Distributor: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Episodes: 8
Duration: approx 60 min (per episode)
Das Boot: Season 1 (DVD) – Series Review
Das Boot originally was a movie that was made back in 1981, showing the life of soldiers on a submarine during World War II. The movie was rather well received and with the habit of making sequels for older popular films, the series of Das Boot came to life in 2018. While you can easily watch this series without having watched the original film, they are still loosely tied together. We were rather curious to see how World War II material holds up to this day, as the movie industry is already quite oversaturated with such films and series.
The story of the series is actually divided into two portions. On the one hand we have the life aboard a German submarine, with many different crew members, each having their own background, like Frank Strasser (Leonard Scheicher), who actually wants to desert and run away with his Jewish girlfriend and child. Sadly, at the last moment he gets forced to join a campaign as the communications officer aboard the U-612, a German submarine. All of this complicates matters and puts his girlfriend at great risk, if she were ever to be exposed.
On the other hand we have Frank’s sister, Simone Strasser (Vicky Krieps), who gets transferred to La Rochelle to be an interpreter, as she is well versed in French, which is certainly a plus for a German citizen. It doesn’t take too long before she learns what her brother is up to, getting her involved with the local resistance, which could cause her untimely demise. The problem is that Simone has always strived to be a model German citizen, but now she’s torn between two different worlds.
We also follow the life of Klaus Hoffman (Rick Ockon), who is following in the footsteps of his father by becoming a submarine captain. While he is trying as best he can to command the U-612, it seems that most of his crew members lack faith in the young submarine commander. He will have to find his own path in this brutal period of time.
Even though the first season only spans eight episodes, there’s a lot going on, albeit at a rather slow pace, making sure you can properly process everything that is going on. There will be short action sequences, but a lot will be following the typical formula of a drama movie or series. With the episodes each having a 60 minute duration, there’s a lot that can be crammed into one episode, without it becoming too crowded. Nonetheless, you’ll have to keep your head in the game, as there are many details to remember, and the fact that the series is mostly voiced in German and French, there’s a lot that can be missed if you’re not paying attention.
Even though some faces will ring a bell, many cast members only appeared in movies from their home country, making them less known, but still their performances proved to be formidable. Nonetheless, the Strasser sibilings are well portrayed by Vicky and Leonard, and you can truly feel the stressing situation they find themselves in. Other cast members include Lizzy Caplan, who starred in giant Hollywood productions such as Now You See Me 2, and Tom Wlaschiha, who starred in Game of Thrones.
On the DVD box you’ll find some very common extra features such as making of and behind the scenes footage. While there is a half hour worth of footage, some historical facts and other material would have certainly been a plus to support a series such as this.
Conclusion
Das Boot: Season 1 is one of those series that might not immediately ring a bell, even for World War II movie enthusiasts, but it’s one that is certainly worth checking out if you’re into historical dramas. While the events of the series are fictional, they do portray the life of those suffering from the war quite decently and those who had to fight for their country, often not voluntarily.
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