Midway (1976) – A DVD Review
Is Midway the Greatest World War II Flick of all Time? Vote Now!
a Reveiw by Sargent Slaughter
It’s not really clear if Midway was intended as a theatrical movie and then expanded for television viewing, or if it was shot was a television miniseries and then cut down to 132 minutes for theatrical release. Whatever the case may be, Midway is one Hollywood war movie that should never have made it to the big screen. It simply doesn’t deserve to be there.
For those unfamiliar with the plot of this hash, I will enlighten thee: In June of 1942, the Japanese planned a surprise attack on the American naval base at Midway Island. This would give them access to an airstrip from which they could attack the American mainland. American code breakers stumbled upon this plan, and the US Navy rushed out to the Pacific to engage the Japanese task force. It became one of the most significant turning points in the Pacific theater. Sounds like a mighty entertaining premise for a movie, doesn’t it? Eh, think again.
I’ll be honest: as a little kid of age 8 or 9, I loved Midway. TNT used to show the miniseries version every Memorial Day, and it was something I refused to miss. Those aerial dogfights were terrific. Almost 10 years later, with another 300 war movies under my belt, I can say am not proud of those days of my youth. Everything about Midway is bad, except, maybe, Hal Holbrook’s performance. Don’t want to take my word for it? Well, I’ve got evidence to back up my claims.
