Ray Nicholson shines, his charisma and charm is dialed up past eleven.  He’s ready. He has that thing when he seems to be the focus on screen even when he is not. Equally so does Bill Skarsgard and Tom Francis, and Nicholas Galitzine. 2026 is the year of Nicholas Galitzine, but Ray outshines even him. The four are the nexus of the film, but it is Ray that immensely stands out. The four of them are terrific. Last year Ray took incredible risks and choices for films, and this film codifies his rise to stardom. This is the film that demonstrates he’s ready to carry a film, not just be the lead star. After that, not much is to be retained in a sloppy edited film with script void of being sagacious. It’s reliance that solely with the subject matter will provide favor with fans and critics is a great error. Even when it is so crass with its melodramatic moments that teeters to being comedic.  “Mosquito Bowl” is a testament that charm and charisma of your actors can only take the film so far.

There was no point to carry on after showing the event in the title. Filming the siege at Okinawa has been shot and done many times over and better than this. Many films have covered WW2. What was shot and filmed after the football game doesn’t furnish the emotional reaction because, well…other films have done it…….and done better. That doesn’t shy away from Peter Berg, who as a director emits bluntness with fortitude and will continue no matter what anyone says.

What hurts the film the most is a clunky dialogue and awkward exposition. Others will point out that the film anxiously does not let time to breathe and aerate what is being shown. But for me it is the dialogue that hurts it the most. We get a whole speech about “White Buzz” and I’m still not sure what it is.

The sound mixing is not smooth and camera work is jilted it is difficult to piece together what is transpiring. “Mosquito Bowl” isn’t going to be the last film about a niche-y topic of WW2. It’s not challenging the aspects of cinema nor attempting to be among the pinnacle of great war films. It just brutally is.

“Mosquito Bowl” is an interesting topic to cover. A story of former college football stars that voluntarily joined the marines and had a football bowl game on the island of Guadalcanal on December 24th 1944.  But a great subject matter, a deserving subject matter doesn’t automatically translate to great storytelling. 7/10