When I heard that the Battle of Midway would be directed by Hollywood director Roland Emmerich, I was excited by yet cautious. Would he make it into a propagandist American Flag-waving film? Or would he butcher the historical battle by squeezing in a love triangle like Pearl Harbor, the Michael Bay film?
I am proud to say that Midway is very historically accurate. In fact, it is a war epic inspired by classic military films like Tora Tora Tora and A Bridge Too Far. Using CGI to recreate the naval ships that fought in the actual Battle of Midway, the film gets even obscure facts (such as the islands [command centre] of the Japanese carriers Hiryu and Akagi being on the port side, the use of musicians as code-breakers, Hollywood director John Ford being present on Midway Island during the battle and a damaged American bomber B-26 attempting to ram the Akagi during the battle) right.
Hence, (as a history buff) I highly recommend the film. If I were to nitpick, I would say that I wished they covered more of the Japanese perspective and cut out the Doolittle Raid.
That's not to say that the film was not exciting. After all, the Battle Of Midway was the turning point of the Pacific War. I was at the edge of my seat as the movie placed us in the cockpit of an American dive bomber (Dauntless) as it flew past anti-aircraft rounds engage the enemy ships. I looked in awe from the view point of the Japanese who witness the Akagi in flames. I also admired the stoicness of Japanese admirals who agreed to scuttle the Hiryu.
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| Akagi in 1942 |
Summary
This is one of the best war films in recent memory. Although it may be hard to follow the narratives of the multiple characters, Midway is historically accurate action film.
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