Masters Of The Air Repeats One Great Thing From Christopher Nolan’s Epic $527 Million War Movie

Masters Of The Air Repeats One Great Thing From Christopher Nolan’s Epic 7 Million War Movie

While there are many reasons to love Masters of the Air, one aspect of the series in particular makes it a great watch, and it shares this detail with another amazing World War II project. Since 1998, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have been at the helm of some of the best World War II movies and series of the last few decades. Masters of the Air is only the latest in a long line of successful war dramas, including Band of Brothers and The Pacific. However, Hanks and Spielberg aren’t the only notable World War II directors.

In 2017, Christopher Nolan released his highly-lauded World War II film, Dunkirk. The film, which is based on a true story, follows Allied troops that become stuck on the beaches of Dunkirk as German troops make their approach into France. The story is difficult but inspirational, depicting the successful evacuation of approximately 330,000 Allied soldiers. Additionally, Dunkirk stands out because of the different stories it follows throughout, taking audiences from land to air to sea. Though their stories are quite different. Dunkirk and Masters of the Air share a tiny but important detail that makes them both outstanding.

Masters Of The Air Repeats One Great Thing From Christopher Nolan’s Epic 7 Million War Movie

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Masters Of The Air Just Did 1 Thing Band Of Brothers & The Pacific Never Could

Though Masters of the Air is a companion to Band of Brothers and The Pacific, the war drama did something in its 3rd episode that the others didn’t.

Masters Of The Air Relies On Brilliant Eye Acting, Like Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk

Because Dunkirk and Masters of the Air both include characters flying planes, the two projects stand out, not only for their regular acting, but for their eye acting. While this may seem like a somewhat arbitrary aspect of a performance, the eye acting that is prevalent in both Masters of the Air and Dunkirk truly makes the project. Because Tom Hardy’s character Farrier is mostly seen flying throughout Dunkirk, a majority of his screen time includes a mask. Therefore, without his incredible eye acting, audiences wouldn’t understand the emotions going through his character’s head.

The same goes for Masters of the Air. In episode 3, the 100th goes out on a mission that results in heavy losses and plane damage. Although the Masters of the Air cast is mostly wearing masks throughout the episode, how they are feeling is made abundantly clear via eye acting. Their mouths may not be visible, but their eyes portray the fear and panic they feel as their planes sustain damage and their lives become more in peril. This makes the episode much more terrifying and anticipatory, and therefore, effective.

Masters of the Air Actors

Masters of the Air Characters

Austin Butler

Major Gale ‘Buck’ Cleven

Callum Turner

Major John ‘Bucky’ Egan

Barry Keoghan

Lieutenant Curtis Biddick

Anthony Boyle

Major Harry Crosby

Nate Mann

Major Robert Rosenthal

Ncuti Gatwa

2nd Lieutenant Robert Daniels

Raff Law

Sergeant Ken Lemmons

Masters Of The Air’s Cast Is One Of The Best Parts Of The Show

Callum Turner and Austin Butler as John Egan and Gale Cleven in Masters of the Air

Ultimately, Masters of the Air’s cast is one of its greatest strengths. Like its predecessor Band of Brothers, Masters of the Air has a massive cast, which can be risky if the characters are not introduced sufficiently. However, in just three episodes, Masters of the Air has proved that it has interesting characters played by talented actors. Thus far, there is not a single weak link in the project. Plus, the series is able to switch back and forth between characters and still maintain interest. This will likely prove to be a great foundation for the rest of the series.

Masters of the Air
War
Drama

Release Date
January 26, 2024

Cast
Austin Butler , Callum Turner , Barry Keoghan , Nikolai Kinski , Stephen Campbell Moore , Sawyer Spielberg , Isabel May , Anthony Boyle

Where To Watch
Apple TV+

Dunkirk
History
Drama
Action

Release Date
July 21, 2017

Director
Christopher Nolan

Cast
Kenneth Branagh , Aneurin Barnard , Mark Rylance , Tom Hardy , James D’Arcy , Jack Lowden , Cillian Murphy , Harry Styles , Fionn Whitehead , Barry Keoghan