| Battle 360 - Season 1 (History Channel) (Steelbook) | 
 enlarge | Director: Various
Actor: Uss Enterprise
Studio: A&E Home Video (New REleaset)
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $12.83
You Save: $27.12 (68%)
Buy New/Used from $12.26
Avg. Customer Rating:   (15 reviews)
Sales Rank: 2338
Format: Box Set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 470 minutes
Number Of Items: 4
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: AAED115310D
UPC: 733961115314
EAN: 0733961115314
ASIN: B0016OCTUI
Release Date: August 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
For nearly a decade, the legendary World War II aircraft carrier USS Enterprise held a pivotal place on the turbulent seas of war, engaging in some of the fiercest multi-front battles ever witnessed in modern combat. The only carrier to be front and center in every major sea conflict in the Pacific, the Enterprise and her crew s battles were marked by intense firepower, instinct and a 360-coordination between the ship, the destroyers, the aircraft above and the submarines below. In each of ten episodes, and using incredible CGI visualizations, BATTLE 360 follows the Enterprise and its men through another conflict of WWII as they fight off the enemy from the air, the sea and underwater.
DVD Features: Additional Footage
BATTLE 360: THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE includes all 10 original episodes on 4 DVDs:
Disc 1: Call to Duty / Vengeance at Midway / Jaws of the Enemy
Disc 2: Bloody Santa Cruz / Enterprise vs. Japan / The Grey Ghost
Disc 3: Hammer of Hell / D-Day in the Pacific
Disc 4: Battle of Leyte Gulf / The Empire's Last Stand / bonus material
Amazon.com
It would be an understatement say that Battle 360: Season 1 has substantial appeal for World War II and naval history "enthusiasts." Considering the depth and thoroughness of the program and the sheer volume of data and information on hand--and with ten episodes, each more than 50 minutes long, there's very little that?s not covered--it?s likely that experts, fanatics, and obsessives will be well satisfied too. Using a combination of extensive computer-generated imagery (CGI), charts, graphics, statistics, file footage, photos, interviews with military men both past and present, and more, the program focuses on the Pacific Theater, where the United States and its allies battled Japan for the three and half years between Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and the end of the war in August 1945. At the center of virtually every battle during that span was the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. Launched in 1936, this Yorktown class vessel, also known as "a fighting city of steel" and "the Lucky E" (for its ability to avoid major catastrophe, at least for the most part), carried 96 planes, a huge amount of weaponry, and a crew whose average was an astonishing 19 years old. Proceeding chronologically, the series details such major conflicts as Midway (when the U.S. disabled no less than four Japanese carriers), Guadalcanal (when the Enterprise suffered serious damage while helping to thwart the enemy?s plans to invade Australia), and Leyte Gulf ("the largest naval battle in the history of mankind"), finishing with the Japanese?s last-gasp use of kamikaze pilots to attack the U.S. fleet. Much of this is genuinely gripping, as the episodes provide literally minute-by-minute accounts of every encounter and the size, speed, function, and firepower of every vessel and aircraft on both sides. But there are notable drawbacks as well, starting with the fact that for all of its detail, we see almost nothing of the Enterprise?s interior or descriptions of daily life on board the enormous vessel. There?s also the issue of how much CGI you can take; although there is some film footage (which may or may not be from the specific skirmish being described), the computer work, while generally pretty convincing, is pervasive and rather like a video game without a controller. What?s more, each episode is kinetic almost to distraction, with a ceaseless flow of pounding music and sound effects, flashing graphics, and macho voice-over detailing the action. On the other hand, the reminiscences of those who were actually there are often very moving, not to mention a welcome surcease from the high-tech assault of the rest of the show. Bonus material is limited--a few additional scenes--but the steel box it all comes in is pretty cool. --Sam Graham
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Spotlight: The Big E December 1, 2008
By now, a few of the other reviewers have shared the often held opinion that the story of USS Enterprise CV6 for a modern audience was long overdue. Unless you're a Naval history buff, chances are the story of "The Big E" is probably new to you, considering the replayed emphasis of other WWII stories that are so popular these days (retellings of D-Day, etc). Hollywood has somehow ignored this area. Long story short, for a Pacific Fleet reeling in the weeks after Pearl Harbor, Enterprise, her sister carriers, and a handful of cruisers and destroyers were all that stood in the way of Japanese victory. In the months, and years to come, Enterprise and her crew would fight on as a valuable weapon of democracy, and would somehow survive some of the worst battles at sea in the 20th Century.
This program is a fitting tribute to that legacy.
Notable are the dozens of interviews with Enterprise sailors, Naval Aviators, and members of her Marine Detachment, as well as the occasional inclusion of veterans from other vessels such as "E's" sister USS Hornet, and cruiser Northampton. Like a documentary "Band of Brothers" many of the veteran stories continue as recurring subplots throughout the series, a pleasant departure from other similar programs. The depictions of battles, moments of heroism, and the sadness of burials at sea are still vivid (and at times emotional) some six decades after the fact.
Of course the CGI is a signature of the episodes, at times providing a visual account of moments in battle for which there may be no archival footage. As such, the CGI can be very helpful when the blow by blow of an air attack is underway (particularly in the case of the lesser known engagements).
A great show, and a solid testament to the story of the US Navy in the Pacific War.
 almost unwatchable December 1, 2008
The whole show has this weird compass and chart text overlay pattern moving and zooming over all the real film scenes like a kaleidascope. As if you have to tell people they are real and old film clips as opposed to the cartoon recreation animationsthat make up the other half of the vido.. duh and really annoying flashes of 3-2-1 old movie end trailers like the film just ran out, lame lame lame. It hurts your eyes and makes you seasick.
I would give it zero or one star but it has a FEW redeeming values, such as pretty good accuracy and the real film clips are "usually" from the battles they are talking about (but not always.)
Battle 360 is a HIT November 16, 2008
This is the best historical video I have ever seen. What makes this series stand out and make it so good is the visual interpretation it provides. If you want to watch a the historical story of the USS Enterprise in World War II this is a must to own and watch. It is worth it.
Battle 360 October 15, 2008
If you're a WW II junkie and love collecting DVD's about the biggest war of all time, then this a must-have for your collection. This DVD set is about the history of the WW II aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise and the computer graphic effects are extremely good. The best parts are when real veterans from the Enterprise add comment to the stories being told.
Battle 360, The Enterprise October 9, 2008
In the style of a documentary, this shows (in detail) all of the battles the USS Enterprise went through from the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the end of WWII. There are a lot of very interesting interviews from men who served on her as well as actual footage.
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