Inspiring story of 101st Airborne as it prepares for and does invade Europe. Courage and friendship are highlighted. Occasionally intense violence is to be expected but would be appropriate for ages 14+. One short but intense sex scene in Ep. 9 unfortunately changes the calculation.
BAND OF BROTHERS follows Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Division as they bond and battle across Europe during WWII. It is based on interviews with surviving Easy Company members as well as Easy Company soldiers' journals and letters. This miniseries contains moderately graphic war violence--nowhere near the level of that seen in THE PACIFIC, but still enough to make it inappropriate for younger teens. Mostly, soldiers are shot, usually with some blood spurting or spraying. One particularly gruesome scene shows two soldiers each having a leg blown off; another shows a soldier being shot in the throat, with the camera lingering on his bloody and exposed windpipe, and his shocked expression as he slowly dies. These are the most graphic instances of war violence in this show. So, it gets pretty grisly, but not like the beach landing scene in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN or anything in THE PACIFIC. In the ninth episode, Easy Company finds an abandoned concentration camp filled with horribly emaciated (mostly living) Jews. This is very disturbing. Profanity is fairly infrequent: "F*ck" is said a few times per episode, and other curse words are used as well. There is one scene in which a soldier and a woman are shown having sex, with her breasts and his butt visible. For viewers seeking a solid war drama with a familiar setting (WWII in Europe), an emphasis on bonds formed among soldiers, moderately graphic violence, and an overall positive feeling when watching, BAND OF BROTHERS is a good bet. For viewers seeking a more challenging, more powerful, and more negative war drama, I highly recommend THE PACIFIC.
