I recently saw the movie Midway. I know most individuals who saw the movie complained of a convoluted plot, poor script and too much CGI. Others said there were historical errors or they glossed over too many important points. In fact the negative reviews almost stoped me from seeing it. But in the end I am glad I ignored them and saw the movie.
I am not an expert in the war in the Pacific. I have read Walter Lord's Incredible Victory and it created a fascination with carrier operations. That, and the Old Avalon Hill game Midway. So I went to the movie to see planes flying, carriers turning in to the wind to launch planes and the like. I wanted historical entertainment, not a documentary. And I got all that with this movie.
The CGI gave me the opportunity to see WW2 carriers. Not modern carriers. Good old flat tops as they were. It also gave me a glimpse into what a dive bomber did. Where the explosion over the top? Ya, but I could live with it.
It also got me hunting down questions afterwards. I picked up the book Carrier Operations from Amazon. I looked up most of the people mentioned in the movie. I think they did a good job with all of them. I was particularly amazed reading about the actual Bruno Peter Gaido. Check it out at https://markloveshistory.com/2017/06/05/bruno-peter-gaido-and-the-battle-of-midway/
Little things I liked included the sets for the night club scene. Great period music and feel. Best clothing diverge period. The code breakers room. Again the great Carriers. My daughter taught in China for a year so the part with Doolittle and the sacrifice the Chinese people made during the war was heart breaking and moving. And lastly the ground crew doing a FOD walk in the deck of the carrier! a throw away scene but I loved it and a important part of the operations. Outstanding!
(All pictures in this posting were captured on the internet and were from the movie. These appear to be in the public domain.)
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