Director Roland Emmerich
Starring Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans, Ed Skrein, Aaron Eckhart, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore
Rated M
Score 5/6

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.

For those of you who are interested there is also a 1976 version of Midway directed by Jack Smight and starred Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda & James Coburn.

My first thoughts when I saw the trailer for Midway was that it was Roland Emmerich’s hold my beer response to Michael Bay’s 2001 Pearl Harbor. Now of course with Movies like Midway there is always the question of historical accuracy. Well, so long as there are no glaring mistakes, I have always thought that there is usually going to be some inaccuracies with historical movies usually for the sake of storytelling.

Roland Emmerich might not be known for directing war movies ( this was the first war movie he has directed since The Patriot in 2000) but he is more then capable of directing big budget epics and he has definitely delivered something that is worth watching. It should also be noted John Williams who wrote the score for Midway also wrote the score for the ’76 movie.
There was a good mix of familiar faces and actors I have never seen in a movie before. I have to admit that I was completely unfamiliar with all of the Japanese actors cast in this movie although I did enjoy Etsushi Toyokawa’s performance as Admiral Yamamoto.
I was a little surprised to see Nick Jonas cast in this, but I loved his performance as Aviation Machinist’s Mate Bruno Gaido I also enjoyed Denis Quaid’s portrayal of Vice Admiral Halsey. It has also been a little while since I have seen Mandy Moore in a movie role. I also enjoyed the take-off scene for the Tokyo raid (Doolittle Raid) and the reactions of the pilots on a nearby aircraft carrier.