Film Snail

Midway
Midway

7.1

Midway

PG-13·2019·138m

Summary

The story of the Battle of Midway, and the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude and bravery to overcome massive odds.

Cast

Ed Skrein

Ed Skrein

Lieutenant Richard 'Dick' Best

Patrick Wilson

Patrick Wilson

Rear Admiral Edwin T. Layton

Woody Harrelson

Woody Harrelson

Admiral Chester W. Nimitz

Luke Evans

Luke Evans

Commander Wade McClusky

Mandy Moore

Mandy Moore

Anne Best

Luke Kleintank

Luke Kleintank

Lieutenant Clarence Earle Dickinson

Dennis Quaid

Dennis Quaid

Vice Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey

Aaron Eckhart

Aaron Eckhart

Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle

Keean Johnson

Keean Johnson

Chief Aviation Radioman James Murray

Nick Jonas

Nick Jonas

Bruno Gaido

Etsushi Toyokawa

Etsushi Toyokawa

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

Tadanobu Asano

Tadanobu Asano

Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi

Darren Criss

Darren Criss

Commander Eugene Lindsey

Brandon Sklenar

Brandon Sklenar

George 'Tex' Gay

Jake Manley

Jake Manley

Willie West

Jun Kunimura

Jun Kunimura

Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo

Nobuya Shimamoto

Nobuya Shimamoto

Captain Tomeo Kaku

Brennan Brown

Brennan Brown

Commander Joseph Rochefort

Jake Weber

Jake Weber

Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance

Alexander Ludwig

Alexander Ludwig

Lieutenant Roy Pearce

David Hewlett

David Hewlett

Husband Kimmel

Mark Rolston

Mark Rolston

Ernest King

Eric Davis

Eric Davis

Captain Miles Browning

Kenny Leu

Kenny Leu

Zhu Xuesan

Rachael Perrell Fosket

Rachael Perrell Fosket

Dagne Layton

Peter Shinkoda

Peter Shinkoda

Cmdr. Minoru Genda

James Carpinello

James Carpinello

William Brockman

Tim Beckmann

Tim Beckmann

Captain Rawlings

Sarah Souza

Sarah Souza

Marie Pearce

Cameron Brodeur

Cameron Brodeur

Sully Brown

Hiromoto Ida

Hiromoto Ida

Prime Minister Tojo

Hiroaki Shintani

Emperor Hirohito

Russell Dennis Lewis

Russell Dennis Lewis

Ensigh O’Flaherty

Geoffrey Blake

Geoffrey Blake

John Ford

Mikaël Conde

Mikaël Conde

Bill Miller

Madison Roukema

Barbara Best

Christie Brooke

Christie Brooke

Millicent McClusky

Dustin Geiger

Paul Crosley

Jason Lee Hoy

Jason Lee Hoy

Pat Rooney

Ellen Dubin

Ellen Dubin

Admiral King Secretary

Jason New

Jason New

Marine Captain (Midway)

Dean Schaller

Dean Schaller

Jack MacKenzie Jr.

Jacob Blair

Jacob Blair

Hank Potter

Kayo Yasuhara

Kayo Yasuhara

Geisha

Rudolph Wallstrom

Petty Officer (Pacific HQ)

Matthew MacCaull

Matthew MacCaull

Staff Officer (Nimitz)

Philip Fu-Kang Wang

Philip Fu-Kang Wang

Chinese Major

Johan Strombergsson-Denora

Johan Strombergsson-Denora

Radioman #1 (Enterprise SC)

Nico DeCastris

Nico DeCastris

Radioman #2 (Enterprise SC)

Alexandre Dubois

Alexandre Dubois

Radar Officer (Enterprise)

Tyler Elliot Burke

Tyler Elliot Burke

Radar Officer (Enterprise)

Raphael Grosz-Harvey

Raphael Grosz-Harvey

Lt. JG (Hospital)

Trevor Danielson

Trevor Danielson

Talker

Agostino Michael Cimino

Buzz Davis (Sonar Tech Nautilus)

Takeshi Kurokawa

Takeshi Kurokawa

Imperial Guardsman

Ryuta Kato

Ryuta Kato

Japanese Junior Officer (Yamat)

Garret Sato

Garret Sato

Japanese Officer (Prison)

Neil Girvan

Neil Girvan

Navy Yard Inspector

Ellis Arch

Ellis Arch

Lofton Henderson

Robert Crooks

Robert Crooks

McClusky's Radioman

Sean Colby

Sean Colby

Gay's Radioman

Kasey Ryne Mazak

Kasey Ryne Mazak

Signal Officer (Akagi)

Ryo Hayashida

Deck Officer (Akagi)

Michael Chapman

Helmsman (Nautilus)

Masahiro Tanikawa Masa Tani

Damage Control Officer

Ryohei Arima

Japanese Lieutenant (Kaga)

Hiro Kanagawa

Hiro Kanagawa

Makigumo Captain

Ken Takikawa

Makigumo Lieutenant

Leonardo Boudreau

Leonardo Boudreau

Passing Sailor

Tony Christopher

Tony Christopher

SBD Pilot (Enterprise)

Yuta Takenaka

Yuta Takenaka

Staff Officer (Yamato)

Tatsuya Shirato

Tatsuya Shirato

Flag Officer (Yamato)

Tyler Hall

Tyler Hall

William 'Slim' Townsend

Kyle Bougeno

Smoking Sailor

David Dacosta

David Dacosta

Breathless Ensign (Enterprise)

Kazuki Gonzalez-Adachi

Kazuki Gonzalez-Adachi

Hiryu Helmsman

Reyn Halford

Reyn Halford

Torpedo Room Chief

Toyoaki Ito Leung

Japanese Boy (10 YO)

Halta Nonen

Japanese Boy #2 (6 YO)

Adrian Spencer

Adrian Spencer

Chief Medic (Enterprise)

James Hicks

James Hicks

Edwin Kroeger

Sebastian Pigott

Sebastian Pigott

Petty Officer #2

Simon Pelletier-Gilbert

Simon Pelletier-Gilbert

Yorktown Spotter

Philippe Verville

Doolittle's Bombardier

Shigeru Yabuta

Japanese Duck Netting Officer

Seunghwan Min

Seunghwan Min

Zero Pilots Squadron Leader

Christopher Tapia

Hiryu Pointer

Sangwon Jun

Hiryu Talker

Motoo Taira

Akagi Spotter

Ana Maria Lombo

Ballroom Singer

Crew

Director

Roland Emmerich

Screenplay

Wes Tooke

Reviews

m

msbreviews

November 8, 2019

5

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With all due respect to Roland Emmerich and to his fantastic Independence Day, his movies never quite reach their potential, ending up in constant disappointments. It doesn't matter if he has excellent casts or amazing VFX teams, his films' screenplays are almost always stuffed with narrative issues. Midway is simply another installment in his saga of letdowns. Without knowing the director, anyone who looks at this movie will feel instantly captivated. From the unbelievably talented cast to the impressive visuals, it has two attention-grabber ingredients, which can result in a remarkable film… only if the two pillars of any cinematic production are decent enough: story and characters.

These are the main issue with Emmerich's movies. His characters are not compelling or intriguing enough, and his screenplays lack creativity and excitement (whether these are written by him or someone else). When I noticed that Midway had such an acclaimed cast and that it was about the Battle of Midway, I immediately got excited. War epics are a genre that I sincerely appreciate. However, when I checked who was "running the show", I instantly lowered my expectations. Honestly, it's exactly what I expected it to be: visually gripping, but emotionally hollow.

I don't want to understate it. The CGI work in this film is jaw-dropping. The actual war is riveting with astonishing aerial sequences and powerful sound design. Even at a regular screening with the usual 7.1 Dolby surround speakers, the floor was rumbling with the explosions and the planes. This is why I think audiences will definitely enjoy this movie. Maybe not a vast majority, but surely most people will leave their theaters feeling it was good entertainment. It has a long runtime, and it's hard to get through the exposition-heavy story, but in the end, I bet the general public will appreciate the war action enough to give the whole thing a thumbs up.

Nevertheless, it's still a very superficial flick. While it's very respectful to everyone who fought in the war (including the Japanese) and to the historic event on itself, it lacks emotional attachment to its characters. Dunkirk was praised by both critics and audiences all around the world, but its main criticism connects to what I just wrote. Christopher Nolan's film also didn't have any compelling characters. However, there's a big difference between these two movies. Both their marketing and their ultimate goal are distinct. Dunkirk was all about showing the actual war. It never marketed itself as a character-study or that it would even have a significant focus on some of the heroes that fought there. Nolan repeated several times: it's about the war and the war only.

It's genuinely one of the best, if not the best, *pure* war film I've ever seen. When it comes to depicting the claustrophobic, unbreathable, restless, bloody, loud event that a devastating war is, Dunkirk is so realistic it can even become uncomfortable with just sitting in your chair (at least, I did in IMAX). On the other hand, Midway's marketing was about paying homage to "people who fought in the Battle of Midway". Hence the stellar cast compared to Nolan's just competent actors (with obvious exceptions like Mark Rylance or Tom Hardy). It spends most of its screentime trying to develop the actual people that helped win that battle, not with the action itself. Therefore, these characters need engaging scripts and emotionally resonant arcs.

Wes Tooke delivers a screenplay packed with so much exposition that a lot of it looks clearly unrealistic. Characters discuss specific topics that don't make any sense of being in a conversation at a particular time and place. Throughout the runtime, there are dialogue sequences with the sole purpose of explicitly telling the audience what we need to know to understand the story, which ends up turning the narrative confusing, convoluted, and lacking faster pacing. It's tough to get through the non-action periods, and I can't even imagine how dull it would be without such an impeccable cast. Ed Skrein remarkably portrays Dick Best, the only character who's genuinely compelling and carries a complete, well-developed arc.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel invested in any other character. Only the best movies of every year can have a numerous and talented cast while giving each and every actor an exciting role. Midway has too many characters for the story it wants to tell. In addition to this, it has to stretch its runtime because you can't get Woody Harrelson or Dennis Quaid playing secondary roles and not giving them more than just a couple of lines. As time goes by, Emmerich's storytelling structure gets needlessly more and more complicated to follow. It's yet another film added to the "wasted potential" list…

Potential due to how truly magnificent the action sequences can be. It's undeniable that these are entertaining, gripping, and exciting. The dive bombers' scenes are packed with so much tension that I was getting more and more frustrated every time they missed their target, and a bomb went into the sea. I wanted them to succeed so bad, and this feeling can only be triggered by something extraordinary. Midway's war is as close to epic as it could be, but as with every other cinematic production, if its story and its characters are not up to par with the action, there are no outstanding VFX that can save a lousy screenplay.

All in all, Midway is a respectful homage to the people who fought in the Battle of Midway, but it fails to deliver an engaging story with compelling characters. With more characters that what it needed, the runtime is stretched beyond its limit due to the numerous acclaimed actors who would never be in a movie if they didn't have more than a couple of lines. Roland Emmerich has to thank his VFX team for presenting the closest war action we could ever get of the famous battle. Truly epic visuals with tense and riveting aerial sequences, plus a powerful sound design, get your teeth biting the nails. Unfortunately, except for Ed Skrein's character, I didn't feel invested enough to appreciate the non-action moments due to the confusing, convoluted, and exposition-heavy narrative. It's a shame that a visually impressive film possesses such an emotionally dull story. However, I still recommend it for anyone who enjoys war epics and "based on a true story" adaptations.

PS: it doesn’t hurt to research a bit about the Battle of Midway. I didn’t and I’m sort of regretting that now. Don’t make the same mistake. Going in with basic knowledge of what, how, and why it happened will only help you enjoy this movie more.

Rating: C+

Media

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$100,000,000.00

Revenue:

$127,400,000.00

Keywords

world war ii
u.s. navy
based on true story
battle of midway
pacific war
historical fiction
pacific theater
naval warfare
1940s