Simply Perfect

As Good As It Gets

Absolutely Fantastic

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

That's actually a quote from the battle at Bunker Hill, but it is repeated here to make the point that fooling and surprising your enemy is often the best way to proceed in war. This is World War II, and practically the entire world gathered together to destroy three enemy nations.A tiny island in the Pacific far from Hawaii, Wake Island is set up by the American military before the days of Pearl Harbor. They are ironically visited by a creepy looking Japanese diplomat who the audience knows from the very moment that he opens his mouth that he is lying through his teeth. Just days later, Pearl Harbor is attacked which shocks but prepares them for a strike.Great battle scenes showed movie audiences what the boys were doing over there, although these soldiers are definitely all man. A cast of Paramount's top male contract players cone together in what really was the first great war movie dealing with combat.Certainly made with the propaganda machine in mind, this lacks the clichés of later films, and therefore, it remains one of the most important movies made about the second World War. Many of the actors became bigger stars much later, so therefore, it is difficult to recognize such familiar faces as Robert Preston and Macdonald Carey unless you are searching for them. The stars are second priority, however, as this is where the story is the star. Still, already popular character performers like Wiiam Bendix and Brian Donlevy do give unique characterizations. So raise your Memorial and Veterans Day flag, and enjoy a film that came out awfully fast after the war began but didn't cheat the viewer. It is superb.

I'm a big fan of classic movies, but Wake Island is one of those buddy-buddy wartime films that doesn't quite fall into place for me. At the onset we're treated to a cast of M.A.S.H.-like characters with their pranks and foibles and stereotyped personalities, and the rest of the movie is basically combat. True to its age, Wake Island doesn't show any of the realism in warfare - typically we see the dirt get shot several feet in front of the actor and then the actor falls over - and we are treated to the overdone jingoism of the time. They've chosen the most uncharismatic actors to portray the Japanese and dress them up rather ridiculously. The actual history of the event is grossly misportrayed.Make no mistake, this is an entertaining hour and a half to be sure. But while the story is interesting and the acting is more than capable, this film could have benefited from twenty minutes more of character development and twenty minutes less of explosions. Though nominated for Best Picture, that award rightly went to The Magnificent Ambersons.

Have seen this excellent movie numerous times over the years but, as I recall, years ago there was a scene where the radio operator told the marine commander that Pearl Harbor wanted to know if they needed anything. The marine commander, Brian Donvely, said "yes, tell them to send more japs". That scene has been cut out of the movie for the last 25 years or so. I know that the scene was originally in the movie because I have read the book by Major James Devereaux (actual commander of the marine detachment published in 1947- I have the paperback. Devereaux said he had seen the movie after he came back from the Japanese prison camp where he spent the war and stated he had never made that statement, that they had all the japs they could handle. Comments from anyone?

OK I'm still going to give Wake Island a 7 of 10 which is it's average here on IMDb, but.... I just read what actually happened after the Marine garrison surrendered. Jay Hawk's review seems to have been as jaded as I am now watching this great propaganda war movie, reading about the 98 that were executed is a real downer. I also saw in the midst of the air battle scenes out of nowhere there are at least two clips of a 20's era biplane trailing smoke. What was up with that? Maybe a seaplane? but its got wheels so that won't fly. For a movie that looks like its trying to be somewhat realistic they sure did goof on that (but that may have been a Paramount thing like they always did in 3 stooges flicks, just throw together any stock airplane footage even if it's different planes!). Dunlevy I think is great, but he is pretty wooden I guess looking back on it as I've read about him in reviews of a lot of other movies. Also, these guys are just way too happy to be getting shelled, and pretty much surrounded right after Pearl Harbor and invasion of the Phillipnes, basically you are totally screwed and these guys aren't showing it. I guess thats why "Bataan" even though purely fiction is a superior film because they show a lot of stress under combat were as here we have Bendix and Preston smiling to their deaths. OK I'm changing my rating to a 5 because this is an entertaining flick the first 3 times I've seen it, it's just too happy for my tastes and Dunlevy is a stick (and I thought I liked that dude, lol). One things for sure, in real life, the defenders got screwed. They should have been evacuated by subs. Their tale in captivity is as sad as those that were captured on the Doolittle Raid, go look those brave guys tales up, I dare you.