The Last Ship (TV Series) Phase Six (2014) User Reviews

Solid Show - Recommended

[tdsharkeys · 8/10 · 29 June 2014]

Don't listen to all the negatives on here, this is a solid show. Granted, the plot isn't NEW, but pretty much every plot has been done in some way or fashion.

Anyway, it's a good show with some good actors and a decent plot. I'm not big on the trailers giving away so much of the show though, I felt like I had seen half the episode before it had even started.

They do a pretty accurate job of depicting the U.S. Navy, although with some alterations that could happen given the severity of the situation this crew now finds itself in.

I really do wish people would lay off what they think are mistakes, don't forget your service members are PEOPLE just like you and me and they have emotions and feelings and do things not according to the book occasionally.

TL;DR - Great show, give it a shot and see for yourself.

A short review for the pilot of "The Last Ship" (2014)

[ericrnolan · 8/10 · 11 June 2017]

So I finally got around to checking out "The Last Ship" (2014), and while the pilot didn't immediately have me hooked, it seems like a decent show.  I'd rate it an 8 out of 10, and I'll probably continue watching it.

I was surprised I'd heard so little about this program ... it's a big-budget, post-apocalyptic military science fiction series, but none of my fellow horror or sci-fi nerds mentioned having seen it.

The plot setup seems like something that would please horror fans -- a virus eradicates 80 percent of the world's population, and a lone American naval vessel elects to remain at sea.  (They're fortunate enough to be carrying a civilian virologist who was tasked by the fallen United States government to develop a vaccine.)  And there are hints that the show's writers would do well scripting a frightening TV series -- there are a couple of nice flourishes for a serialized horror show right here in the pilot.

But the story's horror elements are minimized in favor of a more mainstream, safe-for-general-audiences techno-thriller.  And that's not a bad thing, because it succeeds as a such.  The show is based on a 1988 novel by William Brinkley, and it's produced in cooperation with the United States Navy.  (The destroyers U.S.S. Halsey and the U.S.S. Dewey stand in for the fictional U.S.S. Nathan James.)  It seems smartly scripted with respect to both virology and how the military works.  I'm barely literate in either of those subjects, but what I watched seemed coolly authentic, and that entertained me and held my attention. So while I might not recommend this to fellow "The Walking Dead" fans, I'd definitely recommend it to fans of Tom Clancy.

The directing is pretty good, the story moves along quite quickly, and the action scenes in the pilot are surprisingly ambitious and effective for a TV show.

The acting, I suppose, is average -- though it's always fun seeing Adam Baldwin on screen, and the square-jawed Eric Dane seems well cast and shows promise as the ship's commanding officer.

The dialogue and character interaction are average at best.  This isn't high art when it comes to human storytelling.  There are some pretty predictable character tropes, and a few exchanges are so cheesily melodramatic that they nearly insult the viewer's intelligence.  Dane's commander faces off, for example, against a beautiful, independent, female scientist who doesn't like following orders ... gee, I wonder if we'll see any romantic tension there?

Still, this looks like a good enough show, if its pilot is any indication.  The good outweighs the bad, and I'm glad I heard about it.

very good!!

[accordnegro · 9/10 · 5 August 2019]

This was a very good season, interesting and different take this one.

Brilliant brilliant brilliant

[nicola-j-peacock · 10/10 · 23 July 2016]

I don't Understand the negative reviews on this series. It's adrenaline nail biting patriotic edge of your seat drama and it's great! The characters are believable and acted really well. It's original sophisticated and had epic battle scenes. I'm only on episode 2 of series 1 and I'm hooked. So for all you critics out there sort ya selves out! See it for what it is; it's a well executed magnetic drama that's up there with the best of them. Good on you Amaerica you've done your selves proud. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes. OK so some of its cheesy but that's what you need sometimes; for the good guys to come through. There's enough s**t going on in the world that sometimes you need something as brilliant as The Last Ship to give you faith and inspiration.

An OK beginning

[tenshi_ippikiookami · 6/10 · 20 November 2016]

"Phase Six", the first episode of "The Last Ship" does a good job in introducing the characters that will be the backbone of the show, especially Rhona Mitra's doctor Scott, Eric Dane's Captain Chandler, and Adam Baldwin's Slattery, even if the last one doesn't have much to do in the episode (a shame, Baldwin being always great). It also introduces the premise in an easy to understand manner: a new virus, lots of people dead, no more US government, not really much else known of what is happening, Russia taken by some shady characters.

Sadly, the delivery is just OK. Too many things happen in this pilot and the pace and rhythm suffer from it, as it goes for silly action more than for dread and tension (the attack by random "bad people" is laughable). That undermines an interesting, even if not very original, premise: end-of-the-world scenario where the characters are on a ship, instead than on firm ground.

Nonetheless, as an introduction to this sci-fi/action premise, it is acceptable enough. Future episodes will tell more about the show's prospects.

Believability factor dropped every minute

[jbnwf · 5/10 · 12 August 2023]

I'm the type of person who loses interest quickly, If there are several factors you run into, that are so obviously wrong and unrealistic. As if the screenwriter lived his entire life locked up, naive to the rest of the world. Whether it be ill-instructed prop usage, inaccurate clothing or uniforms, or incorrect portrayal of military procedures and protocol.

First thing I noticed is that no civilian scientist crew would be allowed on a US Navy vessel, without her background, credentials, and true reason for being there, triple checked. She wouldn't be able to simply make up a story about studying birds, and gain access to the ship. They would find out what she's really there for, and investigate it thoroughly, before authorising her boarding permit. Security is too strict in the US military to allow a civilian on a military ship based on a whatever they say.

Also, the Commander would've been fully briefed on this in great detail, well in advance of the moment of his meeting Dr Scott going through her gear. The implication that he would simply stroll up to her and ask her what she's studying (and believe her after her response), is unrealistic and naive. No one with that amount of cluelessness would be in charge of a US Naval vessel.

Several times Dr Scott addresses Chandler as "Captain", not Commander. Although it could be believed that this is a civilian and informally referred to him as captain simply because he's in charge of a ship. But she would've had a thorough briefing before being allowed on, and would be reminded that her host is a commander not a captain.

The CH-53 is a US military helicopter. And they have never been sold to a slavic country such as Russia. This one makes me giggle, and reminds me of the "MiG-28's" from the original Top Gun, which were actually Navy F-5s. The other ones were AS-355's, something that I actually fly for a living ironically.

This TV show came out in 2014, not 1984, you would think the military consulting would be a little better. But when I see all the details, it reminds me of all those cheesy movies and shows from the 70s and 80s. It gives the appearance of a low budget. But from what I understand, The Last Ship was not a low budget production. So what's the excuse?

Too fast paced

[Mabie · 4/10 · 8 August 2014]

This show is very fast paced, and gives zero time for drama in any art. I was amazed at how quick we were shown, that the world has lost 80% of their population, an atomic bomb and the loss of a crew member, in what felt like 15 minutes. There was like no build-up of emotions at all as there was also no suspense! And all the "america is so damn great" attitude drives me sick. I would like to write more about it, but the series is so shallow, I don't really know what else to say. Well I will add, that the acting is OK, but there is a lack of emotional tenseness so acting shouldn't be that hard without it, anyways.

All in all, there is only one thing left to say: what else should you expect from Micheal Bay?

Too many goofs!

[bill-2158 · 5/10 · 6 August 2023]

I'm writing this review in 20203 because I never heard of this show or came across it until now. The story seems OK, and quite prophetic, given that COVID-19 would rear its ugly head a year after this show ended. Are the creators of this show psychic?

The biggest problem with a military-themed show like this is that it will attract current and ex-military. I am ex-navy and was stationed on a destroyer, so even the smallest of mistakes jump out at me and keep me from focusing on the plot. Instead of commenting on each episode for a show that no longer exists, I'll just make a few comments here from what I have seen in the first few episodes. Some things may have changed since I was in the navy, but most of my comments should be accurate.

At one point, they run across a possibly deserted passenger ship. The exterior of the ship they show is so old, that it would not be in service at the time that this show was made. It looks like a ship made in the 1950's.

They also transfer fuel from this deserted ship. This passenger ship was probably diesel-powered, and definitely was not gas turbined powered like an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. A gas turbine is powered by jet engines (4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines in the case of this destroyer) and requires jet fuel.

The ship does not see the attacking helicopters until they are 25 miles away. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers have the SPY-1D phased-array radar system (AEGIS) and can spot air targets hundreds of miles away.

While it was nice to see various weapons systems firing, they were not being used correctly, and were not used correctly or realistically on many occasions.

In my day, a crew at sea did not usually wear hats, for a variety of reasons. You might have had a few that wore them at sea, but this show makes it seem like it was mandatory that the crew wore them, both inside the ship and out. Maybe that's changed?

At one point, they talk about making the radio room a secure place that is off-limits to most of the crew. That's always the case.

They show the fire control radar for the wrong scenarios. In one scene, they talk about communications and show the fire control radar dish. Fire control radars are not used for communications.

Again, many of these mistakes didn't affect the story line too much, but they ruined the show for me. The makers of the show could have done a little more research and gotten it right.