Generation Kill Pt. 2

They ran to the toilet just after this picture was taken...
Image from The Telegraph

Here's what you've all been waiting for, the second part of Amazon.com's reviews of Generation Kill. First up to the plate we have this:

I am a big fan of HBO series and I was extremely disappointed in this one, I Just finished 24 years in the US ARMY as an Infantryman and this depiction of the Iraq war is a joke, from the less than realistic backdrops to the absurd tactics, not to mention the wooden performances of 98% of the actors (Yes. That's why it was nominated for Outstanding Casting at the Emmys. Because they gave such bad performances). After seeing this series I would be pretty upset if I were a Marine, because they are not even close as to how they are portrayed in this mess (If only several of the Marines depicted in the series were playing background characters. Oh wait. They do). If you want to see an outstanding HBO miniseries spend your money on "Band of Brothers" (You're not limited to one series per life, you know. People can watch both). Otherwise run far from this one (So if you don't watch Band of Brothers, you have to physically run away from this if you see it? That seems a little extreme to me). There is just too much anti-war (A war drama that's anti-war? They should be strung up! How dare they suggest that war is stupid?) stitched through the episodes that takes allot of the "wind out of its sails".

Now we have this expert:

Once again we see how every day that goes by we see how every generation becomes more ignorant (Actually, the population's IQ increases every generation. It's called natural selection), more out spoken about a lot of nothings nothing they know not (That sentence just makes no sense whatsoever). Just because they read it in the news paper or watch it on TV or online, it must be true right? (Actually, many of my generation are incredibly cynical about the media. Especially myself) 

I come from a long line of Marines from me joining after high school to my father being in Vietnam to my uncles in Korea and WWII. (Woo for you. Other Marines have said they found it very accurate. Including the Marines shown in the series)

Yes this series has a lot of truths, the vulgarity, profanity the racism, the over cellos Coos, combat senerios, to the rules of engagement.

From how Iraqis are welcoming you with open arms to then trying to kill you when your not looking. (Ah. Good old-fashioned racism)

As a Marine in my opinion this series has a lot of Anti-War (Yes. It does. Those liberal bastards), Anti-Bush BS! (It's not BS. It's the truth) You would think with the internet people would actually educate themselves, that's how Obama got elected! (Yes, voting for Obama is the stupid thing to do. Not voting for Bush, who is, let's not forget, regarded by historians as one of the worst Presidents of all time. And an idiot.)

This is War , war is dirty and war is nasty, but this series make us Marines look like a bunch of un organized morons. (Then why would they have Marines both in front of the camera and behind, making sure everything was accurate. Surely if it was so bad, they'd have had nothing to do with it? Or had the script changed?)

We as Marines are trained to kill, you can call it brain washing from boot camp but that's how it is. (Yes. And that's what they are shown to do. And you are kinda 'brain-washed'. There are lots of problems with how ex-soldiers aren't 'switched off' when they leave)  

Yes we do have a human side also. No one should be allowed to make movies or write books based on what they think war is, specially if they have never served and actually gone to war!! (The journalist who wrote the book was there. That's how he wrote it. In fact he was praised for putting himself in actual danger. He was in the lead Humvee much of the time and, at one stage, was given a gun to defend himself) 

This series is garbage! If your a part of the ignorant generation this series will fit you just fine.. (You, like the man last week, ought to stick to The Green Berets. The lies in there should please you. Now please fuck off and take your racist, ageist and old-fashioned views with you.) 

And bringing up the rear in this collection of reviews:

Sure the firefights and comraderie camaraderie is in here, but the one UNDERLINING UNDERLYING, SUBLIMINAL point it makes in each episode is the wontan wanton killing of civilians and collateral damage the US military does in Iraq (Not really. It's merely one factor of the series). The sheer joy and amusement of the military at the destruction it is causing is harpped on, and on (Apparently the Marines stigmatize a soldier who kills a civilian, so they're hardly amused by the destruction). I saw the whole serise series (except the last episode) (So not the whole series then) and the writers also just love to show men defacating and urinating and shooting civiliand civilians, women, children, structures, etc.; as long as they're showing guns spitting spent shells and having that cool sound of M-16/M14 goin going off. (That's not a complete sentence. The part after the semi-colon doesn't really have a conclusion, it just ends)

I also read the book and it seems the author was also fully engrossed in only recording the civilina civilian casualties. Each time they came in contact with the enemy, woemen women and children were the only ones that got paragraphs and paragraphs of details. (Perhaps this is because details such as these are the most likely to gain an emotional response from the reader. Would you rather he had swept the civilian casualties under the carpet? Actually, I imagine you probably would. Because you don't care about the truth. Just as long as your views remain unchallenged, you'll be happy)

Oh and there were Syrians Syrian and Iraqi jihadists that got killed also, but you get a sentance sentence and then on to the chilren and innocents getting shredded left and right. It did happen, I read it on in "One Bullet Away" by Nate Fick, the guy featered featured in Gen. Kill the book and tv series, but come on, give the guys some credit. (If you know it happened, then what is the problem? The fact that the creators didn't shy away from showing civilian casualties should be rewarded, not punished)  By the way, "One Bullet Away" is a waaaay better book than Gen. Kill. The Gen. Kill authore author just likes to let you know how many times men in war go use the bathroom. He also details it over and over and over. We know guys out there don't have nice restrooms or private bathrooms, okay. It goes without saying. But to write about it over and over... The tv series also likes this aspect of the tale. You get to see guys' butts alomst every 15 minutes (Oh the horror! Is there something your not telling us?). You sure don't see that on Platoon by Oliver Stone, or even implied on Tour of Duty(the '80s tv series). (Well, wouldn't it be boring if every war film/series was the same?)
The brutality of war is shown, but mostly how it affects women and children in the line of fire. (These are some of the facts of war) The real bad guys don't get much time in the book or the tv series. In no way does this compare to Saving Priveate Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. Those movies/series were about the heart of the US military, not the heartless ones they are portrayed here. (They're totally different wars. They shouldn't be being compared on such merits anyway)

I for one will not be buying it on DVD (I'm sure David Simon et al will be utterly devastated, we'd better put them all on suicide watch or something...), nor do I recommend anyone else to do so either. Unless you like to see the killing of innocents by our incompetent military(which is what the book and series paint our miltary to be) (Sorry, but they can be incompetent. Look at the continued violence in Iraq and Afghanistan for example). I did 12 yrs in the US Navy so I know a little about military comraderie camaraderie (And nothing about the infantry's war). It's shown here, but in a deceitful context.

It's not all bad though, some of the comments (often from Marines) hate these reviews even more than I do. Look them up. Also, I realise that this post is long and unwieldy, exactly what I was trying to avoid, but I was an idiot and managed to collect all the long ones together. I'm sorry. I'll try harder next time.