Runtime: 138 minutes
Directed by: Roland
Emmerich
Starring: Another nice
all-star cast, although not comparable to 1976's lineup
From: Lionsgate
The benefit of coming out in a terrible year for movies...
Roland
Emmerich is not one of my favorite filmmakers, and that isn't just
because the 1998 Godzilla was a travesty and an insult to a legendary
character. Most of his pictures are just not for me; brainless
blockbusters lacking in heart & soul just aren't my jam. However,
this was a passion project from him and this was done independently (w/
an assist from China... more on that later) and I was hoping this would
be at least OK.
This looks at the battle differently from the 1976 movie; that centered on the military leaders using their strategy to try and outfox their opponents, while 2019 was more about individual soldiers and their heroics; additionally, this did not focus as much on the Japanese side as 1976 did. Henceforth, there is more melodrama here than in '76, and that had a silly sideplot of Charlton Heston's son falling in love w/ a Japanese-American girl. Regrettably, the ending of this was changed from actual history to add some more excitement... I wish that wasn't done as this already had plenty of action beats.
I do understand & accept the complaints: the script is not all that great or intelligent... there are cliches a-plenty, the story was told better in '76, a submarine sidetrack is only two short scenes and then it's summarily forgotten about, the idea of spending plenty of time showing Pearl Harbor and other events before the United States even cracked the code and realized Midway would be attacked was nice... although that seemed to be done in part so a subplot about Japan occupying China at the time could be included... I could go on and on.
All that said, it may be because 2019 has been a pretty bad year for motion pictures overall, but I'll be kind to this and say it was fine overall. The cast full of famous faces is decent as a whole (even the Jonas brother) and those interested in the action... it was satisfactory. As this could have been a jingoistic nightmare and wasn't... I suppose that helps me be forgiving of its faults due to good intentions, at least partially. Of course a documentary or book about what happened in the Battle of Midway would be the best way to learn the story, but this is an OK cinematic version, although what was done in '76 was superior in my eyes.
This looks at the battle differently from the 1976 movie; that centered on the military leaders using their strategy to try and outfox their opponents, while 2019 was more about individual soldiers and their heroics; additionally, this did not focus as much on the Japanese side as 1976 did. Henceforth, there is more melodrama here than in '76, and that had a silly sideplot of Charlton Heston's son falling in love w/ a Japanese-American girl. Regrettably, the ending of this was changed from actual history to add some more excitement... I wish that wasn't done as this already had plenty of action beats.
I do understand & accept the complaints: the script is not all that great or intelligent... there are cliches a-plenty, the story was told better in '76, a submarine sidetrack is only two short scenes and then it's summarily forgotten about, the idea of spending plenty of time showing Pearl Harbor and other events before the United States even cracked the code and realized Midway would be attacked was nice... although that seemed to be done in part so a subplot about Japan occupying China at the time could be included... I could go on and on.
All that said, it may be because 2019 has been a pretty bad year for motion pictures overall, but I'll be kind to this and say it was fine overall. The cast full of famous faces is decent as a whole (even the Jonas brother) and those interested in the action... it was satisfactory. As this could have been a jingoistic nightmare and wasn't... I suppose that helps me be forgiving of its faults due to good intentions, at least partially. Of course a documentary or book about what happened in the Battle of Midway would be the best way to learn the story, but this is an OK cinematic version, although what was done in '76 was superior in my eyes.
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