Midway - For someone who knows something about the battle, or someone who wishes to know about it (that should be every American), Midway is an outstanding film. That is why the critics' Rotten Tomato score is in the 40's while the movie goers' score is in the 90's. What the critics do not get is that sometimes a film should simply tell a compelling story well and doesn't need novelty to make it entertaining. One critic wrote "It's hard to imagine, if you've already seen a film like Pearl Harbor, why you would need to see Midway." Yeah, you know WWII battles, they're all alike. So, I guess learning about one of the most unlikely, I dare say miraculous, conflicts in American history is a waste of time.
The movie has a surprising span of time, running from 1937, through Pearl Harbor, through the Doolittle Raid and through the battle of Coral Sea, in order to set the table for Midway. This allows some character development for a number of characters but crowds out others who will become important later in the film. What it lacks in wider character development it makes up for with historical accuracy and a good understanding of what was at stake at Midway, along with the actions that resulted in the USN's ultimate success.
My two complaints are relatively minor. The first is that everyone in the film is just too dawn good looking. Where are the Spence Tracy/Jimmy Stewart "everyman" types. It would have benefited from a couple of palookas for sure. The second criticism is in depicting a dive bomb run. For dramatic purposes, as if it needed it, they had the dive bombers diving almost to the deck of the Japanese aircraft carriers buzzing the bridge on a couple of them.
Something else noteworthy is the respect paid to the heroics of many of the Japanese seamen and sailors and the wisdom of the Japanese Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Yamamoto, even while showing the brutality of several Japanese in strafing downed Americans and drowning one.
The performance of Harrelson as Nimitz and Dennis Quaid as Halsey were surprisingly good.
7/8