A solid WW2 tale, especially in comparison to Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor"

Rating: 8/10 (8 April 2020)

The film was released on Veterans Day, very appropriately, and is a solid effort from R. Emmerich who tends to be a director bent on spectacle especially as it relates to disasters on a grand scale (Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, White House Down). But, with this movie (budget of $100 million and runtime of 2 hours and 18 minutes) he takes a step towards substance which is positive, but again retains too much of his desire to make an CGI event picture. Emmerich, also, goes mercifully easy on the flag-waving patriotism and he's pretty even-handed, too, in his portrayal of the Japanese enemy. But at its runtime, film could have easily lost 30 minutes and been a lot more enjoyable. Ultimately, I give "Midway" a lot of credit for exceeding my expectations and providing more entertainment than I could have predicted at the outset. This movie is definitely a must-see for action fans who don't mind a little bit of a wandering story.
Rating: 7+/8-