MIDWAY Trailer

I hope they don’t muck this up!

The CGI does not look that good

I do not think it will do that well, WW2 occurred a long time ago and I doubt most younger movie goers will have much interest in it

Rexedgar said:

I hope they don’t muck this up!

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I hope they won't either. The prior Midway movie, released some 30 or 40 years ago sucked bigtime - even by the standards of the era. And the last PH movie was horrible.

The Midway story, without the needless personal melodramas is so intriguing and complex on its own, any stupid attempt to impose a fictional storyline beyond its history will only ruin it (as would a less than perfect CGI product or subbing CGI when actual physical props are necessary).

The other concern I have is over history itself. Very detailed studies and biographies have revised (or imploded) many of the semi-myths surrounding the battle. Of particular interest to me is whether or not they debunk the "late scout plane" launching as detrimental to Japanese early warning, the nuanced role of both Nimitz and Rochefort in overcoming Washington and the Redmond brothers (scum in my book), and the somewhat dubious claim that protective Japanese zeros were "pulled" down to attack the torpedo bombers and that is why they missed the US dive bombers.

Finally, after much reading on this battle, I came to the conclusion that Rochefort, Brown (Ex Officer of Enterprise), and Nimitz deserve the greatest singular credits - ironically the first two mentioned became black sheep due to politics (some of it deserved in the case of Brown).

Lord Tammerlain said:

The CGI does not look that good

I do not think it will do that well, WW2 occurred a long time ago and I doubt most younger movie goers will have much interest in it

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I agree with the bolded. I rarely see a first run in a theater. More about the other patrons than the content. “Dunkirk’ was a disappointment, relied too heavily on CGI. I agree as to the movie-going public finding the topic dated, as well. I find the topic fascinating, so I won’t get my hope up; hard to predict how soon films become available outside theaters.

maxparrish said:

I hope they won't either. The prior Midway movie, released some 30 or 40 years ago sucked bigtime - even by the standards of the era. And the last PH movie was horrible.

The Midway story, without the needless personal melodramas is so intriguing and complex on its own, any stupid attempt to impose a fictional storyline beyond its history will only ruin it (as would a less than perfect CGI product or subbing CGI when actual physical props are necessary).

The other concern I have is over history itself. Very detailed studies and biographies have revised (or imploded) many of the semi-myths surrounding the battle. Of particular interest to me is whether or not they debunk the "late scout plane" launching as detrimental to Japanese early warning, the nuanced role of both Nimitz and Rochefort in overcoming Washington and the Redmond brothers (scum in my book), and the somewhat dubious claim that protective Japanese zeros were "pulled" down to attack the torpedo bombers and that is why they missed the US dive bombers.

Finally, after much reading on this battle, I came to the conclusion that Rochefort, Brown (Ex Officer of Enterprise), and Nimitz deserve the greatest singular credits - ironically the first two mentioned became black sheep due to politics (some of it deserved in the case of Brown).

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Yes, the last Midway movie was a dog.

Rexedgar said:

I agree with the bolded. I rarely see a first run in a theater. More about the other patrons than the content. “Dunkirk’ was a disappointment, relied too heavily on CGI. I agree as to the movie-going public finding the topic dated, as well. I find the topic fascinating, so I won’t get my hope up; hard to predict how soon films become available outside theaters.

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I'm trying to withhold judgement on the CGI. As it happens, my TV seems to make even the best CGI look fake, no matter how good it is in the theater. Its a weird effect.

TomFitz said:

Yes, the last Midway movie was a dog.

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It was ok for the time. Hard to judge the movie fairly after it got one interested in reading more on the subject. One the same plane as “ Battle of the Bulge.”

The guy who directed Independence Day? I doubt this will be any good- watching the preview it looks like that awful Pearl Harbor movie with Ben Affleck.

PoS said:

The guy who directed Independence Day? I doubt this will be any good- watching the preview it looks like that awful Pearl Harbor movie with Ben Affleck.

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That was the vibe I was getting

If they do the story right, they will have to somehow convey how bad off we were before Midway.
Pearl Harbor did in fact take out most of our Pacific Fleet, and only by luck were our Carriers not in port.
I will go see the movie, simply because I see lots of movies. I hope it is good.

Rexedgar said:

I hope they don’t muck this up!

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The trailer doesn't look like they're trying a direct remake of the 1976 classic. That would be a tough one to live up to.

Rexedgar said:

I agree with the bolded. I rarely see a first run in a theater. More about the other patrons than the content. “Dunkirk’ was a disappointment, relied too heavily on CGI. I agree as to the movie-going public finding the topic dated, as well. I find the topic fascinating, so I won’t get my hope up; hard to predict how soon films become available outside theaters.

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Dunkirk relied too heavily on CGI? I would say they did not use enough.

Movies tend to come out very quickly on DVD/Blu-ray/4K very quickly these days usually only 1-3 months.

Lutherf said:

The trailer doesn't look like they're trying a direct remake of the 1976 classic. That would be a tough one to live up to.

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There were a few that weren’t happy with the ‘76 version. I remember it as fairly good, not great; somewhat similar to 1965’s Battle of the Bulge.

Carjosse said:

Dunkirk relied too heavily on CGI? I would say they did not use enough.

Movies tend to come out very quickly on DVD/Blu-ray/4K very quickly these days usually only 1-3 months.

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I didn’t think the “cockpit scenes’ were done very well, as far as CGI.

My observation is that the better the film does in the theater, the longer it takes to come to another medium.

Rexedgar said:

It was ok for the time. Hard to judge the movie fairly after it got one interested in reading more on the subject. One the same plane as “ Battle of the Bulge.”

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My dad fought during the Battle of the Bulge. When we went to see the movie together, he sat there mumbling under his breath "where's the snow, where's the goddamn snow?" The movie had been advertised as "Sensaround," feel the explosions. A gimmick that didn't work. Made my dad laugh.

OldFatGuy said:

My dad fought during the Battle of the Bulge. When we went to see the movie together, he sat there mumbling under his breath "where's the snow, where's the goddamn snow?" The movie had been advertised as "Sensaround," feel the explosions. A gimmick that didn't work. Made my dad laugh.

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Pops was in the Huertgen Forest in fall/winter 1944.

Rexedgar said:

There were a few that weren’t happy with the ‘76 version. I remember it as fairly good, not great; somewhat similar to 1965’s Battle of the Bulge.

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The '76 movie was really good if you knew the history of the battle. If you just went for pure entertainment value it would have been a little difficult to digest.

Rexedgar said:

I didn’t think the “cockpit scenes’ were done very well, as far as CGI.

My observation is that the better the film does in the theater, the longer it takes to come to another medium.

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That sounds like a nitpicky detail. I have bought the 4K Bluray for a lot of movies while they were still in theatres, I think they are much more consistent now.

Rexedgar said:

Pops was in the Huertgen Forest in fall/winter 1944.

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Lucky to have survived. One of the harshest battles for the GI's during the war. Incredible numbers of American casualties, partly from poor leadership.

'44 and 43 were incredibly cold winters. My dad told me of a fellow who had been black marketing wool socks sent from home, sent from his father's factory. The bitter cold changed his mind, he started giving them away to his fellow soldiers. Dry socks, worth more than gold.

Lutherf said:

The trailer doesn't look like they're trying a direct remake of the 1976 classic. That would be a tough one to live up to.

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Well, I haven't seen the movie in more than 40 years so perhaps my impression would change, but I was disappointed (things like using outtakes from Tora, Tora, Tora...a pretty decent movie). Also I didn't like the personal storyline (something about a Heston's son and romantic interests.)

Moreover it would NOT be tough to beat the prior Midway film IF the filmmakers took the history as is, and gave it the proper biographical and character sketchs without turning the movie into "shoot-em up" fighter scenes.

Among the many nuances I'd like to see:

Admiral King as the stubborn and often raging SOB he was, and how Nimitz's quiet personality handled him.

Rochefort as the unsung hero, whose brilliance and that of his handling of his building of his unit made victory possible.

Nimitz's increasing confidence of the superior decrypt analysis of his own unit at Pearl, and the intricate postulations and dead ends prior to getting it right on Japanese intentions (including the ruse setup by Rochefort's group to prove to Nimitz, with Nimitz's permission (but kept from King by Nimitz), on "AF" being midway.)

Nimitz's use of Halsey to intentionally "show" the fleet to be elsewhere than Pearl in the days after Coral sea, near other tertiary targets (Ocean and Nehru). The bait worked.

The role of Miles Browning, the Chief executive to Halsey, whose academic work included a major paper on the importance of timing a strike while the enemy was pausing to land returning airmen.

The intricate Japanese internal debate and politics of compromise that created the flawed plan (as well as the coverup of the loss in Japan...even hiding the extent of the defeat from the Army for a year or two).

Admiral Theobald's botched efforts and positioning to defend the Aleutians.

And much more...

OldFatGuy said:

Lucky to have survived. One of the harshest battles for the GI's during the war. Incredible numbers of American casualties, partly from poor leadership.

'44 and 43 were incredibly cold winters. My dad told me of a fellow who had been black marketing wool socks sent from home, sent from his father's factory. The bitter cold changed his mind, he started giving them away to his fellow soldiers. Dry socks, worth more than gold.

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Yep, Hurtgen forest, Peleliu, and the failure to close the Falsie gap are all good examples of tragic failures by allied commanders and planners.

maxparrish said:

Yep, Hurtgen forest, Peleliu, and the failure to close the Falsie gap are all good examples of tragic failures by allied commanders and planners.

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There are times to hate spell checkers. Falaise Gap. Falsie gaps are a problem for early adolescent girls. As a grandfather I have a developed sense for those things.

Lord Tammerlain said:

That was the vibe I was getting

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It looks to me like theyre covering the same thing- there's scenes from the Pearl Harbor attack, then the Doolittle Raid and then Midway. No single pilot ever participated in all three battles.

And in the second preview it shows a pilot evading a Zero by putting his Dauntless dive bomber in a climb and then stalling- that never happened.

I predict this movie will suck butt.

PoS said:

It looks to me like theyre covering the same thing- there's scenes from the Pearl Harbor attack, then the Doolittle Raid and then Midway. No single pilot ever participated in all three battles.

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Charlton Heston. God can do whatever he likes.

OldFatGuy said:

Charlton Heston. God can do whatever he likes.

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He cant lose when he gets on a chariot.