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Midway (1976)

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Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Jack Smight

Producer:

Walter Mirisch

Writer:

Donald S. Sanford

Runtime:

2hr 12m

Synopsis

A dramatization of the battle that was widely heralded as a turning point of the Pacific Theatre of World War II.

Cast

  • Charlton Heston
  • Henry Fonda
  • James Coburn
  • Glenn Ford
  • Hal Holbrook
  • Toshirô Mifune
  • Robert Mitchum
  • Cliff Robertson
  • Robert Wagner
  • Robert Webber

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.2
11.8K
3.8K
1.8K
RATINGS 12 FANS
3.2
  • Feb 13, 2026

    Somehow feels like it was made for $10,000. At the beginning there’s a disclaimer that’s like “we used real battle footage whenever possible to be as authentic as possible” and it immediately cuts to an aerial shot of California from the 1944 movie 30 Seconds Over Tokyo.…

    68 Likes
    Hesse
    Hesse
    Oct 5, 2024

    Trying to motivate myself to return to watching and reviewing regularly is proving more difficult than expected, with various sporting events distracting me from my usual movie-watching routine. The Premiership, the NFL, and the snooker, alongside all the plans for moving…

    42 Likes
    Andy Summers 🤠
    Andy Summers 🤠
    Oct 8, 2024

    More like.... MID.... way amirite?!

    46 Likes
    Demetrios
    Demetrios
  •
    Aug 2, 2019

    If you take a shot every time there’s an unnecessary title card (hint: they all are) the absolute trash second half becomes a bit more bearable.

    41 Likes
    Ethan ☔️
    Ethan ☔️
    Feb 6, 2014

    A modern WWII film in that the Japanese were shown to be honorable, non-accented, and brave. This star-studded cast gives the film an old-timey feel. A entertaining build up falls flat once the stock footage fiesta (aka aerial battle) begins. The last 1/2 hour bogs…

    35 Likes
    Adam Roubitchek
    Adam Roubitchek
    Feb 5, 2022

    actually pretty decent and unexpectedly engaging for what it is. the subplot of haruko's imprisonment was a nice surprise that added a needed element of nuance to balance out the typical american patriotism, as was the inclusion of toshiro mifune, james shigeta, and the…

    27 Likes
    Chris 🍉
    Chris 🍉
  •
    Jan 8, 2026

    Just before the pandemic in 2019 we got a modern film dramatizing the Battle of Midway, I have watched it and in fact own it on Blu-ray, I recalled thinking at the time it felt like the film was being pushed as the first and last letter on the issue, in a way Pearl Harbour…

    25 Likes
    Jedidiah Rose
    Jedidiah Rose

    Everyone can probably guess which theatrical movie I'll be reviewing next; Midway 1976 was viewed Tuesday night and Midway 2019 was watched last night. I'll do most of the comparison talk in my next review but I can say the two are different looks at this battle. I have…

    23 Likes
    Blair Russell
    Blair Russell
    Feb 8, 2026

    I’m normally a sucker for this kind of stuff but I found this pretty boring. Despite the star-studded cast, the movie never makes any of the talk of strategy interesting, and the actors playing the Japanese are stuck giving somber performances without shreds of personality…

    22 Likes
    Rock
    Rock
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Queue Community Reviews

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❤️ LOVE
18%
👍 LIKE
68%
😐 MEH
13%
👎 DISLIKE
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Top Reviews
  • Joshua Wilensky
    Joshua Wilensky loved
    Midway

    The quintessential WW2 movie. Amazing cast. Big effects. Absolutely gripping. Probably a sign I’m getting old that I want movies that I cant say “they dont make them like they used to” about

    1Y
    JessY
    JessY liked
    Midway

    I definitely is crazy how level of machinery was unequal the U.S. was fighting Japan and the level of non accuracy that was going on between communication.

    2Y
    Jim Greysen
    Jim Greysen liked
    Midway

    Essential viewing when watching WW2 war movies

    1Y
  • South Philly Dilly Dilly Jawn
    South Philly Dilly Dilly Jawn loved
    Midway

    Another classic WWII action film. 🎬

    2Y
    Saints
    Saints liked
    Midway

    8.1

    3Y
View More Popular Midway Reviews on Queue

Atom Users Reviews

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Metacritic

48
metacritic
Based on 6 Critics
5.8

USER SCORE (6)

Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Reviews
63

War movies used to have dash and color and a certain corny sentimentality; Midway hardly even makes us care.

View full review
Metacritic review by Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
50

Midway solemnly cross-cuts between the war councils, chart rooms and communications offices on the American side and those on the Japanese side, with characters, who often have to be identified by subtitles, laboriously trying to give us all of the exposition necessary to make the battle coherent. There's no way to act such roles.

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Metacritic review by Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
The New York Times
See All Critic Reviews on Metacritic.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Midway (1976) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as PG (Parental Guidance Suggested). It's generally considered a family-friendly movie.
How long is Midway (1976)?
The movie is 2hr 12min long.
What's Midway (1976) about?
A dramatization of the battle that was widely heralded as a turning point of the Pacific Theatre of World War II.
Who's the cast of Midway (1976)?
  • Charlton Heston as Capt. Matt Garth
  • Henry Fonda as Adm. Chester W. Nimitz
  • James Coburn as Capt. Vinton Maddox
  • Glenn Ford as Rear Adm. Raymond A. Spruance
  • Hal Holbrook as Cmdr. Joseph Rochefort
  • Toshirô Mifune as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
  • Robert Mitchum as Admiral William F. Halsey
  • Cliff Robertson as Commander Carl Jessop
  • Robert Wagner as Lieutenant Commander Ernest L. Blake
  • Robert Webber as Rear Admiral Frank J. 'Jack' Fletcher
Who's the director behind Midway (1976)?
Jack Smight directed Midway (1976).
Who produced Midway (1976)?
Walter Mirisch produced Midway (1976).