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Midway
By Joyce Slaton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Battle epic tries hard but is too long, hard to follow.

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Midway
Community Reviews
Based on 24 parent reviews
Good Historical War Action Flick
GOOD MOVIE!
What's the Story?
MIDWAY is a star-studded dive into a pivotal conflict at the height of World War II. After the United States is surprised by Japan's raid on Pearl Harbor, intelligence officer Lieutenant-Commander Edwin Layton (Patrick Wilson) warns his superiors -- Admiral Chester Nimitz (Woody Harrelson) and Vice Admiral William "Bull" Halsey (Dennis Quaid) -- that more attacks are on the way. The United States responds with the ill-advised Doolittle's Raid under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle (Aaron Eckhart), and the subsequent tensions result in the climactic Battle of Midway. There, reckless flyboy Lieutenant Richard "Dick" Best (Ed Skrein) distinguishes himself by taking out two Japanese aircraft carriers, shifting the upper hand in the Pacific theater to the Allied powers.
Is It Any Good?
Overly long and overstuffed with both characters and battle scenes, this film (based on the same-named 1976 movie) clearly has its heart in the right place, but it's not much fun to watch. The obvious aim is to honor the soldiers, both American and Japanese, who fought in the pivotal WWII battle. But the effect is numbing, with too many lookalike faces and confusing, endless shots of planes wheeling in the sky. How come movie makers haven't figured out that battles are a drag to watch if you can't figure out who's fighting and what's happening, no matter how well they're made? If Midway had leaned into that chaos and made the battle scenes visceral -- like the bravura opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan -- it may have earned more than the reflexive wince viewers feel at watching yet another human being die a horribly violent death.
Concentrating more closely on one or just a few characters would also have given the action more emotion. We're introduced to nine main characters on the American side at once, at least four of whom look incredibly similar (Aaron Eckhart and Alexander Ludwig: separated at birth?) and all wearing the same clothes -- OK, it's a uniform, but it doesn't help. On the other hand, the portrayal of the Japanese military officials is one of this movie's bright spots: Though Midway's overall vibe is fiercely pro-American, Axis decisions are depicted sympathetically, and their stories are given dignity. Jun Kunimura is a solemn-faced and magnetic Admiral Nagumo; the resolution of his storyline is one of the few emotional moments that really connects, amidst otherwise eye-rollingly trite scenes of soldiers hugging wives and children. Wait, who's hugging who? And why? We don't know, so it's hard to care, for these scenes, and for this so-so movie.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the events that led to World War II and about some of the real-life characters who are depicted in Midway. Was the movie fair to them, or did it seem biased in any way? Which characters were depicted sympathetically, and which (if any) got short shrift?
What other war movies and documentaries have you seen? Do they seem true to life? How about the coverage you see in the news relating to conflicts around the world? Is it balanced? How would you be able to tell?
How do the characters in Midway demonstrate courage and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?
How does the violence in this movie compare to what you've seen in more fantasy-based action movies? Does it have a different impact?
Movie Details
- In theaters: November 8, 2019
- On DVD or streaming: February 18, 2020
- Cast: Woody Harrelson , Patrick Wilson , Dennis Quaid , Ed Skrein , Luke Evans
- Director: Roland Emmerich
- Inclusion Information: Gay actors
- Studio: Lionsgate
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: History
- Run time: 138 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: sequences of war violence and related images, language and smoking
- Last updated: June 2, 2023
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