“Midway” centers on the Battle of Midway, a clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy which marked a pivotal turning point in the Pacific Theater during WWII. The film, based on the real-life events of this heroic feat, tells the story of the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude, and bravery to overcome the odds.
Back in the 1970s, filmmaker Irwin Allen was known as the “Master of Disaster.” He received that moniker after having made such classics as “The Poseidon Adventure,” “The Towering Inferno,” “The Swarm,” and “When Time Ran out.” Big-budget disaster flicks that encompassed everything from tsunamis to burning skyscrapers to killer bees and killer volcanoes. Today, Roland Emmerich has inherited that title, whether he likes it or not. After all, this is the man who brought us “Independence Day,” “The Day After Tomorrow,” “2012,” and “Independence Day: Resurgence.” I’m sure you can see the similarities.
But most filmmakers known for popcorn fare, eventually yearn to make more serious features in between their escapist adventures. Spielberg did “Schindler’s List” and James Cameron did “Titanic” so it was only a matter of time before Mr. Emmerich turned to something a little more thoughtful than aliens and the end of the world. With “Midway,” he proves that he can make a movie based on real events and infuse it with authentic drama and emotions and at the same time, utilize elements that helped make his big disaster films so breathtakingly epic. “Midway” is visually spectacular, filled with some of the most astonishing air and sea battles ever committed to film. The drama throughout is thankfully never contrived, thanks to strong performances by its central leads, Ed Skrein, Many Moore, Dennis Quaid, Woody Harrelson, Aaron Eckhart, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, and Nick Jonas, but it does most certainly take a backseat to its visual counterpart.
During World War II, America remained neutral for the first two years but that changed after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. The movie opens with that attack and then follows what transpired afterward. Edwin Thomas Layton (Patrick Wilson), is a rear admiral in the United States Navy and tried several times, to inform the government that an attack by Japan was possible but he and his team of code-breakers are ignored and after the attack, are used by the government as scapegoats for the failure of preventing the attack. In retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor, General James Doolittle (Aaron Eckhart) of the United States Army Air Force, launches an air raid attack on Tokyo, the capital of Japan, on April 18th, 1942. The attack gives America a much-needed morale boost but also strikes doubt into the minds of the Japanese in regards to their military leaders, who they feel are supposed to be protecting them.
While Japan puts into motion another offensive to take down all of America’s aircraft carriers, they plan to attack the islands of Midway as their striking force is still the strongest mobile air unit in the Pacific but Edwin Thomas Layton and his team of code-breakers are able to intercept messages the Japanese have been sending to each other which details their need to take a stronghold on Midway, giving them dominance in the region and allowing them to demolish what remains of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet but they underestimate America’s response and the ensuing battle becomes a turning point in the Pacific War, which eventually leads to the unconditional surrender of the Japanese Empire.
Other big-budget movies based on real events, such as the aforementioned “Pearl Harbor” and “Titanic,” included fictional love stories while the events of each film played out around them but here, director Roland Emmerich foregoes any fabricated subplots and presents to us the facts that happened in the build-up to Midway, the events throughout the battle, and the aftermath. Each of the central characters, including those on the Japanese side, were real people and the film shows each of them and how they contributed to the war effort. “Midway” delivers an action-packed and, at times, often tense presentation of what it must have been like to be caught up during this nightmarish battle and I do not envy what these men experienced, it is not something I would wish on another human being but the sad truth is that the attack on Pearl Harbor and on Midway, by the Empire of Japan, did happen and America fought back with everything she had and eventually won the war.
Now available on Digital HD and on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital),
Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital), DVD, and On-Demand Feb. 18th
