Midway

Despite a crowded cast of famous actors, this WW II adventure falls flat because of its claustrophobic sets, cliche dialog, and hackneyed story. MIDWAY's best action sequence is the bombing run on Tokyo during the opening credits, which is lifted wholly from the black-and-white film THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO, tinted in red for insertion in this color production. The overlong story concerns events leading up to and including the Battle of Midway (fought in June 1942), when planes from US carriers utterly destroyed a Japanese invasion fleet, sinking four enemy carriers. A corny subplot deals with Capt. Matt Garth (Charlton Heston), whose ensign son, Tom (Edward Alber...