People are voting emotionally.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

I got the same feeling watching this that I got when watching the first season of Band of Brothers: Fantastic! Superb acting, no big anti- or pro-war message being shoved down your throat, just a well-told story of men in combat. It's said that warriors (from day one of war one) fight not for country, religion or cause, but for their brethren. So any war movie or TV series that tries to portray more than that is implausible tripe. Even Saving Private Ryan had it's moments of preachiness that almost--almost--ruin that movie for me. This series does visit civilian casualties, conflicting ROEs, conscientious refusal of orders, and the banalities "why are we here?/what did we really accomplish?" that are ever-present in Hollywood war tales. But the above listed do not detract from the larger narrative: the intersection of the singular experience of combat and soldiers, mere ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances. This is exactly why this series works so well; the soldiers are relatable, the dialogue is natural, their relationships are human. This is why Band of Brothers and All Quiet Along the Western Front work. The side that the soldiers are fighting for or against is immaterial; we relate to their humanity, when portrayed correctly, and imagine ourselves in their shoes. Generation Kill succeeds where its contemporary The Hurt Locker failed miserably: it portrays grunts, officers, enemy and civilians with all the humanity and diversity that you would realistically get from a cross-section of people in the midst of unfathomable violence. In addition, humor is thrown into the mix to good effect. I found myself laughing along with the soldiers' inside jokes, and cursing along with them at their tribulations, making me feel part of their story -- a sign of a well-told story. My only complaint about Generation Kill is that they only made one season. I wanted more!

I know many people loved this show and don't want to hear otherwise, but this is my review and my honest opinion was I did not enjoy it. It starts with a lot of build-up and build-up and as I was waiting for a climax I realized the point of this show wasn't going to be a climax, but the life as a marine in between.I can see how if I'd served in the military this show would be fascinating. I would warn that it has little drama outside the day-to-day regimen marines in combat go through. The show triumphantly portrays how time as a marine probably is, but I don't think that is as exciting for most non-servicemen.I'm in finance, and I did not go see The Accountant expecting to get an in-depth lesson on the effects of exchange rate fluctuation on inter-company account reconciliation, and wisely the director didn't give us one. (hey I would've loved it, but would've been in the small small minority!) The show looked and sounded great. Acting was fairly good. And the setting felt as real as it gets. It dawned on me halfway through the show that there were no normal dudes—every single marine had a stereotypical quirk about them- the bonehead, the talker, the Brazilian, the gay one, the fearless one, muscle guy, the paranoid idiot leader, etc etc.In the end, the lulls were just too much to overcome and by the time I finished the series I was kind of relieved. 5/10

I had heard of "Generation Kill" when it premiered in 2008, but was unable to view since I do not have HBO. So I forgot about it for a while until some time ago I was looking around at the local library when I just happened to sight this little, television masterpiece, and decided, especially in light of what the result of our adventure in Iraq has been in the last few years, to give it a chance. And though I can't say "Generation Kill" was necessarily my favorite viewing experience, I'm glad I did. Based off of the memoirs of a Rolling Stone reporter embedded with the 1st Marine Recon Unit during the first days of the US invasion of Iraq, it begins on the eve of that faithful event by introducing the viewer to the men of 1st Marine Recon (many of whom are based off of real life Marines), their code, standards, and every day experience. When they learn that the invasion is going ahead, they also learn that a reporter from Rolling Stone will be coming with them. Initially reluctant to having a greenhorn tag along with them, they warm up to the young writer when they learn he used to write for Penthouse, a magazine many of these young, red blooded males are familiar with! Through the production, we see the course of events through the eyes of the Marines and their "hang around" in a the most unsugar coated method possible, and we come away with no illusions about what war is really like.What makes "Generation Kill" so different from other war productions is the fact that it strips away the unnecessary fluff and puff and presents the story in an almost character ensemble/documentary style. In "Generation Kill" there is no music score or opening theme, only the crackle and chatter of voices over the radio greets us at the beginning and end credits of each episode, multiple units and men sounding off into the dead of night, which truth be told, is far more effective than any music theme could be (That being said, the final scenes of the last episode feature a most appropriate use of Johnny Cash's "The Man Comes Around", the only recorded song used in the entire series). There is also not much in the way of heroics or glory for the simple reason that in war, there is none to be found. There are no eagles soaring, or glory sounding tunes, or any other BS like that; only following the orders of your superiors (Even if they're complete fools or incompetent), hurrying up and waiting, and of course, death and destruction. And that last part is especially evident in "Generation", as the series pulls no punches in regards to the civilian "collateral damage" that occurred in Iraq during our invasion, and thus shows the cost civilians pay when armies, even with the best of intentions, come charging into their environment in a combat role (To those who think US troops patrolling troubled neighborhoods would be a good idea, I challenge them to watch this and then try to argue for that idea!). All of this is effectively shown through the tremendous efforts of the directors, producers, show runners, writers, and actors such as Jon Huertas, Alexander Skarsgard, Lee Tergesen, Stark Sands, Neal Jones, Michael Kelly, Chance Kelly, former real life 1st Marine Rudy Reyes, James Ransone, and many, many more who I don't have the space for. To round it up, "Generation Kill" is a mini-series that leaves nothing to the imagination when it comes to the chaos and absurd nature of conflict, be it Iraq or anywhere else. As one former Marine commented here, this is the closet thing to war short of going there and actually filming it. For a former service member to say that, you know they did something right here. If you want to see what the reality of conflict without actually being there, then check out "Generation Kill". Stay frosty.

Brilliant war drama.The story of 1st Marine Reconnaissance Battalion's participation in the second Allied invasion of Iraq, in 2003. Seen through the eyes of Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright, who was embedded with the Battalion and upon whose book the series is based.Though dramatized, this is pretty much a warts-and-all account of a military unit in combat. Hardly glamorous, it shows well the problems they face, both external and internal. Not all drama and explosions - there are many great comedic moments, especially in the dialogue.Accurate, engrossing and entertaining.