Pearl Harbor (2001)
WMB Rating:
(2 votes, average: 1.50 out of 5) 
Loading ...December 7, 1941. A date which will live in infamy.
Well it should anyway, its unfortunate that the Bruckheimer/Bay team got a hold of it and turned it into an unconvincing heart-string-tugging love story with a happy ending. There, I said it.
OK so maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but there are a lot of ways this film just trips over itself. From the over-the-top acting and directing, to the Rambo-ish yells of Cuba Gooding Jr. on the AA gun, to Tom Sizemore firing a pump-action shotgun at the dive bombing Zeroes. And don't forget the airplane "chase" at an average altitude of about 20 ft. through the hangars....
Yikes. I went into this hoping for more, but came out less-than-impressed. In essence its a love story wrapped in a war movie. There's not much else to say than that. It would have been a lot better (and *shorter*) to just end the thing after the invasion had happened, the love triangle resolved and everyone gone back to business as usual.
But they manage to tack on another lengthy bit *after* the invasion in an attempt to put our heroes back into action during the ballsy and dangerous Doolittle Raid of April, 1942. That entire segment is almost a film unto itself. And probably should have been.
If you're after about three hours of mindless, weepy love story junk told in the context of Pearl Harbor, then sure, why not. There are much better (and shorter) tellings of this moment in history, and of the Doolittle Raid. At the very least, much more truthful and accurate versions.
Technorati Tags: war movies, pearl harbor, love story, doolittle raid, dvd
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Pearl Harbor (Two-Disc 60th Anniversary Commemorative Edition) List Price: Sale Price: $5.45 You save: $9.54 (64%)  Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days  |
Description
History comes alive in the unforgettable epic motion picture PEARL HARBOR, the spectacular blockbuster brought to the screen by Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay. Astounding visual and audio effects put you at the center of the event that changed the world -- that early Sunday morning in paradise when warplanes screamed across the peaceful skies of Pearl Harbor and jolted America into World War II. This real-life tale of catastrophic defeat, heroic victory, and personal courage focuses on the war's devastating impact on two daring young pilots, Ben Affleck (ARMAGEDDON) and Josh Hartnet (BLACK HAWK DOWN), and a beautiful, dedicated nurse, Kate Beckinsale (SERENDIPITY). PEARL HARBOR is extraordinary moviemaking -- a breathtaking reenactment of the "date which will live in infamy" and a heartfelt tribute to the men and women who lived it.
To call Pearl Harbor a throwback to old-time war movies is something of an understatement. Director Michael Bay's epic take on the bombing that brought the United States into World War II hijacks every war movie situation and cliché (some affectionate, some stale) you've ever seen and gives them a shiny, glossy spin until the whole movie practically gleams. Planes glisten, water sparkles, trees beckon--and Bay's re-creation of the bombing itself, a 30-minute sequence that's tightly choreographed and amazingly photographed, sets the action movie bar up quite a few notches. And in updating the classic war film, Bay and screenwriter Randall Wallace (Braveheart) use that old plot standby, the love triangle--this time, it's between two pilots (Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett) and a nurse (Kate Beckinsale) who find themselves stationed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, during what they thought would be a nice, sunny tour of duty. Then, of course, history intervened. For the first 90 minutes of the movie, Affleck and Beckinsale find a nice, appealing chemistry that plays on his strengths as a movie star and hers as a serious actress--he gives her glamour, she gives him smarts. Their truncated romance--the beginning of which is told in flashback so we can get right to the point where he has to leave her to go to England--works, thanks to their charm. They're no Kate and Leo from Titanic (a strategy the film strives hard toward), but they're pretty darn adorable in their own right. Hartnett, as the not entirely unwelcome third wheel, squints bravely but makes only a slight dent in the film. Everyone else in Pearl Harbor--from Cuba Gooding Jr.'s brave navy seaman to Jon Voight's able impersonation of FDR--is pretty much a glorified walk-on, taking a backseat to the pyrotechnics and action sequences that keep the three-hour film in fairly constant motion. But when that action does take hold, Pearl Harbor is quite a thrilling ride. --Mark Englehart
DVD Information
Binding: DVDAspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Manufacturer: Touchstone / Disney
Original Release Date:
Actors:
- Ben Affleck
- Kate Beckinsale
- Josh Hartnett
- William Lee Scott
- Greg Zola
Features
- Special feature: "Journey to the screen: the Making of Pearl Harbor"
- "Unsung Heroes" Historical Documentary
- Faith Hill Music Video "There You'll Be".
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