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Wake Island Movie Review

Wake Island is a 1942 war drama film directed by John Farrow and starring Brian Donlevy. It is a standard propaganda picture that is dated and thin.

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“Boys, the honeymoon’s over.

From now on you’re marines“

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It is December, 1941. With no hope of relief or re-supply, a small band of United States Marines tries to keep the Japanese Navy from capturing their island base. This movie was basically made to send a clear message to US audiences to join the war effort. Wake Island is an island that was conquered by the Japanese forces right after Pearl Harbor and the film is all about that loss suffered by Americans, but it signals the eventual retribution in its final message.

This movie being nominated for Best Picture is troubling to me. Even worse is the nod for the director. Where is this great direction here? I could never find it anywhere. It’s such a typical propaganda piece that has nothing else to offer besides its message and that bothered me. I expect more from movies and I find propaganda films not really to be movies at all.

Even worse is the film’s slapdash plot that was thrown in here very hastily. The storyline is very forgettable and bland. The dialogue is also only serviceable, though the acting is pretty good with Brian Donlevy being particularly memorable in the main role.

I have to praise the ending. I find it powerful. It is suitably dark and scary while also signaling the need to address this scary war. Again, it is a propaganda movie first and foremost, so at least that ending served the intended purpose to motivate its viewers.

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But the rest of Wake Island is much less effective and it just goes through the motions. The cinematography is actually quite good as is the editing, but the story remains slim and the same goes for the characterization. It had no business being nominated for writing as well. In fact, that is by far the most egregious nomination for this film.

Wake Island is a typical US WWII propaganda picture that has a slapdash story, weak characterization and inferior direction. The movie looks good and its ending is admittedly quite effective, but it just remains an overly patriotic movie made just to promote the war effort and nothing more than that. It was nominated for four Oscars, but it had no business being nominated for either one of those four.

My Rating – 2.5