Chief of War

I'm stuck on this show, 3 episodes in and I'm sold on this. Jason kills this one again. My only issue so far is how fast he learnt English but I also like the fact that there is no time for BS, they really mean business. If you liked vikings and the likes you will certainly love this, it's fast paced and filled with reasonable action and also has a very good story.

To those complaining about the language and subs - you do realise that not everyone in this world speaks English..? That there are many different languages? Have you not ever watched foreign movie? JC. My mother is 75 and watches everything in original with subtitles. If you can't manage then it's not the series problem. This is beautifully narrated and filmed story so far. Kudos to all actors.

I have been waiting forever for a good series about the early Hawaiian kingdom being united. I only watched the first one, and I'm sold so far. I hope they keep close to the historical events (even with Hollywood artistic interpretation or embellishments). The first inaccuracy is that the women did not cover up their upper bodies until the missionaries came and made them cover up...but you can't have all the women topless in this series...ha. Many scenes with actors are not filmed in Hawaii, but I guess it's hard to get known Mauna and the backgrounds of scenes without CGI or getting rid of all the current buildings and architecture. You can also tell that many extras and background people are New Zealanders and such. I wished they had used more extras with real Hawaiian bloodlines (the scene where they embarked on O'ahu's beach for battle was obvious). I don't know why they couldn't use more Hawaiian "locals" for parts. It was funny to see "Aquaman" and his dad, Tom Curry, share leadership scenes together in this series....

I was born on Maui, went to high school on Kauai, but unfortunately missed my junior year of Hawaiian history. Hopefully this will be on spot and a good for all to understand da early days of the islands...before England, U. S. and settlers took over, of course. Strap in...I feel this is going to be a good series.

Cinemography/editing is decent but typical without creative angles. Music is decent, but it would be awesome if they used more light chants in the background to intensify action or dramatic scenes (Kahiko, Auana, Hapa Haole, etc.). Acting is decent for the main characters. Overall, I am excited to see what this brings. Will it be as good as what "Shogun" did in telling Japan's samurai ancient history? Let's see how they do...

The violent and bloody history of America's 50th state. It's the late 18th century, and as one island kingdom continually goes to war with another, native slaughters native with gruesome regularity. Amid all the chaos stands the imposing Ka'iana (Jason Momoa, sporting, it seems, a knitted brow and laser-focused stare even when at rest), a former warrior who has retired to a life of swimming and shark hunting and relaxing--until, that is, he's summoned by his old boss, who wants him at his side as he prepares to launch another offensive. After much soul-searching, Ka'iana reluctantly agrees...unaware until it's far too late that his one-time mentor is more dangerous, and deadlier, than he ever imagined. The most intriguing thing about "Chief of War" is the dialogue: when the indigenous characters are on screen, they speak exclusively in their native tongue while subtitles appear below; only when the "paleskin" interlopers finally arrive is English spoken at all. Is the show without flaws? Hardly. The pace is a tad slow, especially during the first couple of episodes, the hand-to-hand combat scenes are disappointingly intimate, leading me to long for A) a bit more spear-chucking, and B) some hyper-frenetic "Game of Thrones"-style action, thank you very much, it's not always easy to tell one side from another...and (a small but pertinent point) the subtitles themselves pop up so blink-and-you'll-miss-'em fast that you may lose one here and there. "Chief of War" shows promise, though (I've caught three episodes so far), and I'm curious to see what future installments have in store. An important look--and an informative one, too--at a little-known chapter in American history. Recommended, with reservations.

One episode in and it's very good. I'm just here to read the reviews from people complaining about subtitles. Their native language isnt English so don't expect them to speak it. If you can't read, just say so. It's got action, some drama, and the back stories are slowly filling in. It's a promising miniseries.