The Battle That Turned the Tide in the War in the Pacific!

Kaleidoscope's latest is on Lionsgate's production of "Midway".  Directed by Roland Emmerich, the movie stars Woody Harrelson, Patrick Wilson, Ed Skrein, Mandy Moore, Luke Evans, Luke Kleintank, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Darren Criss, Etsushi Toyokawa, & Tadanobu Asano.  Rated 'PG-13' it has a running time of 2 hr., 18 min.

The film's exposition depicts a meeting between the US Naval Attache Edwin Layton (Wilson) & his Japanese counterpart Isoroku Yamamoto (Toyokawa) in Tokyo that takes place a few years before the start of WWII.  As equals, Yamamoto quietly explains to Layton that the Japanese will take action & retaliate if their oil supplies are threatened.  As actions unfold over the next few years, Layton presents his case to Washington: that the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor may be susceptible to an attack by the Japanese Empire based on his prior discussion with his counterpart and recent actions by both Washington & the Japanese navy.  His words go unheeded as Washington's intelligence discards Layton's, & his staff's, theory.  The morning of December 7, 1941, unfortunately, proves Layton correct as the Japanese use their carrier fleet to launch an unprecedented attack on Pearl Harbor, crippling much of the US Pacific Fleet.  (The Japanese do, however, make 1 critical mistake that later proves to make the Midway battle decisive.)  The Pearl Harbor attack shakes the US out of its neutrality as President Roosevelt asks Congress to declare war on the Japanese Empire; the Senate votes 82-0 & the House votes 388-1 to affirm Roosevelt's request.  There is a shakeup in Washington as Admiral Kimmel is replaced by Admiral Charles Nimitz (Harrelson) as commander of the Pacific Fleet.  Layton soon approaches Nimitz to advise him of Washington's failure to heed his prior warnings.  Being a much wiser & savvy leader, Nimitz recommends that Layton stick to what he feels is correct, continue working with his code breakers, & to notify him of all communique breakthroughs so as to avoid a repeat of the Pearl Harbor debacle.  Act I transitions at this point.

Director Emmerich is adept at filming epic, expansive movies: "Stargate", "Independence Day", "The Day After Tomorrow", "2012", etc.  "Midway" is another example of what Emmerich does well & not so well.  When it comes to depicting "Midway"'s spectacular battle scenes, no one could have done it better.  The many POV shots of Dick West (Skrein), Wade McClusky (Evans), Bruno Gaido (Jonas), Eugene Lindsay (Criss) & others dive bombing Japanese warships while being shot at by a barrage of anti-aircraft fire is breathtaking.  One can almost feel as if one is with these brave men as they both defy, & succumb to, death in their repeated attacks on the enemy fleet.  The film deservedly should be Oscar-nominated for its special, visual, & sound effects.  The almost non-stop action makes the movie's 2 hr., 18 min. length seem much shorter.  Where the film falters somewhat is in its character development as depicted in Wes Tooke's script.  Although there are plenty of interludes between battles, only Layton & West are seen as, almost, fully developed characters.  The audience knows what makes them 'tick' & what drives them to the perfection that they seek.  Most of the other characters are written as types: McClusky the foil for Best, Nimitz the wise senior officer who will listen to reason, Gaido & Lindsay standing in for all of the pilots who participated in the various sorties, Ann Best (Moore) as the understanding & supportive wife--a stand-in for all of the Navy wives, etc.  While this is not a big negative--most epics such as "Midway" place plot & action above character--one should be cognizant.  Where the screenplay does do justice is keeping a balanced viewpoint between the 'hits & misses' on both sides of the Pacific.  The acting is fine throughout.  Standouts are Wilson, Harrelson, Toyokawa, Asano, and, particularly, Skrein, as they flesh out their characters as completely as the script allows..  The others in the cast do the best that they can with their limited screen time.  Robby Baumgartner's cinematography and Adam Wolfe's editing bring a heightened sense of verisimilitude to the action both in the skies & aboard the various warships on both sides.  As mentioned before, the CGI of the special, visual, & sound effects departments and the stunt personnel's actions all add to the film's realism. 

I give "Midway" 8 out of 10 nuggets.  If you are an action, history, or epic buff, you will love this film.  If you are more in line with character & relationships, you will probably like, if not love, this movie.  However your persuasion, you cannot deny the film's impact.  Run, or fly, to your nearest multiplex for this visceral experience.