Rating of
3/4
Shock and Awe-Inspiring
Chris Kavan - wrote on 02/18/20
I know when I think of Roland Emmerich, I think of big, bombastic world-ending, special-effects laden films. Explosions. Aliens. Climate change. And, yes, Emmerich has done war before - but I'm not going to lie, I was not a fan of The Patriot. Thus, going into Midway, I was expecting something along the lines of Pearl Harbor (great effects, weak story) as opposed to, say, Saving Private Ryan (great effects, better story). Yet Midway managed to exceed my expectations - it still has Emmerich's flair for style, but still has plenty of substance to go along with it.
Much of this is due to some good casting. Ed Skrein is a standout as Dick Best - who starts out as a cocky pilot but evolves into a much more compelling character, especially as he is given more responsibility as the cost of war starts to weigh heavy on his shoulders. I also though Patrick Wilson made a compelling Edwin Layton, the intelligence officer who warned about, but did not stop the Pearl Harbor attack, and became instrumental in the navy's response and reaction. And it's not just the Americans who stand out - both Etsushi Toyokawa and Tadanobu Asano represent the Japanese side as Isoroku Yamamoto and Tamon Yamaguchi, providing a nice counter view to the battles.
The rest of the cast features some big names as well - Dennis Quaid as the gruff William 'Bull' Halsey, Woody Harrelson as a subdued but powerful Chester W. Nimitz, Luke Evans as Wade McClusky, Mandy Moore as Best's wife Ann, Aaron Eckhart as daring pilot Jimmy Doolittle with Nick Jonas and Darren Criss as fellow flyers Bruno Gaido and Eugene Lindsey. While not every character is given ample screen time, there are enough moments that none feel like throwaway historical figures that are there just to be there.
As this is an Emmerich film, of course there are big effects. The film starts with the attack on Pearl Harbor and moves quickly to the naval battles on the Marshall Islands, Coral Sea and Midway, with a quick aside for the Dolittle Raiders. This gives ample time for some nice shots, both on sea and in air, with a lot of aerial combat and bombings going on. While the action is nowhere near raw as what is depicted in Saving Private Ryan, it is much more effective to me than the rather tame Pearl Harbor. The PG-13 obviously precludes any truly horrific violence, but the film still manages to convey a lot of impact with what it chooses to show.
Though I'm very nit-picky when it comes to historical accuracy (one of the main reasons I found The Patriot so hard to digest in the end), Midway, while not without faults, sticks pretty close to reality. And they don't paint the Japanese as complete monsters (though they also don't let them off, either). It gives the real-life characters the respect they deserve. About the worst thing I can say is it could have been a bit more critical, but this is about America at war - you don't want too many downers.
All in all, I think Midway does a good job, both for Emmerich and as a war film in general. While I'm not going to say it's going to replace 1917 or Dunkirk as my top war film of late, it is a solid choice and strike a good balance between straight action and compelling story.
