A few weeks ago some friends and I had decided to get together and go see a movie, a rare occurrence in our usually busy lives, what with work and school often getting in the way. It was hard to decide what to see with almost every movie these days being about nearly the same thing—high school teen dramas, films about angsty teenagers who are mad at the world and everything in it, and for as much as I love the Superhero genre, we just didn’t have it in us. But it wasn’t long before trailers for another film started popping up all over Facebook and YouTube that we found one that was absolutely perfect.
Several members of my family had grown up watching the original “Midway” film. I’m usually wary of remakes, not knowing how they often turn out and usually craving something original. However, I have a few simple words about this particular film… BEST $10.50 WE EVER SPENT!
For those who don’t know, the film depicts real life men who helped win a critical battle against the Japanese during World War II. “Midway” is a very tiny island about 200 miles west of Hawaii, barely a flyspeck on the world map, but it earns a BIG place in the history books. After the attacks on Pearl Harbor in December, 1941, intelligence officers were wondering where the Japanese would strike next. Later on, codebreakers determined that the Japanese would strike the island of Midway, and in June, 1942, one of the biggest Naval engagements of the whole war ensued (although Leyte Gulf could be compared as THE biggest) and turned the tide in favor of the Americans.
Although there are slight inaccuracies, that is a given as there will always be some in a historical fiction film. However, the film does a huge amount of justice to the portrayal of the battle as well as the men who fought and lived through it. It does not solely focus on Midway alone, but rather it shows what led up to it as well as pivotal moments that made it a decisive turning point. Now, I don’t mean to spoil the movie for those who haven’t seen it, but some of the moments portrayed in the film are worth a brief mention—whether it is the depiction of Pearl Harbor, the Doolittle Raid, the cracking of the codes or the battle itself.
What really makes “Midway” such a worthwhile watch is not just the story but the cast as well. Ed Skrein, (yes you know him as Francis, the bad guy from Deadpool), Dennis Quaid, Woody Harrelson, Alexander Ludwig and even Nick Jonas are all amazing in their own way. Dennis Quaid’s portrayal of Admiral Halsey is not only entertaining as hell, but he really does embody the old salt of an Admiral that by all accounts is an accurate portrayal of his true-to-life character. Even Woody Harrelson’s portrayal of Admiral Chester Nimitz is both memorable and unbelievable.
So is “Midway” totally worth it? Absolutely. Although I have not seen the original from the 70s, I can easily say from others who have seen both that it is indeed worth the watch, whether you are a history buff or not. It is both enjoyable and deeply moving, it makes you root for the main characters, both the real life and the fictional and it makes you wonder what these young men, no older than 18 or 21, went through. Without a doubt, “Midway” can easily be called one of the best movies of 2019.