“Pearl Harbor” is a 90 minute movie spread over three hours. With a title like “Pearl Harbor” you’d expect film about the December 7, 1941 Japanese surprise attack on Pearl, but no.. Instead of focusing on that tragic day, this movie focuses on the love triangle between two friends and a nurse.
Hey, it worked for Titanic, maybe it’ll work again.
The story centers on two childhood friends, Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck) and Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett). Together they enter the Army Air Corps where they meet nurse Evelyn Johnson (Kate Beckinsale), and of course they both end up falling in love with her.
Ben Affleck was the first sucker, but he leaves her to go to fly for the British.Then, after he is shot down and reported dead, ist Josh Hartnett’s turn. Their first real date end ups with them flying, doing barrel rolls, and making sweet lovin’ in a hangar covered with white sheets.
The centerpiece of the movie is a 40 minute overload special effects, intended to show how brutal the attack on Pearl Harbor was. Fair enough, but the movie doesn’t give you any sense of history, or context. Basically according to this movie, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, just because. Even Jimmy Doolittle’s Tokyo raid is mishandled.
If you didn’t know any better, you’d think the Doolittle raid took place just days after the attack on Pearl, when it really took place in April 1942. The raiders training is handled within a couple of frames, and before you know it, we’re on a carrier steaming for Japan.
After they crash land in China, there is no explanation about why there are Japanese forces on the Chinese mainland. Again, a little history could have gone a long way here.
In the aftermath of the attack, Kate Beckinsale becomes a hero nurse, saving many lives. But she’s also forced to use her lipstick to separate the wounded who cam still be treated from those who have no chance to survive. This should have been a powerful sequence, but remember who the director is.
In a pointless stylistic choice, director Michael Bay shot some of the hospital scenes in soft focus, and some in sharp focus, then some are blurred. Why?
Because he’s Michael Bay dammit, and none of his choices ever make sense.
The script is bad, but I’m pretty sure everyone walked out quoting lines of dialogue, but not because they were any good. Here are some of my favorites:
Evelyn: “I’m gonna give Danny my whole heart, but I don’t think I’ll ever look at another sunset without thinking of you.”
Rafe: :You are so beautiful it hurts.”
Evelyn: “It’s your nose that hurts.”
Rafe: :I think it’s my heart.”
I can’t belive this script didn’t win an Oscar, can you?
Mrs. Affleck
I think part of the problem with this movie is that it came out lest than two years after “Saving Private Ryan.” Tha movie forever raised the bar for war films, but “Pearl Harbor” was just trying to be a blockbuster.
The filmmakers aimed “Pearl Harbor” at the same audience that saw “Armageddon.” A lot who may not have heard of Pearl Harbor, or perhaps even of World War II. So a little history would have been appreciated.
“Pearl Harbor” was directed without grace, or dignity for the subject matter. Michael Bay lacks the vision, or originality to make a World War II movie.
The Nerds Uncanny 
Yeah, it’s pretty dumb, but that Pearl Harbor scene still works for me to this day. Everything else though, is very weak. Exactly like I expect a Michael Bay movie to be. That’s just me though. I guess I’m a bit easier on the guy than some. Good review.
This is supposed to be a World War 2 based movie. Its the sort of movie anyone would expect to be an accurate enough dramatisation of events that actually happened.
Instead what we get is an attempt to make another Titanic by including a love triangle that is dominant over the whole history aspect. It just doesn’t seem right.
Being a historic epic, they could have cut down on the whole love story and focused more on what would have been relevant such as the Japanese preparation of the attack and the situation President Roosevelt was finding himself in. The sequence of the actual attack on Pearl Harbour was spectacular! Perhaps if they extended it and made it a more major part of the film it would have been more worthy. Another major flaw with this movie is that after the attack sequence the movie dragged on for another hour trying to give an epilogue which was totally irrelevant.
I reckon if these were taken aboard, then Pearl Harbor would have been a much better movie and perhaps would not have flopped at the box office.
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