Midway

Looking back on my reviews of Roland Emmerich's films, I've given all the pieces I've seen three stars. His films should be seen (at least) for the first time in the cinema, otherwise the inherent audiovisual charm is lost and the shallow dialogue and simple script come to the surface. Midway is a shining example. All the action scenes looked good on the big screen and were mostly clear and believable - I couldn’t breath during the raids on the battleships. For an ahistorical person like me, the film gives an overview of a few key events of WWII. I can't say that I found any of the characters unlikeable, but at the same time I can't say that I strongly sympathized with any of them. Midway will never become an icon of the war genre, but it doesn't offend and it works in the cinema. (12/11/2019)

This action flick for guys reliably delivers all of the classic elements of Emmerich movies – superb casting, elaborate composition and over-the-top American pathos at the end. Unfortunately, the storyline is confusing – the strategies discussed over the maps and sometimes the continuity of the action scenes make no sense. Ideologically, it’s also pro-China, as without a Chinese investment, this film would probably never have been made (it could never attract enough moviegoers to pay for its technical execution). The digital aspect is excellent, especially in comparison with the recent (sixth) Terminator. (26/11/2019)

A portrait of a major military event composed in a typical Emmerich fashion, where, thanks to the incredibly complex dosing of information, the viewer never loses their bearings and celebrates a famous victory with a lot of characters, who, thanks to the likeable faces of the actors, manage to generate sincere sympathies. The first half is actually very good and sweeping, but then the pace gradually starts to grind and by the end its only played for effect, without the epic flights through almost certain death leaving anything deep to the viewer. But Emmerich has a very firm hand and it’s very watchable, though at the same time confirms that he’s better when he takes things more lightly, as proven, among others, by the most entertaining scene with John Ford. 70% (01/04/2020)

I hoped that the Americans would finally come to their senses and make a proper war film. CGI is already at such a high level that it should no longer be a problem (there is no need to create models of historical technology, etc.), but it was no good. Well, the attack on Pearl Harbor and the following action scenes were a nice surprise, but Midway didn’t work out so well. There were only four B-26 Marauders on the atoll all of which were the torpedo variant. I don't understand why no F4F fighters were generated, it looked really weird this way. If there’s anything that went well, it was the casting. If someone had told me before watching the film that Woody Harrelson would play Admiral Nimitz, I would have thought they were kidding. Having seen it with my own eyes, I’m amazed. I would like to give a higher rating, but it really pisses me off that the Americans aren’t able to portray the important moments of their short history more realistically. (08/03/2020)

The ideal definition of a three-star film. You watch the central battle – an aggregation of pixels and an abundance of CGI-rendered frames – and catch yourself thinking: I’d rather play computer games than passively watch them. But then you get used to it, and ultimately you’re prepared to admit that the way in which the story is told does, rather surprisingly, have the qualities of an acceptable historical drama. We’re told a rather sparse backstory, which is for the better, and with the exception of the ending, Emmerich doesn’t force unpleasant pathos down our throats, so the net result is noticeably better than (if you allow the comparison) Bay’s Pearl Harbor. The latter was primarily a chick flick, whereas this is a sober and reasonable take on a major event of World War II in the Pacific theater. Nothing groundbreaking, but not a catastrophe either; I’d say Emmerich passes with flying colors. PS: Ed Skrein, well-known for being typecast as a villain, shows he can play nice guys too, when he wants to. Except when he’s chewing like a ruminant (at the beginning of this film) – then you want to punch him in the face :o). (23/02/2020)