This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Based On Real Events
Plot Overview
1941.
When Japan's empirical aspirations in Far East Asia were jeopardized
by America's oil embargo, they responded by attacking Pearl Harbor.
Yet they failed to deliver “the knockout punch” of
destroying all the U.S. carriers
not in port. Instead, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (Etsushi Toyokama) feared,
“We have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible
resolve.” Plan B is to six months later attack strategically
located Midway Island for to secure Japan's hegemony in the Pacific. It was
critical the allies at all costs not allow that to happen.
A nervous Japanese fleet bombs Midway's
airfield but then spots the American fleet lying in wait and decides
to rearm their bombers for naval engagement. While the arms are being
swapped out, leaving the carriers a veritable “powder keg,”
they have their superior Zero fighters up in the air to protect them.
The American dive bombers are coming but they get lost and arrive
late for the party, cruising at 14,000 ft.
to conserve fuel. Meanwhile, the lumbering American torpedo bombers,
who were supposed to arrive last, arrive right on time flying just above
the waves. The Japanese who could have dispatched them with a few Zeroes
send their whole air fleet down to do it (“Our fighters need to stop
glory hunting; they're flying too low.”) Now it doesn't matter that
the Japs have superior planes; they are too low to engage the dive bombers
who come screaming out of the sky like banshees to blow up the carriers and
gain the unlikely win in this critical battle.
Ideology
“Midway” can play a small role in helping us understand the twentieth century. (Prov. 30:18-19) “There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.” Starting with “the way of an eagle in the air” we are shown two landings on an aircraft carrier where the plane has no engine power to go around again and no flaps to slow itself down. The nimble pilot slips sideways to lose speed and undershoots the carrier so he can pop back up to touch down letting gravity bleed off excess inertia. We are also shown three carrier takeoffs where the carrier is too short and moving too slow to allow the plane enough airspeed to lift off, and the pilot if he's smart has to dip his plane down once he's past edge of the deck to gain added momentum. Or not. This depiction of interaction with gravity stands us in good stead when we witness the main battle.
Hollywood director John Ford (Geoffrey Blake) comes to Midway Island to shoot some background war footage. He gives us an illustration of the whimsical “way of a serpent upon a rock.” When enemy planes are spotted inbound and he's wisely told to get into the bunker, he climbs up on the roof instead. When bullets start raking the roof, he tells his cameraman to “keep shooting.” Thus he produced an 18-minute war documentary.
We get to watch the maneuverings of ships from carriers to battleships to submarine—the lifeboat just floats. This is, “the way of a ship in the midst of the sea.” It takes a lot of room to turn a massive carrier, but they still maneuver to dodge incoming projectiles and a failed takeoff.
In the domestic sphere we have, “the way of a man with a maid.” Fearless fighter pilot Dick Best (Ed Skrein) is out to win the war to protect his wife Ann (Mandy Moore) and daughter Barbara (Madison Roukema) from the expanding Japanese domination. Ann for her part wants to remain at Pearl to be close to her man who is not guaranteed to return from all his missions. This tension and support in a military family is showcased here.
Production Values
“” (2019) was directed by Roland Emmerich. It was written by history aficionado Wes Tooke with Emmerich co-writing. It stars Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, and Woody Harrelson. Most screen time was given to the flyboys and the movers & shakers, while the whole cast seemed period realistic. However, the Chinese actors in oppressed China seemed a bit lame to me.
MPAA rated it PG–13 for sequences of war violence and related images, language and smoking. We were treated to some period entertainment, and after the credits, too. The CGI was blended in so well that at first I thought it was actual. The action is spectacular!
Review Conclusion w/ Christian Recommendation
I think this war movie was done better than most. Great action scenes were tempered with background sans narration; we just heard from the horse's mouth. Personal tidbits were given without upstaging the developing action. It seemed especially constructed to avoid audience burnout in any direction. I highly recommend this one.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Edge of your seat action-packed. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Absolutely amazing special effects. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Video Occasion: Fit For a Friday Evening. Overall movie rating: Five stars out of five.
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