Midway Midway

Midway will never be mentioned in the same breath as 1917 or Dunkirk. But when it comes to thrilling, chilling spectacle that puts simple context on a complicated aspect of WWII, Midway holds its own.

The story of the Battle of Midway, told by the leaders and the sailors who fought it.

Director: Roland Emmerich
Writer: Wes Tooke
Stars: Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Woody Harrelson

REVIEW

Leigh Paatsch, Herald Sun

Rating:

Not the size of the dogs in the fight, just the size of the dogfights

Military buffs with an eye for value will appreciate the bonus loading affixed to Midway, an always sprawling, sometimes enthralling war movie.

Not only is there a stupendously detailed reconstruction of the 1942 Battle of Midway, that famous four-day skirmish which turned the tide of World War II in the Pacific.

You also get two more authentic(-ish ) action replays drawn from earlier Americaversus-Japan fixtures in the same season of conflict: the brazen attack upon Pearl Harbor and the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo months later.

This old-fashioned movie will almost certainly never be mentioned in the same breath as 1917 or Dunkirk. The acting is too wooden, and the storytelling too splintery. However, when it comes to thrilling, chilling spectacle and a desire to put some simple context on a complicated aspect of the war, Midway holds its own most efficiently.

Memorable characters or believable motivations are very thin on the ground here. In fact, there is every chance most people will walk away from Midway unable to name names or quote lines from all they have witnessed.

Considering this is a production that goes to great pains to stick to the historical record, it is baffling that the acting and dialogue are such a low priority here.

Among those few who can leave Midway with their head held high are Patrick Wilson (as a military attache who had warned the US government of the Japanese threat a decade earlier) and Aaron Eckhart (as Lt. Colonel James Doolittle, whose assault upon Tokyo ends with a dramatic crash landing in Chinese-held territory).

Leaving aside the discountmargarine blandness of the screenplay, the action component of Midway is decidedly strong throughout.

The 10 torrid minutes spent recreating the Pearl Harbor assault early in the picture set a high bar for its subsequent battle scenes, and each rises to the occasion without overdoing it. Whether filmed from the perspective of American or Japanese pilots, the vertigo-inducing dive-bombing sequences are almost worth the price of admission in their own right.

This article is from the January 30, 2020 issue of The Herald Sun Digital Edition.
The Herald Sun Digital Edition: Explosive action no act
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