Battle for Saipan movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Battle for Saipan

This action drama will be available to watch on November 25, 2022.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 34 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B-

IN A NUTSHELL:

A Surgeon defends a hospital from invading enemy forces in the Battle of Saipan during World War II.

The film was written and directed by Brandon Slagle.

THINGS I LIKED:

The cast includes plenty of handsome, manly men: Casper Van Dien, Jeff Fahey, Louis Mandylor, Josh Riley, Randall J. Bacon, Eoin O’Brien, and more.
It’s always interesting to learn more about the battles that occurred during World War II. There were so many battles raging across the globe. I saw a documentary about this battle many years ago. This movie is a reenactment of the events.
There is plenty of action.
We don’t often get to see the role military nurses played in battles, but this movie includes several women.
Ultimately, the movie is sad to watch because so many lives were lost over such a tiny piece of land. Saipan is a small island, yet was crucial to claim in the Pacific theater of World War II. The movie reveals many skirmishes during the time period.
The soldiers joke around during the few quieter moments of the movie to illustrate the incredible bond of brotherhood they feel for one another. My oldest son is currently in the military and has spoken about how powerful that bond is.
We see actual footage of the war in Saipan. Devastating.
I’m definitely not an expert on this battle but it appears that they have tried to make it as accurate as possible.
I liked the medical aspect of this movie rather than just focusing on infantry soldiers. My nephew is a medical doctor who actually went to Saipan for an international internship during medical school. He said it was fascinating to be there and shared some stories with me about the people. Unfortunately, Covid quarantines forced him to evacuate the island and return home. He would love to have been able to stay there longer.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Some of the acting is over-the-top, but all of the actors seem to be truly earnest to give this true story honor.
The movie looks like it had a fairly small budget.
There is almost too much action that we become a little numb to it all by the end.
The set pieces look like set pieces.