Pacific, The

The Pacific tracks the real-life journeys of three U.S. Marines—Robert Leckie (Dale), Eugene Sledge (Mazzello), and John Basilone (Seda)—across the vast canvas of the Pacific theatre during World War II. The miniseries follows these men and their fellow Marines from their first battle with the Japanese on Guadalcanal, through the rain forests of Cape Gloucester and the strongholds of Peleliu, across the bloody sands of Iwo Jima, through the horror of Okinawa, and finally to their triumphant but uneasy return home after V-J Day. Based in part on the books "Helmet For My Pillow" by Robert Leckie and "With The Old Breed" by Eugene B. Sledge. This is a must-see miniseries! (Tricia Spears)

Special features include the featurette Profiles Of The Pacific, where you get a glimpse of the lives of the real Marines featured in the film: John Basilone (HD 09:55), Eugene Sledge (HD 10:11), Robert Leckie (HD 08:57), Sidney Phillips (HD 06:09), R.V. Burgin (HD 07:20), and Chuck Tatum (HD 05:57); Making The Pacific (HD 22:36); and Anatomy Of The Pacific War (HD 09:59).

Originally reviewed in Issue 154, the 1.78:1 1080p AVC picture is absolutely visually engaging throughout, with an edgy natural character that perfectly exhibits the bloody battlefields and horrific scale of war in the Pacific. The jungle foliage is lush green and dimensionally visual, with revealing shadows and densities. During battle scenes, blood spatters and explosions depict shrapnel flying. The color palette is never exaggerated but exhibits natural hues that enhance the realism. Depending on the scene, the color density varies, at times, exhibiting muted hues. Still, the sense of realism is never lost. Fleshtones are perfectly rendered. Resolution is vivid and exhibits fine detail in facial features, clothing, and object textures. Numerous scenes are low-light situations, which, for optimal viewing, deserve to be viewed in a darkened environment with a display device capable of exceptional native contrast-ratio performance. Such reduced visibility is a factor in the enhanced sense of tension and horror that is dramatically portrayed in the nighttime battle scenes. Shadow delineation is effectively revealing throughout. This is a cinematic experience that perfectly communicates the filmmakers' intent. The cinematography is wonderful, the visuals are squeamishly realistic, and the emotional storytelling is first rate. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is terrific and realistically engaging, with an aggressive holosonic® soundfield presentation that is absolutely impressive. The soundfield scope is immersive, with aggressive directionalized sound effects that particularly heighten the realism of battle scenes. The .1 LFE channel fully supports the extension of deep, powerful bass that, at times, delivers bombastic and thundering accents to the action scenes. Both subtle and intense LFE effectively enhances the impact of gunfire and artillery barrages. At times SPL is fully energized in every channel, for impressive dynamic impact. Surround envelopment is effectively dimensional, with aggressive panning of gunfire sounds and the scattering impact of explosions. Direction is localized throughout the soundfield, for a heightened sense of sonic dimension. The spatial dimension of the jungle environment is incredible, with atmospheric sound effects perfectly positioned throughout the soundfield. Thunderstorms are incredibly realistic. Foley effects also are incredibly executed, for impressive realism. Dialogue manages to remain intelligible, even during the most intense battle scenes, and sounds perfectly natural and integrated spatially. The orchestral music throughout is wonderfully supportive, with a wide and deep soundstage that extends deep into the surrounds that fully envelop. This is a wonderfully executed sound design and exciting soundtrack experience with sonic realism that is absolutely astonishing! (Gary Reber)