Review: Midway (2019)

While it’s no “Dunkirk,” Roland Emmerich’s “Midway” is well worth a watch. It’s a movie that will appeal to the whole family, young and old. It has its triumphs and its shortcomings, to be sure, but I enjoyed the 2 hour and 18-minute immersive cinematic experience that “Midway” put me in. I am always down for a historical epic.

The film is definitely an overwhelming one – there is a lot going on at once, and it could be a little hard to follow, especially at the beginning. But then again, so is war – overwhelming is an understatement. As far as the performances go, some were better than others. Dennis Quaid and Woody Harrelson unsurprisingly stood out to me, as well as Patrick Wilson as intelligence officer Edwin T. Layton. 

However, there were also times when I was thinking to myself “what is happening here?” Case in point: Nick Jonas. I don’t know about you, but I thought that was a strange decision if there ever was one. Good for the youngest Jo Bro for attempting to break out of his musical lane, but it took me out of the movie. Way out. Back to 2019 out. The other thing that bothered me? The CGI. By the end of the movie, I had gotten used to it, but it just wasn’t nice to look at. I know battle scenes are expensive, but part of me wishes that a different approach had been taken.

But at the end of the day, “Midway” made me care about the story. And that’s what matters the most to me as a moviegoer. I find it really interesting when films get panned by critics and praised by audiences, and that disconnect is definitely the case here. I also appreciated the way in which the film portrayed the horrors of war from a multitude of sides – not just from the Americans, but also from the Chinese and the Japanese. "Midway" might not be the best movie of 2019, but it is certainly not the worst.

On another note, some scenes definitely reminded me of "From Here to Eternity," nicely bringing this whole semester full circle.