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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: $16.84
You Save: $23.11 (58%)
New (34) Used (7) from $16.84
Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 1525
Format: Box Set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 4
Running Time: 470
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
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Five Star Seller!!! New, factory sealed US Region 1 DVD. Item is 100% guaranteed not to be a bootleg or import. Item is shipped directly from our warehouse. Easy exchange if item defective or damaged in shipped.
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Product Description
Studio: A&e Home Video Release Date: 12/16/2008
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 8 more reviews...
 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.
 Correct graphics and better narration and it would have been perfect! October 1, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I loved the show and purchased the DVDs as soon as they were released and have thought long and hard about what kind of rating to give this series. I finally decided that, unlike some of the other reviewers, I simply could NOT give it 5 stars for one simple reason - am I the only one who got sick of, or even noticed, the use of some of the same graphics over and over again!?!?
For the time and care they spent/used correctly identifying the different classes of ships, both USN and IJN, and then generating the different graphics representing each different class of ship/type of plane, it is almost unforgivable that they often used the wrong one when it came time to produce each individual episode!
The most glaring example that comes to mind was the repeated use of the Hornet and Enterprise sailing together during the Doolittle raid sequence. I saw it several more times in later episodes, when every self-respecting Navy and/or military history buff knows that the Enterprise was the ONLY Yorktown class carrier left after Guadalcanal. But there it was in later episodes, those supposedly depicting 1944, another Yorktown class carrier sailing right next to "The Lucky E" - big as day!
Almost as bad was, during the battle of Savo island sequence, they showed the correct profile for the Vincennes (Chicago class) but, during the action scenes, they repeatedly used the graphic for the Indianapolis class, with its huge observation tower over the forward superstructure. Another glaring example, also during the first Guadalcanal episode was when they showed the same graphic for the Fleet carrier Shokaku and the Light carrier Ryujo (which didn't even have a super structure)!
I also saw several different sequences where they called, by name, another class of IJN battleship (Nagato, Fuso, etc) but always showed the Kirishima graphic from Guadalcanal, and also confused American battleship classes as well. And there were several instances, American and Japanese where they used the incorrect type of ship (and aircraft) entirely! They would mention a battleship but the graphic would be a heavy cruiser, etc.
I would say all this was simply skimping on the budget except for the fact that all the proper graphics HAD ALREADY BEEN CREATED!! So it was simply a combination of lack of respect for the subject matter and/or the (so-called) technical advisor(s) were asleep at the wheel and did not double check their reference materials before finalizing the visuals. Heck, I'm nothing more than a naval history buff but I can tell the difference between the Akagi and Kaga on sight, to say nothing of the North Carolina and the South Dakota classes!! And even my son knows the difference between a battleship and a heavy cruiser. I would have done a better job for free!!
And how many times did we have to listen to the narrator say "The Enterprise and her sister ship Saratoga" or "The Enterprise and her sister ship Wasp"?!? Every Navy buff knows they were NOT sister ships!
While this may seem nit-picking to some (and don't get me wrong, I still LOVE the series and can't wait to see next season), after the care they took building the graphics in the first place, and hyping up "the respect and dedication of the men and women of Enterprise rent-a-car", how hard could it have been to ensure the correct graphic was being used? Once again - where were the so-called "technical advisors"? Would the extra expense really have broken the budget?
While certainly not as bad as some movies depicting WWII Naval battles (a Korean war era Essex class with angled bow and Jets at Midway with the graphic "USS Yorktown", a WWII Essex class with the graphic "IJN Akagi"?!?!? Yes the movie Midway is pretty awful if you are a history buff), it did lessen my enjoyment of the show a little.
Another thing that really got annoying after 4 or 5 episodes was the narration. After the 300th time hearing "PULLED THE TRIGGER FILLING HIS COCKPIT WITH 50cal HOT LEAD" I began to wonder just what it was this narrator thought he was reading for; a serious historical documentary or a videogame?
It was at this moment that I suddenly realized that this program might not even have been produced for Navy and/or history buffs!! While it was assumed we would probably tune in, I think this program was really created for the younger generation of first-person shooter videogame junkies!! The ones who think Pearl Harbor happened during the Civil war and D-Day was on July 4th. The kind that might play "Medal of honor" or "Pacific Theater Of Operations" or "Battleship" and get momentarily distracted by the graphics of this show while flipping through the channels on their way to the latest MTV produced sleaze-fest or wrestling program, and linger for a minute thinking it's an advertisement for a new videogame!
But I must say that these gripes did not significantly diminish my enjoyment of the show, it's still a pretty cool concept and I am looking forward to seeing what they do with the second season. It only diminished it enough to take away one star because, with more respect to the accuracy of the graphics and the narration, this would be a true 5-star product and one of the best shows ever made about the war in the Pacific during WWII.
Battle 360 season #1 October 1, 2008
I've enjoyed the whole season and my only complaint isn't so much with what it presents but rather what it doesn't present. We certainly made blunders and didn't have the battle experience of the Japanese in the beginning. The quality of our torpedo's left a lot to be desired.(The controversies of the war are not shown maybe they are right.) I wish it showed more, that generation was simply amazing far beyond our widest dreams but there was racism in their too all the foibles of man and despite it they ended it in a charitable way. I am in awe of that generation even knowing their humanity warts and all. Doug Johnson
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