"Midway" - Worth Seeing

We decided to take in a movie yesterday.  The weather was lousy and not conducive to much enjoyment of anything outdoors, so we went to see "Midway."

I have to admit that I was skeptical of any "remake" of one of the great war movies of my youth, but I was completely impressed by this one.  It was better in many ways than the one made back in 1976. 

The Battle of Midway, which occurred between June 4 and June 7, 1942, was a major turning point in the war in the Pacific.  After Pearl Harbor the U.S. needed to strike a blow against the Japanese carrier groups and in the Battle of Midway successfully destroyed four Japanese carriers.

After the "intelligence failure" of Pearl Harbor and the disastrous impact it had on the Pacific fleet, the U.S. determined to strike back.  Several initiatives were launched including Doolittle's Raid against the Japanese homeland (April 18) and the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4-8).  The Doolittle Raid was largely symbolic in that it showed the ability of the U.S. to strike Japan, but it also was a psychological blow to the Japanese who believed their country was invulnerable to attack.  The Battle of the Coral Sea was the first major sea battle involving opposing carrier groups in which the sea forces never sighted each other.  The battle was fought from the air.

I won't spoil the movie for you, but I do highly recommend you go and see it.  There are a couple of minor "historical glitches" in it, but overall, extremely well done.  The biggest surprise to me was Woody Harrelson as Chester W. Nimitz.  He played the part perfectly.  I also would encourage you to follow the links and read the history before you go to see the movie.