But, what the heck...
I saw the movie today. I might even see it again.
The original ‘76 movie had a much bigger impact on my psyche than this latest version did. It wasn’t until I was older that I understood and saw its flaws, but I still enjoy it more than Tora! Tora! Tora! and Bruckheimer’s Pearl Harbor.
The new movie was more entertaining and did what no war movie has done in a long time: tried to eschew/downplay the romance angles and just accept that the movie will only be seriously attended to by war-movie buffs, historical rivet-counters (that find fault with anything put in front of them, but enjoy it all the more for telling everyone about all the faults they found), and action-movie fans. It was fun to watch in a summer blockbuster sort of way.
This new movie tries to do a lot. It shoehorns Pearl Harbor, a raid on the Marshall Islands, The Doolittle Raid, tags the Battle of Coral Sea, briefly explains the part cryptology played in shaping the Midway battle, and finally the Big Show. The whole time, ships and planes—on both sides—blow up real good. The wives are appreciative of what their husbands are doing, are anxious about it, and look good saying it.
The Japanese are pretty much unchanged from the original movie: ruthless, rigid, disciplined, and doggedly following a fatally flawed battle plan. There is exploration that the Americans will be waiting for them, but it is ultimately dismissed as unrealistic and the plan is pitched with precision into the US Navy’s strike zone.
I think the original movie did a better job of explaining the battle; especially the indecision over whether to continue attacking Midway or (finally) attacking the American carrier group; and showing the loss of the Yorktown. I think it even lent subtitles to specific ships and air groups so you could follow their efforts. Thanks to an extended version that appeared in 80’s on television, the Battle of Coral Sea and the arc of USS Yorktown’s participation is more pronounced.
I noticed a few small things missing from the movie and these my only rivet-counter nits: I did not notice any F2 Buffalos, F4 Wildcats, and only 1 B-17. If anyone else saw them perform in the movie, please point it out to me.
Acting: I thought both were equally well/badly acted. If you like rock-ribbed, square-jawed, cigar-chewing, wise-cracking American heroes both have them in abundance. And get a good look, because they’re a vanishing breed in films these days. The new movie has two or three stunning wives and a nightclub singer to rest your eyes on, so that’s a plus over the earlier film. The Japanese, as mentioned, are on a par with the ‘76 feature.
Okay, that’s it. As I said, I enjoyed it. I was more entertained by it than the ‘76 Midway, but thought the original a better vehicle for telling the story of the battle itself. The new movie packs a lot of other extraneous historical events that seemed (to me) unnecessary but are interesting in showing the context of the battle.
I thought Dennis Quaid was great as Admiral “Bull” Halsey.
I thought Woody Harrelson was good as Admiral Chester Nimitz. To a lot of people older than Harrelson, he’ll always be Woody Boyd from Cheers or the psycho he played in Natural Born Killers (which I haven’t seen). Harrelson’s age was a match for Nimitz when he played the Admiral’s role: 57. His resemblance was also a good one.
Did they replace the Japanese with Swedes? Is there a special Muslim division that depict the Marines?
You sure have a way with words - so well written. You may be an author? Enjoyed this.
Thanks for the review—so glad to see there is one movie out there not peddling sexual perversion or other lefty agendas.
Hollywood probably views this as a “fringe” movie for the “crazy right winger” demographic. ;-)
The way I heard it, a big flaw on their end of it was NOT following a plan, but engaging in a little too much impromptu, on the fly reaction. Break out the planes...no wait, hold the planes...
I forget exactly. I read about it, and saw the earlier ('76) film.
In any case, cracking the code was the essential ingredient. That plus Japanese sense of invincibility. That's fine on the lower levels but not up where the strategy is conceived.