The Battle of Midway Island (hereinafter referred to as Midway Island) has been in theaters for more than a week and has received a lot of praise, but there are also many doubts. Here, I mainly start with the narrative techniques (plots) and characters, and talk about my own views. First of all, I must explain the author's attitude towards this film. As a military and history enthusiast, I believe that Midway Island has basically restored all the historical events and characters it contains. Based on this alone, I can give this movie 9 points. Some viewers criticized the special effects of this film. For this, the author believes that 3D modeling should not be overly demanding, not to mention that the cost of this film is only about 100 million US dollars, which is already very good. In addition, there are audiences who criticized the story of the film for being too long. I will give my own opinions later in the article. Narrative From the perspective of narrative techniques, Midway Island is a typical chronological multi-line narrative. Let's take a look at the unfolding of the plot in time. The beginning of the film is about the conversation between Yamamoto Fifty-Six and Edwin Leighton on the eve of the war, which also explains the cause of the war. Then came the Pearl Harbor incident that we all know well. Some viewers compared this clip with the "Pearl Harbor" of the explosive shell and thought that this clip was not as good as "Pearl Harbor". It is true that the special effects here are indeed inadequate compared to Pearl Harbor, but the Pearl Harbor incident is only part of the narrative of the film, and does not require too much inking, so the comparison is understandable. The Pearl Harbor incident was followed by the Battle of the Marshall Islands, which is also the novelty of this movie. In the past, similar movies rarely mentioned the immediate battle of the Marshall Islands, and there were indeed not many highlights in this battle. However, this film conveys two messages. One is that the torpedoes of the US military are difficult to handle, and the other is to exaggerate the courage and superb flying skills of the protagonist Dick Best. This also paved the way for the portrayal of subsequent characters. After the Battle of the Marshall Islands, the style of painting changed to the famous Dolittle air raid, followed by the Coral Sea battle, and the final climax of the movie, the Battle of Midway. Some viewers criticized the film for being too long and the editing of the footage was chaotic, giving people the feeling of running accounts. But the author believes that this is precisely the success of this film. It connects many events together and sets the stage for the previous events to highlight the preparations made before the final war. The U.S. Navy, Army Aviation and The sacrifices made by the Chinese people and the hard-won victory. This, together with the final summary of multiple story lines, highlights the center of the movie, the Battle of Midway Island. The ability to connect so many historical events together and present them to the audience in a clear and orderly manner is enough to reflect the director's narrative level. And think that the camera editing is chaotic, which may be caused by not being used to multi-line narrative. Let's analyze the multiple story lines of this movie. The author believes that the film has four main story lines: one is the story line of the US HNA pilots represented by the protagonist; the second is the story line of the US military intelligence team represented by Major Leiden; and the third is the story of the US Navy command. Line; the fourth is the story line of the Japanese joint fleet. The four story lines intersect with each other, presenting the battle in a more comprehensive way before the audience. There are both "little people" and big people; there are both small patterns and large patterns. Everyone in this war is on paper. From the different perspectives of the United States and Japan, this is vividly and three-dimensionally displayed. A crucial battle, but also allows the audience to have a more objective evaluation of all these historical figures. Character Best In the entry point of the characters, this movie is also ingenious. The film chose Dick Best as the protagonist, which is also unique. Judging from the content of this movie, the pilots of Hainan Airlines must be chosen as the protagonists, because they are the direct participants in this battle. Among them, Best is the only pilot who sank two aircraft carriers in one day. At the same time, his character and fighting spirit are the representatives of all pilots participating in the war, which is the highlight of the film. So choosing Dick Best as the protagonist is really appropriate. At the beginning of the film, the Besters staggered and landed on the deck in order to create a "mechanical failure", which attracted a burst of exclamations from their comrades. This not only embodies his adventurous spirit to the fullest, but also pave the way for his ambivalence after being promoted to squadron captain. At the end of the film, Best’s aircraft suffered multiple malfunctions, which were the same as those made by others at the beginning of the film. In the end, he landed on deck safely. The seemingly unnecessary plot finally formed a perfect response. Leighton Ed Winleton was an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy at the time. From the perspective of future generations, he himself did not have much responsibility for the Pearl Harbor incident. But the film jumped out of this certain mentality, restoring his true feelings at the time-guilt. At the same time, it was his unique insights and outstanding business capabilities that ultimately helped the US fleet win the war. And this has been foreshadowed long ago. At the same time, it is precisely because of his unique insights that Rochester, who is eclectic and appointing him, finally played a key role in the deciphering of intelligence. Nimitz Nimitz is undoubtedly the big man in the film. And this movie also restores Nimitz's character-gentle and humble, cautious, and knowledgeable. When taking over as commander of the Pacific Fleet, Nimitz was undoubtedly facing tremendous pressure. It was his caution that underlined the pressure and responsibility he faced. Later, when the joint fleet's course of action was determined on the eve of the war, he also asked Leiden for every detail. When Best called by his first name and asked "when will we take us to fight the Japanese", he did not hold Best to blame, but was relieved that the grass-roots officers and soldiers still had fighting spirit. This is confirmed by his gentle and humble character and exhilarating sense of humor. And his appointment of Leiden and his trust in Rochester, who is unruffled, all embodied his knowledgeable, eclectic character. It was such a commander who led the U.S. military to victory in the Pacific War. Halsey Lieutenant General Halsey (later four-star general) is undoubtedly a big figure in the play. Although there are not many shots in the film, the character of "Bull Bull" is also very clear. He has a brave personality and always thinks about fighting the Japanese army; but at the same time he treats his subordinates very easy-going, and personally meets Bruno who shot down the sun machine. At the same time, he also promoted McCluskey and Best, which is not unrelated to his character. The women in the play The women in the play are also remarkable. On the one hand, they are worried that their husband will die on the battlefield, and on the other hand, they are willing to abandon their small family for the sake of the country. For example, when the war broke out, Best’s wife did not want him to go to heaven, but when she learned that her husband insisted on fighting the Japanese and wanted her and her family to withdraw to New Jersey, she chose to stay in Hawaii again; Leiden’s wife because of her husband’s tirelessness She worried about his health and prevented him from continuing to work, but when Leiden mentioned that he was working for the thousands of Americans behind her, she chose to support her husband... There is not a passion scene in the film that is uncharacteristically normal, but the actors use their actions, looks, expressions, and voices to reflect their love for their husbands. In fact, these great women did use their actions to interpret their love for their husbands. The plot "little people" and the big picture "In this era, no one is a small person." Compared with the most powerful generals, these frontline pilots are indeed small people. But it is these little people who are fighting one after another, which ultimately determines the direction of the whole world. Before the battle, Best didn't know that he could sink two aircraft carriers in one day. He just wanted to fight bravely. But in the end he became the key person to determine the outcome of the war. And the sacrifices of thousands of families resulted in the victory of the entire war. Every family is a small structure, but thousands of families add up to promote the overall development of war. This is also the most touching place behind this film. Small contradictions and big plots Lieutenant Colonel Lindsay and Lieutenant Best had a holiday. Lieutenant Colonel Lindsay was accidentally injured in a training before the war, but he did not escape the battle because of this. Instead, he chose to lead the torpedo squadron as the vanguard. Before the war, Best tried to persuade Lieutenant Colonel Lindsay not to take part in the battle, but Lieutenant Colonel Lindsay refused, and the two let go of their suspicions. In the face of national and ethnic conflicts, personal grievances are not worth mentioning, and disappear in an instant. On the battlefield, there is no personal grievances between comrades-in-arms, only brotherhood. In summary, there are many notable places in Midway Island, but the space is limited, so I won't repeat them one by one. Although it is a film with the main theme of the United States, the author, as a Chinese, still sees some plots in tears. Those brave American pilots who rushed to the Japanese ships with intensive artillery fire were heroes. Of course, those who left a name are worthy of respect, but those who did not leave a name are also worthy of respect. Respect for heroes regardless of nationality.
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