Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 11/11/2008 Run time: 705 minutes Rating: Nr

An impressively rigorous, unsentimental, and harrowing look at combat during World War II, Band of Brothers follows a company of airborne infantry--Easy Company--from boot camp through the end of the war. The brutality of training takes the audience by increments to the even greater brutality of the war; Easy Company took part in some of the most difficult battles, including the D-Day invasion of Normandy, the failed invasion of Holland, and the Battle of the Bulge, as well as the liberation of a concentration camp and the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest. But what makes these episodes work is not their historical sweep but their emphasis on riveting details (such as the rattle of a plane as the paratroopers wait to leap, or a flower in the buttonhole of a German soldier) and procedures (from military tactics to the workings of bureaucratic hierarchies). The scope of this miniseries (10 episodes, plus an actual documentary filled with interviews with surviving veterans) allows not only a thoroughness impossible in a two-hour movie, but also captures the wide range of responses to the stress and trauma of war--fear, cynicism, cruelty, compassion, and all-encompassing confusion. The result is a realism that makes both simplistic judgments and jingoistic enthusiasm impossible; the things these soldiers had to do are both terrible and understandable, and the psychological price they paid is made clear. The writing, directing, and acting are superb throughout. The cast is largely unknown, emphasizing the team of actors as a whole unit, much like the regiment; Damian Lewis and Ron Livingston play the central roles of two officers with grit and intelligence. Band of Brothers turns a vast historical event into a series of potent personal experiences; it's a deeply engrossing and affecting accomplishment. --Bret Fetzer

I have this DVD in regular format; enjoy it! The Blu Ray has greatly improved the video and audio (must have surround sound to enjoy the audio). Excellent series, greatly improved with Blu Ray.

My husband and I just loved this set of DVD's. It makes you really appreciate the men who serve and have served our country to defend our freedoms. Hanks and Spielberg have done justice to the men of "Easy Company". What a great movie!

After waiting many months for this series to come out on Blu-Ray, it came out in time for me to purchase it for my father for Christmas. Needless to say, he spent the next 5 days after Christmas watching straight through all 10 episodes. He confided in me that it was one of the best gifts he had ever received. The gripping plot, excellent sound, amazing picture all added up to a worthwhile gift. Highly recommended to just about any history/action buff.

I'm not a great movie review writer, but like everyone out there, I was left satisfied!

The program put you in the shoes of these heroic people that helped save our way of life. The series on blu-ray is gorgeous despited the digital treatments in the way it was shot. The 10 parts went by like an single hour. I would hightly recommend to anyone and should be required viewing for any citizen of the US and elsewhere.