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Midway

Midway

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: More Documentary Than Drama
Review: This is the story of the first major victory of World War 2 by the U.S. against the Japanese Navy. The U.S. Pacific fleet was outnumbered, but the battle for Midway Island was crucial, as both sides had the vast majority of their Pacific fleets invested in it, as a loss was to be a major, near-fatal setback for whichever side came up short. The U.S. Navy took the battle.

This film brought together a vast array of major and minor actors, real WW2 footage was realistically interspersed with new footage, and the sound system (the then-new Surroundsound) was superb, but there was little story here, beyond the historical facts. The result is impressive but more of a documentary than a drama.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Couldn't they make a version without Heston??
Review: This would-be epic '70s retelling of the Battle of Midway tries the same methodical approach as "Tora! Tora! Tora!" yet falters in the dramatic department. It's a bit too talky, although war buffs will probably appreciate its step-by-step delineation of the grand strategies and little quirks of fate that allowed the Americans to win this pivotal naval engagement. The clash at Midway took place in the summer of 1942, less than a year after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and was itself a response to the Allied air raids on Tokyo and other targets in the Japanese homeland. The stunning victory shifted the balance of power in WWII, allowing the Americans to stalemate Japan in the Pacific, and concentrate their efforts on more decisive actions in Africa and Europe. The problem with this film lies mostly in the light-handed direction of its star-studded cast. The back-slapping he-man bonhomie of the Naval brass falls flat in scene after scene... but when you pin your dramatic efforts on an actor as wooden and insincere as Charlton Heston, well, what do you expect? Henry Fonda, however, is solid in his role, and Glenn Ford, Robert Mitchum and James Coburn all do their bit, as do Pat Morita, Toshiro Mifune (as Admiral Yamomoto, naturally), and a slew of notable supporting actors. A socially liberal subplot involving a Japanese-American girl in love with a young American fighter pilot also falls flat; it's interesting to see an early critical look at the internment of Asian Americans, but again, the drama revolves around Heston (who cannot convey true emotion) and the actress in question is actually a worse actor than he is. This film isn't great, but it does a good job explaining the significance of the historical events. Worth checking out, but slow and mechanically directed without much attention to the actors.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Truly Horrible
Review: Not even close to history. What's worse, is thay've taken an actual, heroic moment from our history, and turned it into a 1970's, Carter era, peice of schlock. I really like the japanese girlfriend subplot...what PC crap!

But the worst part, was the horrid piecing together of footage of the wrong aircraft, at the wrong times. The wrong planes, the wrong ships...

The only saving grace is Heston, he could add a touch of class to a Hillary Clinton/Rosie O'Donell lesbian scene....

Oh well, I'll stick with "a wing and a prayer", real airplanes, real carriers, and closer to the truth.....

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Key Military Victory
Review: This action packed film depicts the American defeat of the Japanese in the battle of Midway, a key strategic moment since a Japanese victory would have moved them much closer to attacking the United States itself. A huge cast of big names and familiar faces enacts the drama. The action scenes are well played out and dramatic, while a poorly developed romantic subplot involving a fighter pilot and his Japanese fiancee would have been better left on the cutting room floor. What I enjoyed most was the behind the scenes drama of how the attack was planned by the Japanese and defended by the Americans. It all came down to some bad decisions by the Japanese, some gutsy decisions by the Americans, weather problems, and sheer luck. Henry Fonda and Hal Holbrook stand out in the cast, while Charlton Heston once again mistakes intensive jaw clenching for dramatic acting. Director Jack Smight needed to pace the film better, and the script needed a re-write. But there's more than enough action to keep the viewer watching and marvelling how different the War could have turned out were it not for a few fateful decisions.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Coral sea?
Review: The original Midway that was in sensaround in the theatres didn`t have the extra battle of the coral sea footage. that was later added. If you want the original feel this is it, and the vhs version is the same also.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: One of the better war movies
Review: As the title suggests, this entire movie is about the Battle of Midway during WWII. The cast of characters is a veritable "Who's Who" in American theatre. The actor playing Admiral Yamamoto, Toshiro Mifune, is a famous Japanese actor of many Kirosawa movies. In this movie, as much actual war footage was used.

There are several stories going on at once, and the film does its best to weave them all together. We see an admiral sick in Pearl Harbor with a skin rash; the numerous miscommunications as admirals jockey for position near Midway; Ensign George Gay downed in the water and watching the battle from there; and a love story.

The last two there seem to distract me from the movie. I don't think they are wrong, but the time dedicated to updating them makes me wonder why they are there. The love story tells us about the paranoia in the United States toward Japanese Americans, but it really doesn't go into much detail. This part of the story could have made a movie by itself, but as is, there is not enough information to make it worthwhile to the picture.

I would still recommend seeing this movie. Although Heston gets the lion's share of attention, I like the scenes showing Henry Fonda as Admiral Nimitz. Great stuff.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: FROM THE DOLITTLE RAID TO MIDWAY ISLAND...
Review: When I first saw this film, I was blown away! But after seeing TORA! TORA! TORA!, I must now say: I'm, still blown away! The film is a masterpiece! It has great acting (which TORA! TORA! TORA! lacked), great visual effects (several borrowed from the aformentioned TORA! TORA! TORA!, but hey, at least SOMETHING good came out of that film), and historical accuracy mixed in with great fictional characters (which is what made PEARL HARBOR, the best film of 2001, an instant success). Anyone who loves war films and dramas will love this film! Count on it! Grade: A+

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Entertaining and informative
Review: Unlike other reviewers, I didn't mind the "fictional characters" that were introduced into this movie. The facts were still there and the movie was entertaining and informative. A well done presentation with an all star cast that works well together. Some of the acting by these veteran stars is not as good as I would expect, but the movie was still worth purchasing just to learn a little more about this decisive WWII naval/air battle.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Surround Sound
Review: This DVD only plays volume if you have surround sound.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: well made movie
Review: this fil which actually uses real footage from the actual battle of midway is perfectly touched. It has good actors lined up for it Robert Mitchum,Tom Selleck,Charlton Heston this film was spectacular. I don't know what you think but i liked this movie especially the way it is historically accurate.


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