Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Wake Island Blu-ray Movie Review

A must-see war-time classic

Wake Island is a compelling drama exploring the perils of war-time circa 1941. Based on a true story, the production by Joseph Sistrom (The Atomic City, Botany Bay) is filled to the brim with nail-biting suspense. A critically acclaimed hit on release, Wake Island went on to receive four prestigious Oscar nominations following its theatrical release: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (Bendix).

The story of Wake Island explores a group of U.S. Marines who fought against a strike by Japanese forces bringing combat to land, sea, and air. As the story explores events following the attacks on Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces, the story delves into the harsh realities of war and the battle of honor fought by men. Can the heroes at the heart of the tale survive the onslaught?

The production was well-mounted and had a number of compelling elements at hand. The visuals are top-notch. The cinematography by William C. Mellor (The Diary of Anne Frank, A Place in the Sun) and Theodor Sparkuhl (13 Hours by Air, College Scandal) is often breathtaking. One can't help but become mesmerized by the visuals. The accompanying music score composed by David Buttolph (In Old California, 13 Rue Madeleine) fits the tone and scope of the filmmaking too.

Wake Island also feature some impressive art direction by Hans Dreier (Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity) and A. Earl Hedrick (The Lost Weekend, Ace in the Hole). The duo worked together to craft an impressive looking production. There is a sense of realism to the sets and locations. The art directors helped make the filmmaking feel more authentic and memorable to behold. Kudos to these creatives for their impressive contributions to the film.

Attention.

Edited by Frank Bracht (White Christmas, Funny Face) and LeRoy Stone (Make Way For Tomorrow, College Holiday), Wake Island is a true testament to the power of editors. Both Bracht and Stone are impressive in the editors chair. These editors have a clear understanding of their craft and its vital role in filmmaking. The film has to cut back-and-forth between so many aerial shots and land shots that the editors become some of the most valuable members of the production-team. The end result of the high class editing is a much more tense, exciting, and memorable film.

One of the most compelling elements of the production is the way in which it explores the difficulties of war. The story explores the harsh realities of war time in a compelling way. Much of the success in this arena is due to the screenplay. The original script by W.R. Burnett (The Great Escape, High Sierra) and Frank Butler (Road to Morocco, Going My Way) explores the characters while never forgetting to highlight the dangers before the U.S. Marines involved in the war. As a result, one of the best elements of the script. The screenplay builds to an intense conclusion and the material is handled quite well by the writers.

Directed by John Farrow (Around the World in 80 Days, His Kind of Woman), Wake Island is at its absolute best when it comes down to showcasing war in action. The final act of the film is the best element of the entire production. The footage showcased is intense, action-packed, and outstanding. Explosions and air-flights are showcased in quick succession and the footage is truly remarkable to watch unfold. Farrow also never forgets to provide adequate moments for the cast of characters. The collaboration between Farrow and the screenwriters resulted in some excellent moments throughout. Wake Island is all the more impressive and worthwhile because of Farrow's keen understanding of story while remembering to deliver on the execution of the material as well.

Wake Island Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, Wake Island is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the theatrical aspect ratio of 1.36:1 full frame. The transfer for the film is quite impressive. The scan looks clean, crisp, and clear. A fine layer of film grain can be seen on the scan. There are only occasional marks and thin scratches. The majority of the presentation looks splendid: remarkably crisp. The black and white cinematography is certainly well reproduced. Minor imperfections in the video are most noticeable during stock footage (which was taken from actual war footage). Please note that the opening credits are window-boxed.

Wake Island Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in DTS HD Master Audio mono. The lossless audio track is a perfect accompaniment to the high quality video scan. Dialogue is crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The track never sounds muffled or thin. A top notch track for a classic feature-film. While the audio track has a bit less bass than a modern production, the high-resolution encoding helps the track to sound its absolute best.

Please Note: Optional English subtitles are provided.

Wake Island Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Filmmaker/Historian Steve Mitchell and Combat Films: American Realism author Steven Jay Rubin

Wake Island Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2:08)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other films available from distributor Kino Lorber: The Eagle and The Hawk (SD, 1:40), Fixed Bayonets! (HD, 2:37), Run Silent, Run Deep (SD, 3:02), Time Limit (HD, 3:16), Ten Seconds to Hell (HD, 2:15), and Calcutta (HD, 2:20).

Wake Island Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Wake Island is an impressive war-time film with a pulse-pounding conclusion. The final act of the film is worth the price of admission alone. The experience is one that is worth taking. There are many great visuals in the film: the aerial shots are a sight to behold. The Blu-ray release features an impressive video-audio presentation and comes recommended.