the WW2 conflict has been covered by countless other documentaries, the colouring of the footage does bring the subject matter home in a far more relatable manner.
In fact some of the colouring is so good, you feel like you're watching something that could have been filmed in the last decade.
A must see for any modern history enthusiasts!
In fact some of the colouring is so good, you feel like you're watching something that could have been filmed in the last decade.
A must see for any modern history enthusiasts!
I've read a few reviews where people have been dissappointed that parts of WW2 have been missed. However, this show is about the 'greatest events' and is not intended to be a chronology. Fantastic footage which I really enjoyed.
- jordankelly8
- Jan 20, 2020
- Permalink
Missing so much details and trying to focus on special events only and focusing as much as they can on very few events . May be trying to make us see something which I didnt understand because they negelected great events in WW2 with no reason
- mahmoudothman
- Dec 30, 2019
- Permalink
I love WW2 documentaries. However, the lack of respect shown to the diggers got to me.
Australia entered world war 2 well before the USA.
No mention of rats of Tobruk or Kokoda just to name a couple.
Overall the series had a great amount of knowledgeable information and footage.
Overall the series had a great amount of knowledgeable information and footage.
- brayden_wilson1
- Nov 9, 2019
- Permalink
It's a great docuseries! Other reviews may try to pull in their own political agenda into it but just watch it and hear the facts and form your own opinion 10/10
- nismopiston
- Nov 9, 2019
- Permalink
First, in defense of the series against some of the review comments about the source of the video, just because you've seen it in a movie doesn't mean it's not real wartime footage. Older movies, before CGI, did that all the time to save money. For instance, we've all seen that crash of the plane onto the carrier deck in a movie or two, the one where it breaks in half and spins around. But it's real, not shot for a movie.
Second, there's no way to cover everything important that occurred in WWII in 10 hours so obviously many important things will be left out. You can't cover the contributions of every country when so many participated so you pick the major combatants, etc.
My main complaint is in many cases they cover some subjects in such a way as to focus on a more minor topic and leave out the major one. So many examples I can't list them all but here's just one: in the Battle of Britain episode they extensively cover the Spitfire without even a mention of the Hawker Hurricane when in fact there were many more Hurricanes used and Hurricanes were responsible for many more German losses than Spitfires. Yes, the Spitfire was the shiney new plane at the the time. But it's higher complexity meant lower percent availability of the smaller numbers of planes and the Hurricane's quicker turnaround time meant a single Hurricane could fly more sorties in a day. So why not take even 20 seconds to mention the most important British fighter in the Battle, especially the early stages?
1. It is an interesting documentary to watch but sacrifices clearness of information for a more interesting presentation. E..G. The Battle of Midway starts by mentioning the cryptographer suspecting Midway will be attacked but is not believed. Then after the documentary starts narrating events, it goes back to explain how the cryptographer found someone to believe him and how they positively determined the target was Midway.
2. Worse is the typical war documentary put together by uninformed producers looking for nice videos. They often include video of something completely unrelated to the present narrative--probably guessing the viewer doesn't know any more about the subject than they do. Unfortunately that leads to confusing material and the lack of credibility in the whole message. E.G. During the Battle of Midway, the narrative is discussing the B-17 (heavy 4-engine bomber) attack, but shows video of C-47 (two-engine transports) and some other mid-size two-engine bomber that clearly did not participate in this battle. Another example is including video of Japanese two-engine mid-bombers during the Pearl Harbor attack--only single engine aircraft were launched by the Japanese in this attack.
2. Worse is the typical war documentary put together by uninformed producers looking for nice videos. They often include video of something completely unrelated to the present narrative--probably guessing the viewer doesn't know any more about the subject than they do. Unfortunately that leads to confusing material and the lack of credibility in the whole message. E.G. During the Battle of Midway, the narrative is discussing the B-17 (heavy 4-engine bomber) attack, but shows video of C-47 (two-engine transports) and some other mid-size two-engine bomber that clearly did not participate in this battle. Another example is including video of Japanese two-engine mid-bombers during the Pearl Harbor attack--only single engine aircraft were launched by the Japanese in this attack.
This production is incredibly well done. The footage they have restored is simply phenomenal to watch. The story telling and narrator are fantastic. Well done.
It's a really well made, well documented and well put together series. It's beautiful to watch all that history in colour and so well explained. For someone that like WW2 stories, like me, the show is amazing, there was so much details that I didn't know that happened and I was very impressed. Very well done to Netflix and all the people that put this documentary together.
- zahra-michael
- Feb 4, 2021
- Permalink
All history teachers should be sent to re-education camps and taught how to tell the truth of wars. For instance, the use of drugs by the Nazi soldiers. I had no idea of that ever happening but after seeing the film I can understand it. Overall, even though I've seen most of this in one place or the other, it was absolutely the best WWII documentary I've seen. Don't think I'll ever have to watch another. Thank you Netflix. You are at your best with this.
- bshaef-34229
- Nov 13, 2019
- Permalink
The episodes are truly expertly made, especially when it comes to specific events (which are the main topic of most episodes).
Naturally, a lot of information is missing, especially when it comes to the background about many many leaders as well as Nazi officers, and many more people who are integral for understanding the second world war. Viewing the TV show as mostly "battle. (i.e as a show focusing on explaining in detail the battles of the WW themselves rather than the motives behind them and the background that led to them) - I am very much fine with giving up these important details, especially considering the short show's length.
I would like to talk extensively about the problems I've had with the 9th episode, talking about the Holocaust. The entire episode is pretty poorly made, you can't try to explain the holocaust well enough in just under 50 minutes, it's just not enough. It'd be fine if the show didn't even make a single episode about the horrors of the holocaust, as I said, it's not the main purpose of the show. But if you are going to talk about the holocaust then you better do it well and 50 minutes just isn't enough, it is clearly noticeable in that episode that they just tried to cram far too much information in such a short time, and so many important details about the holocaust were left missing as a result.
Lastly, the position of the show feels morally wrong to me, trying to justify the allies' decision not to take action knowing the atrocities the jews went through. They obviously knew of the holocaust (though not to the extent of it perhaps) and they could have tried to at least offer refuge to jews (which as was explained, just wasn't the case) and do much more than that. The allies stood and did nothing about the holocaust because antisemitism existed in the entire world, and frankly no one gave a damn about the jews. The entire existence of Israel as a state is strongly believed to be a result of the blame counties felt for looking away from the holocaust in WW2 and voting in favor of founding Israel in resolution 181 of the UN. The allies' fault is nothing compared to cruelty of the Nazis, but standing aside and letting those horrors happen are also unforgivable.
Naturally, a lot of information is missing, especially when it comes to the background about many many leaders as well as Nazi officers, and many more people who are integral for understanding the second world war. Viewing the TV show as mostly "battle. (i.e as a show focusing on explaining in detail the battles of the WW themselves rather than the motives behind them and the background that led to them) - I am very much fine with giving up these important details, especially considering the short show's length.
I would like to talk extensively about the problems I've had with the 9th episode, talking about the Holocaust. The entire episode is pretty poorly made, you can't try to explain the holocaust well enough in just under 50 minutes, it's just not enough. It'd be fine if the show didn't even make a single episode about the horrors of the holocaust, as I said, it's not the main purpose of the show. But if you are going to talk about the holocaust then you better do it well and 50 minutes just isn't enough, it is clearly noticeable in that episode that they just tried to cram far too much information in such a short time, and so many important details about the holocaust were left missing as a result.
Lastly, the position of the show feels morally wrong to me, trying to justify the allies' decision not to take action knowing the atrocities the jews went through. They obviously knew of the holocaust (though not to the extent of it perhaps) and they could have tried to at least offer refuge to jews (which as was explained, just wasn't the case) and do much more than that. The allies stood and did nothing about the holocaust because antisemitism existed in the entire world, and frankly no one gave a damn about the jews. The entire existence of Israel as a state is strongly believed to be a result of the blame counties felt for looking away from the holocaust in WW2 and voting in favor of founding Israel in resolution 181 of the UN. The allies' fault is nothing compared to cruelty of the Nazis, but standing aside and letting those horrors happen are also unforgivable.
- saharlinuxdistro
- Dec 5, 2019
- Permalink
Very good quality, learnt a few things I did not know. Does not cover all aspects of WWII. Seems objective.
- kairisstavros
- Nov 22, 2019
- Permalink
- jgardiner86
- Nov 15, 2019
- Permalink
- metiaryangel
- Aug 18, 2021
- Permalink
Before watching this, I had limited information regarding WW2. Now, I can list major events of WW2.
- MuhammedBuyukkinaci
- Dec 12, 2020
- Permalink
I am enthralled by world war 2 documentaries and the stories behind them. I was looking to watch this to see an objective narrative that covered the whole world war 2.
I feel like the world war's effect on Asia was very much left aside. Japan's crime against south east asia was usually brushed over and maybe just to one episode. Australia was totally ignored. India's involvement with British troops was ignored.
The narrative could have been extended longer to a few fascinating seasons to the war in Europe. The Pacific war. The involvement of countries. Etc.
Oh and let me just say that some of the experts were obviously taking sides and it sounded very disturbing to say the least.
I feel like the world war's effect on Asia was very much left aside. Japan's crime against south east asia was usually brushed over and maybe just to one episode. Australia was totally ignored. India's involvement with British troops was ignored.
The narrative could have been extended longer to a few fascinating seasons to the war in Europe. The Pacific war. The involvement of countries. Etc.
Oh and let me just say that some of the experts were obviously taking sides and it sounded very disturbing to say the least.
It's quite incredible to see what kind of nonsense this series feeds to the audience. If you look at the map of Europe presented in this series (e.g. the one depicted in the first episode when presenting German territorial losses after the treaty of Versailles), especially looking at Poland, you will see borders that have never been a reality. It's a combination of the present and past borders with a fake East Prussia region put ontop of the current Polish borders. It is ridiculous to see this series not being able to get such simple facts straight.
- maciekmajrock
- Feb 25, 2020
- Permalink
I really like it but i just dont understand why they are showing the map that armenia takes east of the turkey? Like what is the purpose? i dont get it. Probably one stupid nationalist armenian. it shouldnt have happened
- oguzkilic1248
- Jun 26, 2020
- Permalink