Blu-ray Review: 'Midway' (2019)

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© 2020 Summit Entertainment. Movie © 2019 Midway Island Productions
This review is about the Blu-ray release of Roland Emmerich's 2019 war film, Midway, and its features. It is not a review of the film itself. Readers who want to find out more about the film can read my review from November 2019 here: Midway film review

On Tuesday, February 18, Lionsgate Films released the home media edition of Midway, a 2019 World War II historical drama written by Wes Tooke and directed by Roland Emmerich, the German filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer best known for Stargate, Independence Day, The Patriot, and The Day After Tomorrow. As is common in the home entertainment industry, Lionsgate, in association with Midway Island Productions, bundled the 138-minutes-long film in a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital combo pack.
Midway centers on the Battle of Midway, a clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy which marked a pivotal turning point in the Pacific Theater during WWII. This film, based on the real-life events of this heroic feat, tells the stories of the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude, and bravery to overcome the odds. - Back cover blurb, Midway

What's Under the Slipcover?

Released just over three months after the film's theatrical premiere, the Blu-ray edition of Midway - the second all-star cast about this particular battle since the 1976 film with which it shares its title - presents this take on the epic battle in glorious 1080p widescreen video and Dolby Atmos sound. 

The Blu-ray/DVD/Digital combo I purchased at Amazon contains:

  • Midway feature film and extra features on a BD-50 Blu-ray disc
  • Midway feature film and extra features on a DVD
  • Midway streaming copy code (for movieredeem,com)
Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment also included the following extra features:

  • Audio Commentary by Roland Emmerich
  • Getting It Right: The Making of Midway
  • The Men of Midway
  • Roland Emmerich: Man on a Mission
  • Turning Point: The Legacy of Midway
  • Joe Rochefort: Breaking the Japanese Code
  • We Met at Midway: Two Survivors Remember
  • Theatrical Trailer


My Take

While I was not bowled over by the 2019 version of Midway, I didn't hate Emmerich's film, either. Despite its fair share of flaws (the film is exceedingly gore-free for a film that depicts not one but several battles, including the Pearl Harbor raid, the first American sorties against Japanese bases in the Central Pacific, the Doolittle Raid, the Battle of the Coral Sea, as well as Midway itself), it is more historically accurate than its 1976 namesake. 

Viewed on a nice 40" HD set connected to a 5.1 home theater sound system, Emmerich's Midway looks and sounds great. I'm not an expert on audio-visual tech, but I was happy to see that the movie's strongest assets ﹘ its state of the art visual and sound effects ﹘ come to the fore, at least on our widescreen TV and sound system. I felt as though I was flying along with the SBD Dauntless dive bombers andTBD Devastator torpedo planes in the Pacific Fleet's do-or-die attack against the four Japanese aircraft carriers of the Kido Butai while I watched Midway. 

Interestingly, the home media edition of Midway kept the theatrical release's original 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Usually, most studios adjust the home media release's aspect ratio slightly from the "movie screen" original, but Lionsgate didn't do it with Midway. 

The supplements found on the Blu-ray and DVD are the usual mix of audio commentary on the feature film and several short documentaries about the making of Midway and, of course, about the true-life events that are recreated in the movie. I have not listened to Emmerich's commentary, but I watched the featurettes. 

On the whole, the behind-the-scenes and historical materials were watchable but too brief for my taste. I would have preferred a more in-depth documentary that blended a longer account of how and why the film was made. I also think a longer documentary about the events that led up to the Battle of Midway, as well as material about the aftermath, would be welcomed by World War II buffs. 

Nevertheless, the home edition of Midway is still worth at least a rental screening, even though the film still has issues with its storytelling choices and historical gaffes. 

Midway Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Specs



Video
  • Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
  • Resolution: 1080p
  • Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
  • Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Audio
  • English: Dolby Atmos
  • English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
  • English: Dolby Digital 2.0
  • Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
  • Note: DD 2.0 = Late night audio track.

Subtitles
  • English SDH, Spanish

Discs
  • Blu-ray Disc
  • Two-disc set (1 BD-50, 1 DVD)

Digital
  • Digital copy included

Packaging
  • Slipcover in original pressing

Playback
  • Region A 

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