I do agree with you in some ways. The producers obviously liked the Saving Private Ryan green washed look, so they continued with that approach. I've read on the BoB message boards here about many commenting on it being too green.
A few things about BoB cinematography (and then I'll get to the Pacific):
I personally preferred the Saving Private Ryan coloring better than the BoB coloring. I thought it had too much green at times, and was too washed out. Saving Private Ryan had more saturation albeit with a green wash/ filter to it. One thing that I haven't seen anyone talk about on BoB is how by around episode 9 and definitely 10 the coloring does start to go to a more saturated and much lighter look. The green filter is faded out/ gone - symbolic of the war I suppose. Lots of sunshine. Seeing the beautiful landscapes of the German, Bavarian countryside etc. This is what made BoB as a whole series completely beautiful (especially if you binge watch the series over a few days it is very noticeable).
The Pacific on the other hand did this many times- especially after a battle- the men would all be laying out in the sun on ship decks or the beaches etc. I really would've liked to have seen The Pacific to incorporate more scenes with blue skies though. I've seen documentaries and heard vets talk about how some of these islands were like paradise and then there's all this chaos going on right in the middle of it. But yes, I agree that the Pacific did have many colorful beautiful scenes that did not take away from the bleakness of war - it actually emphasized it more with the sunlit parts sprinkled in.
A few things to keep in mind about BoB vs The Pacific.
BoB was about one group of men. You get to follow the platoon through all sorts of missions, so it seemed very cohesive. The Pacific was created using many memoirs, books and stories compiled together to give you an overall understanding of the Pacific War. I did appreciate how all characters in the Pacific did cross paths throughout the series (I wonder if that was true or not), but the John Basilone parts did seem at times to be isolated from the rest of the story. That being said I do understand that the Basilone story was still very important to the series.
I appreciate both series for what they are. I have always felt like BoB would've been an amazing movie too, but no one would sit through a 10 hour movie. The Pacific was shot like a true mini- series.
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