The Pacific

It was Steven Spielberg who ignited the process of deglamorising and desanitising World War 2 with Saving Private Ryan, so it's only fitting that he be present when a mini-series like The Pacific comes along to strip it away completely.

Beginning at Guadalcanal and taking us through Melbourne, Peleliu and Iwo Jima before returning stateside, The Pacific tells the story of three Marines (Joseph Mazzello, James Badge Dale, Jon Seda) and their brothers, painstakingly dramatising their travails on the cusp of, during and beyond the battlefield.

The backing of the likes of Spielberg and HBO ensures those battle scenes receive the full Hollywood treatment, and indeed, they are staggering in their scope, detail and fearless presentation.

But it's the time afforded by the mini-series format that truly allows The Pacific to be extraordinary.

Beyond simply witnessing them in conflict, we see our Marines living in their own filth, acting like goofballs, temporarily losing themselves, and occasionally being brats during a fleeting bit of R&R.

It isn't always flattering, but it absolutely is humanising, and those awesome battle scenes are that much more amazing when you feel you're given a chance to get to know the lives at stake.

Contents: 10 episodes, plus profiles of the real Marines featured in the series and two making-of features.

In an especially nice touch, each episode also includes an optional two-minute feature that provides historical context to the corresponding episode.