Because I'm nearly 50 and an old man now, I'm obligated to watch more of the History Channel. And with that in mind, I just started watching the documentary series World War II with Tom Hanks. It consists of something like 20 episodes, so I think it desperately wants to be the US equivalent of The World at War. But it isn't. I'm only a few episodes in, and it feels more like a history text book put onto screen. Yes, some of the footage is terrific - but the narrative is very basic and, honestly, kind of boring. And, so far at least, it contains nothing I really didn't already know. And I have quickly grown tired of the various talking heads throughout the documentary - including a very somber and weird looking Tom Hanks - who don't seem to impart anything particularly interesting or new. I expect it to get very US-centric in the second half of the series once the US officially enters the fray. Especially because in these first couple of episodes, we are rushing through all the European action. I'll keep on watching, but so far all this series is making me want to do is revisit The World at War again.
