Another Emmerich Spectacle, But This One's True

Rating: 8/10 (21 November 2019)

Since practically the dawn of cinema, there has been something about war films that have captured the attention of filmmakers and the public alike. Perhaps due to it taking place amid Hollywood's Golden Age, World War II especially has earned something of a prime spot. Midway, the latest film from Rolland Emmerich, proves that interest is still very much alive.
In looking over Emmerich's filmography, there are usually three things one can be confident about going in knowing. The first is that he can assemble an excellent cast, and Midway is no exception to that. To tell the story of a tide-turning battle and the man who fought it, he's assembled one that takes in a wide range. There are the comparatively fresh faces of Ed Skrein and Luke Evans as the lead characters, two naval aviators who take viewers into the heat of battle. Elsewhere, established character actors like Patrick Wilson take us into the back rooms, as do the likes of Dennis Quaid and Woody Harrelson playing Admirals Halsey and Nimitz, respectively, showing the strategies been laid out at the upper levels of command. The Japanese side of the cast is equally steadfast, lead by Etsushi Toyokawa as Admiral Yamamoto. Meanwhile, the civilian side of the war comes from Mandy Moore's character, the wife of Skrien's pilot, though it is something the film doesn't give much time toward portraying. On the whole, though, they do an excellent job bringing the history to life sincerely.
The second point of confidence is that an Emmerich film will be a special effects feast. Midway, too, scores on that point. From the attack on Pearl Harbor that comes a short way into the film to the Doolittle raid and the climactic ait attacks during the titular battle, the film does everything in its power to make viewers feel like they're flying alongside these men. Something which the film does with some fine CGI work that creates everything from early war Hawaii, to the ships and planes involved. Combined with all the other tricks of the trade, from the editing of Adam Wolfe to the score from frequent Emmerich collaborators Thomas Wander and Harald Kloser, the result is some of the finest aerial dogfights you're likely to see anytime soon.
The final thing on our Emmerich checklist regards the script. As has been the case throughout his career, but especially in the last decade or so, he's a director with a habit of getting ones full of interesting ideas but often cliched or merely functional dialogue. Midway, though based around historical events, does suffer from some of these faults as well, especially where its dialogue is concerned though the actors do their best with it, helping to mitigate the worst of it.
On the other hand, it's the historical elements that make Midway stand out. In presenting what is essentially a Cliff Notes version of the early Pacific War, Emmerich and writer Wes Tooke pack a largely accurate history lesson inside an action movie. Viewers get to see battles going down, the decisions leading up to them, and what it was like to face life and death during them. It allows the film to cover a lot of ground in a mere138 minutes, something which isn't always to its advantage (as the short-shifting of things like the Doolittle Raid and an underutilized Aaron Eckhart can attest). Despite that, it's hard not to think of it as the best script he's had since at least 2012 and maybe even longer ago than that.
Indeed, one might go so far as to call it Emmerich's best film since that 2009 outing. It has all the ingredients of his better work, as well as some of the flaws, and tells a fascinating real-life story to boot. Along the way, it also proves one adage to still be true: that truth can be just as compelling, and stranger, than fiction.