The opinions, viewpoints, and beliefs expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the opinions, viewpoints, or beliefs of the Titan Times newspaper, Tuscarora High School or Frederick County Public Schools.

What is war?  The feeling of dodging bullets?  Plains flying through smoke, fire, and ashes?  The struggle to outsmart your enemy, staying ahead of the curve?  The sadness of the families that are left behind?  Well, 2019’s Midway has all of these things.  This film does it’s best to cover how and why the United States gets involved in World War 2 through likeable characters.

The first thing to know about this movie is that it is a watered-down war movie.  What does that mean?  Well, war in general is rough and painful for everyone involved.  A lot of the time, this can’t be shown on screen without pushing the envelope; this movie does not push the envelope.  Instead of showing the gore of war, it tends to focus on the effect the war has on those involved.

The main and many secondary characters are pretty interesting.  Edwin Layton, for example, is an air force pilot who loves to quip and joke around, while still being responsible and relatable to the audience.  The minor characters are also entertaining.  My personal favorite is Rochefort, the code breaker.

My one drawback on the film is that it is to broad.  Instead of focusing on the battle of Midway, it jumps around.  It shows pearl harbor, the Battle of the Coral Sea, and the interactions between the Chinese and Japanese.  Though these are all important, it makes the movie scatter brained and takes time away from developing the Japanese as character or a naval power.