Midway

I missed Roland Emmerich's "Midway" when it bowed in theaters, but I can attest to the fact that, on the smaller (but big) HD screen, the film is an enjoyable, often campy, sometimes compelling mess. Oh, it's not "Pearl Harbor" horrific, and most of the actors do their best with a wholly clunky script that plays like an homage to John Wayne "war pictures," but this "Midway" was made for the ADHD generation.

The Battle of Midway, for those who were absent that day in history class or just not paying attention, was the WWII moment, in 1942 that turned the tide for the Allies and paved the way for our victory.

The creators would have you believe that they brought something new and authentic to the telling of this legendary tale. And if all-CGI-action sequences and lofty and pretentious dialogue amounts to new and real, then, okay. Otherwise, the better options are either the 1976 Jack Smight-directed film with its own all-star cast that included Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda and Robert Mitchum (utilizing the rare Sensurround process) or Dan Curtis's astonishing episode from the 1988-89 "War and Remembrance" miniseries (highly recommended).

Emmerich's credits include "Independence Day," "Godzilla," "The Patriot" and the horribly misguided, "Stonewall." So if you're a fan of these heavy-handed titles, then "Midway" might just be your brand of history.

This incarnation does have Woody Harrelson, Patrick Wilson and Luke Evans trying their best to transcend the clich� trappings of Wes Tooke's lousy screenplay. And the one thing it does really well is tell the Japanese side of the story. Unfortunately, the film's main character is Lt. Dick Best (no I did not make that up–he was a real WWII bomber pilot) and he's played by Ed Skrein, in a laughably bad performance.

The film looks decent on Blu-ray, if you can deal with the onslaught of overproduced CGI. Sound is great as is the score by Harald Kloser and Thomas Wander.

I must mention that there is much homoeroticism to be found in this "Midway," not to mention phallic imagery. And every once in a while the dialogue actually sounds a bit like gay porn. ("You gonna straighten those boys out?") There is nothing overt, of course (because all war heroes were straight), but the gaze is definitely for gays.

The Blu-ray disc contains a bunch of Special Features including five featurettes (that amount to about an hour) providing historical background and including many of the actors babbling about how accurate the film is as well as proclamations about openly-gay Emmerich's dedication to making it. Actual survivors are also featured. The director provides a chatty commentary where he proudly admits that most of the film is CGI, and, not surprisingly, never speaks to the homoerotic content. The theatrical trailer is also included.

The best line in the film is delivered, with gusto, by Nick Jonas and is probably what Emmerich would say to me after reading this review.

"Midway"
Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray, DVD, Digital)
$19.99
https://www.lionsgate.com/movies/midway