Wake Island, like most of the WW 2 films made in 1942 and 1943, are corny, overdramatic, and full of stereotypes. They are also highly representative of the atmosphere within the US during those two dark years. Victory in the Pacific was not certain at the time, as the US suffered several defeats in the Pacific early in the war, until US manufacturing and upgraded military organization provided a counterattack offensive after the success of the Battle of Midway on the water.
All of the actors in this portrayal do a fine job of making themselves likable to the audience, and it is with great sadness that the audience realizes that none of them survived. The Alamo had 3000 against 100 or so, but Wake Island held out for three weeks with over 20,000 Japanese troops (with offshore artillery support and constant plane strafing), with only 400 soldiers and some construction civilians. 50 to 1 is even worse than 30 to 1. The film is heroic in every sense, and you must be an adult (not a millennial) to understand the psychology of the time period. Good filmmaking.
All of the actors in this portrayal do a fine job of making themselves likable to the audience, and it is with great sadness that the audience realizes that none of them survived. The Alamo had 3000 against 100 or so, but Wake Island held out for three weeks with over 20,000 Japanese troops (with offshore artillery support and constant plane strafing), with only 400 soldiers and some construction civilians. 50 to 1 is even worse than 30 to 1. The film is heroic in every sense, and you must be an adult (not a millennial) to understand the psychology of the time period. Good filmmaking.