Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo lands on HBO Max — 100% Rotten Tomatoes WWII classic

MovieWeb reports that Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, the 1944 World War II film that holds a 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, was added to HBO Max on Feb. 1.

The film stars Spencer Tracy, Robert Mitchum, Phyllis Thaxter, Robert Walker and Van Johnson, and dramatizes America’s retaliatory Doolittle Raid after Pearl Harbor, with Van Johnson portraying Captain Ted Lawson.

Written by Dalton Trumbo from Lawson’s 1943 memoir and directed by Mervyn LeRoy, the movie emphasizes the pilots’ intense training to launch B-25 bombers from the cramped deck of the USS Hornet, using real B-25s and wartime footage to heighten authenticity.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo won the 1945 Oscar for Best Special Effects and holds a 75% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes from more than 500 users; MovieWeb highlights praise such as Jack Karr of the Toronto Star calling it “a rare and satisfying occasion” that combines drama, authenticity and good taste.

Added to HBO Max on Feb. 1, the film is recommended for viewers who enjoy Dunkirk, Memphis Belle or the TV series Masters of the Air, and serves as a notable example of 1940s Hollywood wartime filmmaking.

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