Midway : Review

Write: Philippe Youssef

From a diplomatic dispute to a brutal, full raging war, Midway is a 2019 film directed by Roland Emmerich which exposes the engulfing war between the United

States of America and the Empire of Japan in WW2, but from a rather new point of view. The film focuses on various events that lead us to the battle of Midway, the turning point of the war.

Credits to: IMDB

From Doolittle’s raid on Tokyo to the significant effort

of the men and women who were on the frontlines or behind it, from doctors and nurses to telecommunication and encoding department that with the effort exposed an ambush made by the “japs” that can devastate the American fleet in the pacific to the pilots who fought voraciously against the Japanese army.

The United States had a significant role in turning the tide of the war and thus, Achieving eventual victory on the axis powers.

Roland Emmerich has many movies that have the same themes and ideas such as patriotism, bravery, and ‘the one-man army concept ‘as in (white house down, Independence Day, etc.). the excessiveness in showing these themes lead to losing its meaning and became a “fancy box with noting inside” which leads to a disappointment to the viewers.

The movie begins with various scenes that represent the protagonists of this film. at first two U.S and British diplomats discussing the current situation and how the world is on the brink of a second great war. Then an officer in USS Missouri stationing in Pearl Harbor. Various characters are displaying on the screen afterward. Its lack of story, unfortunately, has made the audience confused because it did not focus on a single story or two but over five different stories which generated confusion for its lack of coherence in the audience. Yes, the movie has a nice mixture of emotions such as love sadness fear, and thrill, but it lacks a cornerstone, which is focus. The film can be better if it has focused on even a single event such as its name “Midway” suggest. But we have seen Pearl Harbor, Doolittle’s raid, and finally Midway takes less than 30 minutes from a whole of

2 hours. Where it is considered as a weakness, not a privilege because these three weakly mentioned events can make three whole 2 hrs. Movie with a good script

And with details. What Emmerich has done is swiping from the top layer not digging into his topic which is the battle of Midway.

On the technical level, the cinematography of this movie is “followed by the rules”

in the shots. Moreover, the use of lines and the perfectly detailed composition was a key factor of its success. The director pictured the

The different grids used in Midway movie with faded colors and a warm color pallet that represent tiredness and suffering. also, the use of an advanced level of video effect has helped to make the audience well engaged and interested to continue the film to its very end.

Credit: Philppe Youssef

In my opinion, I see that this movie deserves a three out of five as a rating because it focuses on the frame but not the content …. It lacks a drama or maybe Emmerich has an idea that did not fit well in his frame which led the film to be very interesting on the technical level but a very poor script suitable for teenagers or children who love toy soldiers so much