Saw the Midway Movie yesterday...

10 Nov 2019 | US Navy Vet

[FrdmLvr]

My father-in-Law, who’s since passed, hated the Japs and that stayed with him his entire life. He did fight in the Pacific.

[SkyDancer]

It was mentioned that the fighting was individual rather than a continuing action; in the actual battle it was continually ongoing. See:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd8_vO5zrjo

[ryderann]

I loved Hal Holbrook’s character.

[TomServo]

Yeah - Great actor in a ‘B’ movie...

[sphinx]

Woody Harrelson has turned into an interesting actor. He's come a long way from Woody Boyd (who was an engaging place to begin). His off-screen aging hippie peccadilloes give him a perpetual less-than-fully-respectable/you-wouldn't-want-your-daughter-to-meet-him air; he reminds me of Jack Nicholson in that regard. But he keeps showing up in unexpected roles and, in my estimation, doing a great job, usually with some offbeat twist that makes his character memorable. Any movie involves suspension of disbelief by the audience. In Woody's case, this extends to getting over the, "They cast Woody Harrelson for that?" reaction.

[TXnMA]

Saw it yesterday, too (82nd birthday present). Studied the battle in detail, well in advance -- including good timeline videos. Was able to pick out each flight (Midway and carrier-based) and, follow it to its conclusion -- but, it wasn't easy. (As expected, the drama didn't maintain a consistent orientation WRT N-S, but the movements of ships and planes appeared to be authentic.

IMO, the vertical dives onto the carriers overemphasized the concentration of AA fire/tracers -- but, I never dive-bombed a carrier, either. I did, however, apprectiate the faithful depiction of how ineffective the torpedo attacks were, versus how a few dive bombers devastated the carriers (due to penetration into fuel / ordnance-loaded hangar decks.

In particular, I found the carrier-deck depictions to be outstanding -- even down to the quivering RF antennas on the planes.

Like others, I was disappointed in the cursory coverage of the Yorktown, and felt the antiquated nature of the Buffalos and Wildcats from Midway was glossed-over.

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All in all, though, simply making such a complex 4-D melee was extremely difficult; I felt they did about as comprehensible presentation of it as could be expected.

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Bottom line: Good Movie! I'll buy the DVD/Blu-Ray when it's available -- so I can study the overwhelming details.

TXnMA
  

[sphinx]

The battle from what I gather turned on an hour window where the Japs were most vulnerable to an air attack.

It turned mainly on which fleet spotted the others' carriers first, and got in the first strike. That could have gone either way. The fact that we knew the Japanese were coming and they didn't know we were waiting gave us an edge, but the coin still could easily have landed tails instead of heads.

[BradyLS]

You are too kind, ThankyouRush! Free Republic is my sole outlet for writing anything. And there are many FReepers whose abilities with writing and putting ideas across I admire. If I thought I could speak and write on a level with Mark Steyn, I’d take a swing at it.

[originalbuckeye]

Every time Harrelson surfaces, my husband and I start singing ‘Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly’ or say the line ‘Chattel? Don’t you mean cattle?’. He’ll always be Woody Boyd to us.

[big'ol_freeper]

I’m looking forward to seeing it.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Heston’s son falling in love with a Japanese girl made it much worse.***
You have to have some “love interest” in it to keep your date happy.
Why do you think so many movies of that time had a woman written into what was an all male script.

Guns of Navarone comes to mind. No women in the book, but are in the movie.

[FlipWilson]

The torpedo attacks were effective, in a way. They pulled down the fighter cap to water level clearing the way for the dive bombers.

[romanesq]

“I thought that this Midway Move was MUCH better that the 1976 Midway Movie. “

Cool.

[lodi90]

Awesome to hear it’s good. I was dreading another Hollywood WW2 fubar. Going to go see it today with my family.

[BradyLS]

That was one thing the ‘76 movie has over the new one: spotlighting the role of the Navy’s PBY Catalina flying boats in finding the Japanese carriers first.

[yldstrk]

The movie at the theater is too loud and overwhelming. I like to watch it at home. Will look forward to this one.

[warsaw44]

I was thinking if they screw this movie up and it’s a box office bomb we’d never see another WWII film.

But as this is doing well maybe Hollywood will use more WWII subject matter.

I’d love to see a film or series on the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

[lodi90]

As they say, it was five minutes that changed history. Could have gone either way.

Amusing to see all the negative reviews while the theater goers rave about it. Even Military Times!

[Tijeras_Slim]

“Go for Broke”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9LFT_lX-Z8