World War II with Tom Hanks: Television Review
Poster for the new television series
WORLD War II with Tom Hanks is a 20-part documentary series that re-examines the Second World War through a modern lens, using archival footage, personal letters, diary entries and expert analysis to craft an incredibly in-depth and immersive exploration of the greatest conflict in human history. The series spans the entire war, beginning with Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939 and concluding with the atomic bombings of Japan in 1945 and post-war geopolitical shifts. Across the impressive span of 20 episodes, the series highlights the brutality of pivotal battles, the indomitable spirit of wartime leaders like Churchill and the human cost of total war. Narrated and executive-produced by Tom Hanks, this meticulously crafted documentary feels epic in its scope yet intimate in its heart. Recommended viewing for history buffs and those who wish to learn more about the war alike, World War II With Tom Hanks is gripping, essential television.
In 1998, when Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan starring Tom Hanks was released in cinemas, the world was gifted with one of the greatest war films ever put to screen. From there, the dream team of creative collaborations in Spielberg and Hanks continued with their production of the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers. Receiving widespread critical acclaim for its historical accuracy, cinematic production and emotional storytelling, Band of Brothers is widely considered the gold-standard of dramatised World War II storytelling and remains one of the greatest television series of all time. Spielberg and Hanks continued their investigation of WWII with 2010’s The Pacific. Following the stories of three US marines through the harrowing Pacific theatre of World War II, this miniseries was met with more mixed reviews from critics, who found it less engaging than its predecessor but continued to praise its authenticity and emotional depth. Finally, in 2024, Spielberg and Hanks delivered the final instalment in their WWII television trilogy Masters of the Air. Following the perilous missions of the 100th Bomb Group of the US Air Force, Masters of the Air was universally praised as an astounding feat of television and a general improvement on The Pacific, yet still failed to reach the same heights as Band of Brothers.
In World War II with Tom Hanks, Spielberg has not reunited with his collaborator to continue their exploration of the war into documentary filmmaking and yet it seems the director’s taste for cinematic storytelling has rubbed off on Hanks, who has managed to elevate what could feel like another recycled documentary into a sweeping narrative of epic proportions. In an opening monologue, Hanks explains that the Second World War is the “largest even in human history. No part of the globe is unaffected. The second world war changed everything. For all of us”. Though these ominous words could be dismissed as mere dramatic hyperbole that could easily be attributed to any momentous historical event, the following 20 instalments breathe truth to Hanks’ words as the cataclysmic impact of the war is made abundantly clear through extensive archival footage and first-hand accounts.
Much of the footage used here is previously unseen and has been restored with modern techniques to give audiences an uncompromising, up-close view of the war like never before. At times I had to pause and question whether some of the footage was a dramatic recreation or genuine first-hand material – such is the quality of this production. Each episode focuses on a specific and critical moment in the war, with the first focusing entirely on the Nazi invasion of Poland and the second on the ‘Blitz’ bombing of the United Kingdom. While any single event or battle of the Second World War could be the subject of a 1,000-page book, the episodic approach taken by Hanks and co creates a series of bite-size vignettes that pack in a tremendous amount of detail and depth. Every episode is expertly crafted with a combination of archival footage, radio transmissions and historian narration, making for the most well-rounded and all-encompassing exploration of the war in its entirety.
The only real critique one could raise against World War II with Tom Hanks is one that plagues any WWII documentary: this has been done before. No moment in human history has been the subject of more documentaries than the Second World War. In 1973, the 26-episode British documentary series The World at War, narrated by sir Laurence Olivier, aired on television to worldwide acclaim and remains a landmark of television history. However, The World at War is now over 50 years old and, despite being an undeniable achievement in documentary filmmaking, most young audiences will never seek it out or invest the time in watching it all. Serving as a spiritual successor to that iconic series, World War II with Tom Hanks offers a surprisingly fresh perspective on history’s most studied war. While a 20-hour commitment may sound intimidating to some, this incredible series is a masterpiece of documentary filmmaking and demands our attention.
