If there’s one thing director Roland Emmerich loves, it’s movies featuring a lot of destruction. The filmmaker has taken this to the extreme in films like Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow, but he’s taking a slightly more realistic approach in his latest effort, the WWII film Midway.
The movie, about its eponymous battle, is unique in that it’s a World War II film that focuses on the war in the Pacific rather than the far more frequently dramatized battle against the Nazis. And if the first trailer is any indication, this change in scenery won’t cause you to be denied any of the gut-wrenching action and period-appropriate drama you’ve come to expect from WWII films.
The trailer opens with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, setting the stage for the U.S. to enter the fight and take on Japan head-on near the Pacific island of Midway. The ensuing battle was one of the largest naval battles ever fought, and the Americans’ victory there is considered an important turning point in the war. And by the looks of things, the movie isn’t going to skimp in its depiction of the battle. This is an action-filled trailer that is overflowing with spectacle and big set pieces, and if nothing else, it will definitely get your blood pumping. Check it out below.
Midway has a stellar cast including Patrick Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Mandy Moore, Luke Evans, Ed Skrein, Nick Jonas, Dennis Quaid, and Aaron Eckhart. It’s set to open in theaters on Nov. 8.