Although “Midway”, directed by Roland Emmerich, is an admirably earnest ode to the sacrifices made by the soldiers who fought throughout these majorly influential battles in World War II, the film’s ultimate impact is diluted by its tedious length, unfocused narrative, and underserved cast of characters.
.
Based on true events, the film picks up on December 7th, 1941, the day Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor. With America reeling from the tragedy and now actively engaged in World War II, the country’s navy works diligently to hold their place in the Pacific and strike back against their enemies. When they discover that the Japanese are planning another offensive attack, this time targeting Midway, the U.S. Navy looks to deliver a crushing blow as they partake in the battle that could determine America’s fate.
.
It’s clear from the start that this is a scrambled screenplay with the sheer abundance of characters we’re introduced to in the opening first act. Here in lies the main issue of the whole film, the story attempts to divide its coverage of the titular battle and it’s buildup in far too many bits and pieces, which creates a fractured framework for the film as a whole. While the film tries to establish a main protagonist with Ed Skrein, the film veers off into a surplus of subplots about Woody Harrelson’s, Aaron Eckhart’s, and Dennis Quaid’s characters that feels like a lackluster miniseries than an actual cohesive story with an compelling character to follow. One impressive aspect is that the film is respectful towards both sides in the conflict. It’s apparent Emmerich and his team have a deep admiration for all of the brave men who were there, but the film obviously wanted to cover a lot of ground in its expansive and extensive analysis of the battle that can make the film feel painfully drawn out in terms of storytelling.
.
Not for its own good, the film’s ensemble is perhaps too stacked. Almost appearing like stock characters, the film is stuffed with many players who don’t have anything all that substantial to do other than dutifully handle military briefings and battle sequences. Even those who are positioned as the main characters like Ed Skrein, are stuck with conventional dialogue and arcs, which prevents them from leaving a noticeable impact on the viewers. To be fair, the film’s star studded cast, which also includes Nick Jonas to my surprise, are solid in the roles given to them and try to work with what they got, but the parts are still thinly written to the point that you don’t register with them on any emotional level.
.
The strongest element to take away from this film is the fact that director Roland Emmerich knows how to deliver an spectacle and stage excellent action set pieces, so it isn’t any surprise he thrives in that area again. The film’s disaster sequences benefit greatly from modern filmmaking techniques and quality visual effects, with daring aerial dogfights, tense bombing raids, and explosions that highlights the tremendous lengths the battles went to during the war.
.
“Midway”, while is never excruciatingly painful to watch, its overly stuffed, fragmented plot definitely drags it through the battlefield. Emmerich was trying to recognize as many of the Midway combatants as possible, but that approach doesn’t fully work for a traditional narrative film. It features some uplifting odes towards the real heroes and has an epic scope thanks to Emmerich’s experience, but lacked a more efficient screenplay to give this heroic story its proper due.
