A dramatic miniseries depicting the horrors of the Iraq war has a rating of over 90%, and one fan has hailed it as “phenonmenal”. Generation Kill, released in 2008, is a seven-part drama based on a book of the same name by Rolling Stone journalist Evan Wright. The HBO series, which ran from July 13 to August 24, 2008, dramatises his experiences as a reporter while embedded with US forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The show was also a big break in America for Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård, who went on to star in hit series like The Northman and Succession.
One user review on IMDb by a fan who said they had been a “former Marine who was deployed to the same place at the same time” described Generation Kill as “absolutely phenomenal”.
They said the series “did an excellent job of capturing the ‘essence’ of what the invasion of Iraq was like to the men who were there”
The user added that “the special effects are a little over the top”, but “the dress, demeanour and dialogue of the characters are very accurate”.
Another fan of the show wrote: “What you get to see here is a one-of-a-kind mini-series: this is as close to a documentary as it gets.
“The realities of modern warfare are shown honestly with no political agenda, and you are left to draw your own conclusions.”
On Rotten Tomatoes, the show has a 92% Popcornmeter rating (the percentage of users rating it 3.5 stars or higher), and fans on the platform rave about it despite the small number of episodes.
One compared it to the celebrated Band of Brothers series created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg set in the Western front in World War 2.
“Great writing and remarkable acting make this one a must-watch TV show,” they added.
Meanwhile, another said Generation Kill “is surprisingly light on actual action, but the sharp dialogue, interesting characters, and superb acting make it supremely gripping from beginning to end”.
Generation Kill is available on various streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Now.