Midway

Ulkar Alakbarova

4 years ago

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

Credits: TheMovieDb.

Film Cast:

Lieutenant Richard ‘Dick’ Best: Ed Skrein
Rear Admiral Edwin T. Layton: Patrick Wilson
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz: Woody Harrelson
Commander Wade McClusky: Luke Evans
Anne Best: Mandy Moore
Lieutenant Clarence Earle Dickinson: Luke Kleintank
Vice Admiral William ‘Bull’ Halsey: Dennis Quaid
Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle: Aaron Eckhart
Chief Aviation Radioman James Murray: Keean Johnson
Bruno Gaido: Nick Jonas
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto: Etsushi Toyokawa
Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi: Tadanobu Asano
Commander Eugene Lindsey: Darren Criss
George ‘Tex’ Gay: Brandon Sklenar
Willie West: Jake Manley
Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo: Jun Kunimura
Captain Tomeo Kaku: Nobuya Shimamoto
Commander Joseph Rochefort: Brennan Brown
Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance: Jake Weber
Lieutenant Roy Pearce: Alexander Ludwig
Husband Kimmel: David Hewlett
Ernest King: Mark Rolston
Captain Miles Browning: Eric Davis
Zhu Xuesan: Kenny Leu
Dagne Layton: Rachael Perrell Fosket
Cmdr. Minoru Genda: Peter Shinkoda
William Brockman: James Carpinello
Captain Rawlings: Tim Beckmann
Marie Pearce: Sarah Halford
Sully Brown: Cameron Brodeur
Prime Minister Tojo: Hiromoto Ida
Emperor Hirohito: Hiroaki Shintani
Ensigh O’Flaherty: Russell Dennis Lewis
John Ford: Geoffrey Blake
Bill Miller: Mikaël Conde
Barbara Best: Madison Roukema
Millicent McClusky: Christie Brooke
Paul Crosley: Dustin Geiger
Pat Rooney: Jason Lee Hoy
Admiral King Secretary: Ellen Dubin
Marine Captain (Midway): Jason New
Jack MacKenzie Jr.: Dean Schaller
Hank Potter: Jacob Blair
Geisha: Kayo Yasuhara
Petty Officer (Pacific HQ): Rudolph Wallstrom
Staff Officer (Nimitz): Matthew MacCaull
Chinese Major: Philip Fu-Kang Wang
Radioman #1 (Enterprise SC): Johan Strombergsson-Denora
Radioman #2 (Enterprise SC): Nico DeCastris
Radar Officer (Enterprise): Alexandre Dubois
Radar Officer (Enterprise): Tyler Elliot Burke
Lt. JG (Hospital): Raphael Grosz-Harvey
Talker: Trevor Danielson
Buzz Davis (Sonar Tech Nautilus): Agostino Michael Cimino
Imperial Guardsman: Takeshi Kurokawa
Japanese Junior Officer (Yamat): Ryuta Kato
Japanese Officer (Prison): Garret Sato
Navy Yard Inspector: Neil Girvan
Lofton Henderson: Ellis Arch
McClusky’s Radioman: Robert Crooks
Gay’s Radioman: Sean Colby
Signal Officer (Akagi): Kasey Ryne Mazak
Deck Officer (Akagi): Ryo Hayashida
Helmsman (Nautilus): Michael Chapman
Damage Control Officer: Masahiro Tanikawa Masa Tani
Japanese Lieutenant (Kaga): Ryohei Arima
Makigumo Captain: Hiro Kanagawa
Makigumo Lieutenant: Ken Takikawa
Passing Sailor: Leonardo Boudreau
SBD Pilot (Enterprise): Tony Christopher
Staff Officer (Yamato): Yuta Takenaka
Flag Officer (Yamato): Tatsuya Shirato
William ‘Slim’ Townsend: Tyler Hall
Smoking Sailor: Kyle Bougeno
Breathless Ensign (Enterprise): David Dacosta
Hiryu Helmsman: Kazuki Gonzalez-Adachi
Torpedo Room Chief: Reyn Halford
Japanese Boy (10 YO): Toyoaki Ito Leung
Japanese Boy #2 (6 YO): Halta Nonen
Chief Medic (Enterprise): Adrian Spencer
Edwin Kroeger: James Hicks
Petty Officer #2: Sebastian Pigott
Yorktown Spotter: Simon Pelletier-Gilbert
Doolittle’s Bombardier: Philippe Verville
Japanese Duck Netting Officer: Shigeru Yabuta
Zero Pilots Squadron Leader: Seunghwan Min
Hiryu Pointer: Christopher Tapia
Hiryu Talker: Sangwon Jun
Akagi Spotter: Motoo Taira
Ballroom Singer: Ana Maria Lombo
Radar Officer (uncredited): John Lobato

Film Crew:

Boom Operator: Cary Weitz
Music: Harald Kloser
Producer: Roland Emmerich
Producer: Mark Gordon
Music: Thomas Wanker
Construction Coordinator: Doug Hardwick
Supervising Art Director: Isabelle Guay
Production Design: Kirk M. Petruccelli
Casting Director: Andrea Kenyon
Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Greg P. Russell
Art Direction: Page Buckner
Executive Producer: Carsten H. W. Lorenz
Executive Producer: Brent O’Connor
ADR Voice Casting: Caitlin McKenna-Wilkinson
Executive Producer: Yu Dong
Sound Mixer: Michael Hoffman
Costume Design: Mario Davignon
Set Decoration: Carolyn A. Loucks
Stunt Coordinator: Patrick Kerton
Assistant Editor: Ryan Stevens Harris
Editor: Adam Wolfe
Lead Animator: Patricia Binga
Key Costumer: Harlan Glenn
First Assistant Editor: Paul O’Bryan
Sound Editor: Steve Neal
Executive Producer: Matt Jackson
First Assistant Director: Martin Doepner
ADR Mixer: Matt Hovland
Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Tom Marks
Special Effects Coordinator: Eric Rylander
Art Direction: Jean-Pierre Paquet
Casting Director: Katie Doyle
First Assistant Camera: Joseph Segura
Assistant Costume Designer: Marylou Lim
Dialect Coach: Francie Brown
Aerial Coordinator: Craig Hosking
Still Photographer: Reiner Bajo
Visual Effects Supervisor: Peter G. Travers
Gaffer: Joshua Davis
Lighting Technician: Dan Goyens
Art Department Coordinator: Helene Lamarre
Director of Photography: Robby Baumgartner
Key Costumer: Paul Corricelli
Digital Intermediate Colorist: Walter Volpatto
Visual Effects Supervisor: Bryan Grill
Gaffer: Eames Gagnon
Assistant Makeup Artist: Mahealani Diego
Art Department Coordinator: Christine Youngstrom
Underwater Camera: Don King
Makeup Designer: Emilie Gauthier
Still Photographer: Alan Markfield
Hairstylist: Linda D. Flowers
VFX Supervisor: Derek Spears
Unit Publicist: Puelo Deir
Costume Supervisor: Tom Macdonald
Boom Operator: Josh Bower
VFX Supervisor: Phil Jones
CG Supervisor: Dan Smiczek
ADR Mixer: Patrick Christensen
Casting Consultant: Eriko Miyagawa
Key Makeup Artist: Laine Rykes
Rigging Gaffer: Don Tomich
CG Supervisor: Lukas Lepicovsky
Visual Effects Supervisor: Greg Strasz
Property Master: Alvin S. Cabrinha Jr.
Set Dresser: Christopher J. Wood
VFX Editor: Rene Toye
Lighting Technician: Stephen Bacquet
Key Rigging Grip: Rick Harris
Key Grip: Les T. Tomita
Set Costumer: Cathie Valdovino
Animation Director: Sebastian Butenberg
Textile Artist: Gina Scarnati
Script Supervisor: Lorette Leblanc
Sound Effects Editor: Jan Bezouška
Visual Effects Editor: Andrew Ryan Turner
Electrician: Rick Crum
Art Direction: Carolyne de Bellefeuille
Assistant Hairstylist: Marcelo Padovani
First Assistant “A” Camera: Dany Racine
Hair Department Head: Félix Larivière
Best Boy Grip: Jeremy Brussell
Digital Imaging Technician: Julie Garceau
Screenplay: Wes Tooke
Second Assistant “A” Camera: Soupharak Keoborakoth
Best Boy Electric: Pierre Daudelin
First Assistant Makeup Artist: Pamela Goldammer
Set Dresser: Hale Mawae
Foley Editor: Marcin Kasiński
Construction Manager: Martin Chalifoux
First Assistant Camera: Steven Cueva
VFX Editor: Shae Salmon
ADR Mixer: Dave Goetter
Second Assistant “B” Camera: Eric Aubin
Armorer: Harry Lu
Executive Producer: Alastair Burlingham
Casting Associate: Caitlin Well
Pre-Visualization Supervisor: Tefft Smith
Construction Coordinator: David Shauger
Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Peter Bawiec
ADR Recordist: Wouter van Herwerden
Visual Effects Coordinator: Thomas Dane Wagener
Production Sound Mixer: Louis Marion
Visual Effects Editor: Steven Spady
Key Hair Stylist: Ralph Malani
Leadman: Nicholas Rymond
Key Costumer: Sabrine Canuel
Visual Effects Supervisor: Laurent Taillefer
Lighting Technician: Mike Gerzevitz
Production Consultant: Andrea Montana Knoll
ADR Recordist: Jon Lawless
Dialogue Editor: Taylor Westerfield
3D Generalist: Babak Bina
3D Generalist: Daniel Perez
Dolly Grip: Alan Shultz
Sound Effects Editor: Matt Yocum
Concept Artist: Vicki Pui
Extras Casting: Danny MAlin
First Assistant Camera: Marie-Julie Besse
Visual Effects Production Manager: Aaron Reznick
Matchmove Supervisor: Tricia Kim
Set Designer: Radia Slaimi
Visual Effects Production Manager: Bill Wang
Electrician: David Villeneuve
Assistant Makeup Artist: Nathalie Legault
Compositing Supervisor: Micah Gallagher
Costumer: Jen Martin
Hairstylist: Jean Scarabin
Visual Effects Producer: Greta Ruljevaite
First Assistant Director: Bethan Mowat
Production Consultant: Angela Laprete
CG Supervisor: Marc Roth
Makeup Artist: Daniel McGraw
Visual Effects Coordinator: Errol Stussi
Visual Effects Supervisor: Nick Crew
VFX Editor: Ilkka Uitto
Visual Effects Coordinator: Marshall Rainey
VFX Editor: Timur Yesilfiliz
CG Supervisor: Prapanch Swamy
Set Dresser: Tom Curtis
Set Decoration Buyer: Craig K. Lewis
Visual Effects Coordinator: Mandalyn Forbes
Matte Painter: Rodgers Paul
Costumer: Josh Mar
Lighting Technician: Allen Mozo
Compositing Supervisor: Michael Porterfield
Modeling: Mariana Gorbea
Foley Editor: Michal Wilczewski
Casting Associate: Karen Wood
Foley Artist: Jacek Wiśniewski
VFX Supervisor: Philip Nussbaumer
Compositing Lead: Florian Franke
Compositing Lead: Rodions Jepejevs
Compositing Supervisor: Mark Spindler
Matte Painter: Eun Young Kim
Set Designer: Catherine Lam
Generator Operator: Stephane Boisvert
Key Grip: David Dinel
Dialect Coach: Rebecca Gausnell
VFX Editor: Thomas Weckenmann
Visual Effects Producer: Tricia Mulgrew
Hairstylist: Jean-Manuel Medina
Set Designer: Gaby Miègeville-Little
Lighting Technician: Mónica Caballero
Set Designer: Simon Théberge
Foley Mixer: Filip Stefanowski
Set Dresser: Pierre Antoine Rousse
Executive Producer: Miguel Palos
Lighting Technician: John M.H. Lee
Costumer: Aaron Ellis
Hairstylist: Arthur B Wilson III
Makeup Artist: Catherine Lahaye
First Assistant “B” Camera: Gary Pachany
Set Designer: Chris Lewis
ADR Recordist: Nicolas Dallaire
Makeup Department Head: Jeong-Hwa Fonkalsrud
Modeling: Magnus Skagerlund
Set Designer: Justin Neenan
Set Dresser: Cedric Levesque
Set Dresser: Maxime Privé
Set Dresser: Nicolas Privé
Storyboard Artist: Johannes Muecke
Best Boy Electric: Joshua Atkin
Best Boy Grip: Tuiaana Scanlan
Camera Operator: Reid Murphy
Digital Imaging Technician: Jeroen Hendriks
Dolly Grip: Michael Keola Jones
Electrician: Aaron McMullen
Generator Operator: Todd Schatz
Rigging Grip: James Takahashi
Rigging Grip: Curtis Wingerter
Assistant Hairstylist: Liliane Saad
Hairstylist: Eli Girard
Hairstylist: Sheldon Yamauchi
Hairstylist: Paula Hong
Makeup Artist: Christine Carrière
Foley Editor: Natalia Lubowiecka
3D Artist: Joshua Hakim
Animation Supervisor: Steve Seongik Hong
Animation Technical Director: Johannes Wolz
CG Supervisor: Evgeny Berbasov
CG Supervisor: Jason Hannen-Williams
CG Supervisor: Ryo Sakaguchi
CG Supervisor: Matthew Novak
Compositing Lead: Jean-Philippe Tristant
Compositing Lead: Enrique Sandoval Castro
Compositing Lead: Danielle Norgate
Compositing Lead: Henrique Reginato
Compositing Supervisor: Phil Prates
Compositing Supervisor: Egbert Reichel
Compositing Supervisor: Michael J. Viera
Lead Animator: Ning Yan
Lead Animator: Philipp Winterstein
Matte Painter: Dasom Song
Matte Painter: Peter Braeley
Matte Painter: Chengwei Zheng
Matte Painter: Mujia Liao
Modeling: Kevin Mains
Modeling: Zaki Saati
Modeling: Dylan Dunford
Modeling: Benjamin Lepine
Modeling: Ron Schrems
VFX Editor: Laura Carnegie
VFX Supervisor: Adam Figielski
Visual Effects Coordinator: Selah Chung
Visual Effects Coordinator: Natsai Todd
Visual Effects Coordinator: Aditya Menon
Visual Effects Coordinator: Kin Yiu
Visual Effects Coordinator: Gray Xi
Visual Effects Coordinator: Sophia Zhang
Visual Effects Coordinator: Michael Armstrong
Visual Effects Coordinator: Thelma Rangel
Visual Effects Producer: Sofronie Dun
Visual Effects Producer: Iva Modrah
Visual Effects Supervisor: Troy Moore
Costume Assistant: Sara Eva Gonzalez
Casting Assistant: Daryl Baboulis-Gyscek
Extras Casting: Johanna Bautista
Extras Casting: Dustin Snodgrass
Extras Casting Assistant: Marie Medina
Script Supervisor: Pauline Beraud
Colorist: Trevor White
Aerial Coordinator: Rob Scratch Mitchell
Production Coordinator: Marie-Helene Roy
Travel Coordinator: Natacha Williams
Layout: Carolina Jiménez

Movie Reviews:

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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+
Wuchak: ***Just the facts, Jack***
Intelligence officer Edwin Layton (Patrick Wilson) warns that a Japanese attack is imminent, but his advice is disregarded and the Japanese use their carrier fleet to attack Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Admiral Chester Nimitz (Woody Harrelson) swiftly assumes command of the heavily weakened US Pacific Fleet. After the Doolittle air raid on Tokyo & Honshu 4.5 months later, events lead up to the Battle of Midway on June 4–7, 1942. Ed Skrein plays cocky pilot Dick Best while Dennis Quaid is on hand as carrier commander William “Bull” Halsey.

“Midway” (2019) tackles the Battle of Midway and events leading up to it without throwing in a dramatic fictional story, like the love triangle of “Pearl Harbor” (2001). While I loved “Pearl Harbor” and proudly stand by it, “Midway” chooses to stick to the facts and is thrilling from beginning to end. The main cast members are all real-life figures and there’s a tribute to each at the close.

This is superior to the 1976 movie because Roland Emmerich had the CGI technology to pull off the battle scenes which take place in & above the Pacific Ocean near the atoll of Midway, which is located a little over a thousand miles west of Hawaii. The flick successfully takes the viewer right into the midst of the fight on the water, in the air and under the water. It’s exciting, horrific and revelatory.

The film runs almost 2 hours and 18 minutes.

GRADE: A-
SWITCH.: War stories are only worth retelling in film if you’re doing something new and interesting with the genre. Otherwise, it’s just a retread of ‘Pearl Harbour’ or ‘Fury’ or any of the dozen other thematically-empty, explosion-happy extravaganzas from the last ten years. There’s a compelling, nuanced, and affecting film to be made about Midway. This is not that film.
– Jake Watt
Read Jake’s full article…
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-midway-sound-and-fury-signifying-nothing
JPV852: Admittedly I have a love for anything involving World War II and although the dialogue was a bit spotty and some of the visual effects were okay at best, I still found this to be a pretty good war movie and nice performances all around. Probably doesn’t rank all that high compared to others about Midway and Pearl Harbor, yet still found it to be worth checking out. **3.75/5**
SierraKiloBravo: Click here for a video version of this review: youtu.be/2Mr6XRF4GR4
_Midway_ is an ambitous film that sets out to follow the United States entry into World War Two, from the attack on Pearl Harbour through to the Battle of Midway. To tell this story it focuses on two main characters who are also based on real life people. There’s Ed Skrein playing Dick Best, a pilot on the USS Enterprise, and Patrick Wilson playing intelligence officer Edwin Layton.

As you might imagine jamming seven months of war into just over two hours is a big task, and while they did manage to pull this off, the result is a movie that feels rushed, where we can’t get to know all the many characters, and which probably requires a pretty strong knowledge of this time period in history to understand all the things that are rapidly being thrown on screen.

I actually had a lot of trouble telling who was who in many of the scenes involving the pilots. Apart from Ed Skrein and Luke Evans the rest of the pilots and rear gunners are such a copy / paste of each other and they come and go so fast on screen that you have zero time to have any kind of emotional connection to them, even though the movie tries to make you feel for them. For a lead actor, Skrein is very wooden and uninspiring, and I don’t think has shoulders big enough to carry his part of the film.

Then, as if the 10,000 mile an hour story is not bad enough, this movie relies very heavily on visual effects. Apart from close-ups, everything you see that involves a ship or a plane is entirely CGI and it is woefully bad 99% of the time. I’ve used the Playstation analogy a lot, and this is another example. I feel like if they had cut back the story to not cover so many fights and battles, there would have been a lot less visual effect shots. And with less shots to create and render, perhaps those remaining would have come out looking more realistic. As it is, it really takes you out of the movie – the planes move like they are weightless and defy the laws of physics, the explosions look they were made in AfterEffects, and each scene on a ship has that horrible green screen glow about it.

In summary I think this movie suffers from trying to do too much all at once. This came off feeling more like a trilogy of movies about Pearl Harbour, The Doolittle Raid, and The Battle of Midway had been edited down to one single movie. The end result is a rushed film that is hard to follow, whose characters are difficult to connect with, and whose visual effects are video game level at best. This will not go down in history as a great war film.
Per Gunnar Jonsson: This movie was a bit of a positive surprise. I was actually prepared to not like it that much but Hollywood actually made a decent war movie without pushing their usual left wing political propaganda and woke SJW bullshit.
It’s really a good movie in pretty much all aspects.

First, I liked that it covers quite a bit more than “just” Midway. It actually starts before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Then it covers the attack on Perl Harbor and also the famous Dolittle raid on Tokay to finally end up with the battle of Midway. All of it is more or less historically accurate. We also get to see a fair amount of the history from the viewpoint of the Japanese. Whether that bit of the story is actually entirely accurate I guess no one will ever know of course.

I also liked that they took the effort to get all Japanese actors (or Japanese looking at least) playing the Japanese side and that they spoke Japanese all the time. That’s the kind of thing that gives the right atmosphere for those parts of the movie.

The acting was overall good on both sides. I quite liked Woody Harrelson as Nimitz. Ed Skrein was probably the actor I felt made the most mediocre performance but that might just be me.

Of course there can be no war movie without things going boom and this movie didn’t disappoint on that. It has plenty of action, lots of flight scenes and lots of thing being blown up and it was overall well made. The effects when large ships got torpedoed, bombed or when their munitions exploded was quite realistic. You could see the ships shuddering and the effect on the water around it.

If I should complain about something it was that the movie is too short. Given the large time period it covers there is so much material that it could easily have been longer. It almost felt a bit rushed. There could have been much more suspense around the battle of Midway itself and the part of how they got Yorktown operational, and hid the fact from the Japanese, in time for the battle was altogether left out for example.

The movie was 2 hours 18 minutes long which is respectable but not that long by today’s standards. All three of the extended Lord of the Rings movies was three and a half hours long and this one could easily have been as long.

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