“So, what’s the target?”…“We believe it’s Midway.”

The new action-packed film, Midway (2019), gives the audience a deeper look into the battle that changed the tide of World War II in the Pacific. After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7^th 1941, it seemed as if the United States Navy was crippled, and would be going no where for a long time. When Admiral Chester Nimitz, played by Woody Harrelson in the film, is appointed to be the admiral of the United States Navy, he decides to flip the switch on the Japanese.

Quickly repairing as many ships as possible, Nimitz gets all available Navy vessels out to sea in the Pacific. Meanwhile back in Pearl, Intelligence Officer Edwin Layton, played by Patrick Wilson, spends countless hours trying to figure out where the Japanese will strike next. Thanks to the help of a group of decoders, who were actually band members of a battleship that was hit at Pearl Harbor, the United States is able to pick the exact date, time, location, and direction the Japanese will attack from. This time, it will be the Americans who have the element of surprise.

This is actually not the first movie made depicting the Battle of Midway. Charlton Heston and Henry Fonda’s 1976 film Midway was produced with Sensurround, which was a new 3D feature back in the day. These effects caught the attention of thousands during 1976, and it was a major hit.

A few other main characters in the new Midway film are Lt. Richard “Dick” Best, played by Ed Skrein, who is a hotshot, executive officer of the Sixth Bombing Squadron based on the USS Enterprise. Dick is a pilot who likes to work on his own, and prefers to only worry about himself than leading others. Unfortunately for him, he is made squadron leader, and has to learn how to lead his men in a way of not getting them killed. Another main character in the film is Lt. Commander Wade McClusky, played by Luke Evans. McClusky serves as the Air group commander on the USS Enterprise, and is in charge of keeping men like Dick in line, and keeping the air support on the Enterprise sharp.

Another minor character in Midway would be Dick’s wife Anne Best, played by Mandy Moore. Anne and her daughter are the only reason, it seems, that Dick makes it home after every flight. Keeping a picture of his wife in his plane, it always reminds Dick of what he’s fighting for.

The special effects used in this movie are outstanding, and the animations are beyond unbelievable. During dive bombing runs in the movie, it seems as if you are the pilot, flying down directly towards a Japanese carrier, with antiaircraft guns blasting all over.

Midway was one of the biggest naval battles for the United States in history. With all the odds stacked against them, and completely outnumbered by the Japanese fleet, they used what they had and were able to deliver a stunning blow to the Japanese. The film of Midway shows the true meaning of being an underdog in a fight, but never giving up till the last man is standing.