FAQ

That is a very subjective question. Both versions have their plusses and minuses. The 1976 version has a more comprehensive account of the battle and pays more attention to the positioning of the scout planes and how many planes both sides had all throughout the battle. It has more fictionalized human drama including the injection of Charlton Heston's character Matt Garth who has to deal with his son's marriage to an interned Japanese woman while acting as an aide to Admiral Spruance as well as piloting his own aircraft during the battle. The Battle scenes in the 1976 version rely heavily on stock footage, mainly from TORA! TORA! TORA!, THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN, STORM OVER THE PACIFIC (for nearly all the scenes about the Japanese carriers), AWAY ALL BOATS, and THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (for the Doolittle Raid). This means there are many unfortunate issues with mismatched filmstock and incorrect aircraft and geography seen, including at worst, footage of an obvious post war jet fighter crashing. The 2019 version went to a lot of trouble to construct scale replicas of the planes and the ship set with correct fittings, so the uniforms, sets and planes are accurate.

The 2019 film boasts a more comprehensive scope and bigger action scenes heavily laden with photorealistic CGI. Similarly it boasts a star-studded cast though with smaller names (for the time) in the lead roles. Many of the same characters are depicted though things are paced much faster, particularly in the final stages of the battle. In terms of accurate portrayal of historical figures, 2019 Midway depicts the characters more accurately, and in fact the 1976 version features fictional characters made up for the movie, including Charlton Heston's character who is a combination of some real characters. We see more "home front" life for the pilots as well as a better understanding of the intelligence gathering process only hinted at in the 1976 version. Overall the 2019 version is more historical and factual with less goofs and melodrama.

Admiral Raymond Spruance, is in the movie. He is portrayed by Jake Weber. So, Admiral Spruance is in the film. However, he is not in the film very much. (Spruance was not a General, rather an Admiral as the rank of General is not a rank of the US Navy). There was a General William W. Spruance who flew for the US Army Air Corps. However, he did not participate in the Battle of Midway as at that time he was a young pilot who was still in flight training.

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