Midway opened this weekend and surprisingly took number one at the box office. Going into this movie, I was skeptical about committing to two and a half hours of my life to a war film. This is not the typical genre I willingly choose and Roland Emmerich has a varied past when it comes to releasing quality films (I’m looking at you 10,000 BC and 2012). Taking all that into consideration, I did end up enjoying the film overall.
I will be the first to admit that remembering historical events is not my forte. I’ve retained the basics of public-school history classes, but Midway was not an event I was too familiar with. Good news for those like me, the movie does lay out the events leading up to the battle of Midway in a visual timeline of events. That being said, it was a very light overview. I was still very confused about little details and who some of the actual heavy players were. I can’t necessarily speak for the history buffs out there, but I can imagine they would not be too pleased with the accuracy and depth of the script. In summary, Midway attempts to detail the true history of how the United States Navy defeated an attack from the Imperial Japanese Navy, while essentially being outgunned, out-vesseled and out-manned, but doesn’t quite succeed.
What the movie lacks in storyline, it makes up for with a star-studded cast. There are so many people in this film: Dennis Quaid, Patrick Wilson, Ed Skrein, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Mandy Moore, Woody Harrelson, Nick Jonas, and even more that I won’t name. As far as action, Midway does not disappoint. I was seriously on the edge of my seat and/or holding my breath at various points throughout the movie. This could be, in part, due to the fact that I did not know the small details of which ships were destroyed and the outcome of some smaller battles leading up to Midway. Just the emotional impact of watching soldiers bail out of planes that ran out of gas over enemy territory, or essentially dive-bombing Japanese ships trying to avoid gunfire while simultaneously trying to successfully bomb their ships definitely elicited some emotions.
There are plenty of other moments in the film that will get you right in the feels, but for risk of spoiling those moments or foreshadowing the demise of certain characters, I won’t go into any more detail. All I will say, is that If you are the kind of person who gets swept up emotionally in films, you will absolutely be feeling all the highs and lows of this movie regardless of how questionable the script may be.
If you are looking for a quality piece of cinema on the level of Saving Private Ryan, you will most likely be disappointed with this film. However, if you can manage your expectations and enjoy the movie for what it is, an entertaining action film that scratches the surface of the historical events of Midway, you may want to catch it while it is in theaters.
