Pearl Harbor

Rating:
Summary: Pearl Harbor - The Movie
Review: I think that Pearl Harbor has a great background about the attack on Pearl Harbor, with a little bit of romantic spice between Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, and Josh Hartnett. It gives the viewer an entertaining movie, while still getting that point of the attack across to the public. I would defenitely recommend this movie to anyone!

Rating:
Summary: Bombing Pearl Harbor
Review: My reaction after seeing the film? Well, I was totally unimpressed. While it held my attention, I never got involved with the characters and never "felt" for them. Even during the scenes when Pearl Harbor was being attacked, I never once felt any emotion for anybody. It reminded me very much of the old films from the 40's and 50's which depicted the bombing taking place and that was supposed to be enough. The actors were simply going through the motions here and you knew it. (Though I've never thought much of Ben Affleck as an actor anyway. I can't name anything I've seen that he's been really great in. Josh Hartnett did a much better job here in my opinion.) You knew they were just acting instead of getting attached to the characters and somehow "believing in your mind" that this was actually happening before you. There were some scenes which were such a direct rip-off of Titanic that I almost expected someone to shout "I'm King of the World!" at any moment. I never connected with the love story part of this movie either, though it worked into the plot. I just never bought the fact that anyone was really in love. Maybe there was just too much in this movie. I feel they should have concentrated on the friendship between Affleck and Hartnett (which was the only part I felt really worked and was believable) and the events at Pearl Harbor more. After the attack, you see hardly anything of the aftermath which I think would have been much more interesting than the love story part which didn't excite me at all. (The movie IS titled Pearl Harbor!!!) After all we've found out since Pearl Harbor took place, this one wasn't even historically correct. You think they'd have at least gotten that part right. So, my opinion is that it was a decent film that no one will hate, (if you get all giddy over explosions and loud noises you might really like it) but it wasn't anything to get all excited about either. Worth the cash if you have 3 hours to spend and don't know what to do with it, but hardly worth going out of your way to see.

Rating:
Summary: What do people expect...?
Review: When was the last time you went to a Cineplex to see a documentary? I'm guessing you never did. In turn, no one should take a movie seriously as far as historical facts go. A movie should be seen for what it is, a movie, entertainment. Nothing more. Nothing less. The fact that this one centers around the battle of Pearl Harbor is just a set piece. Braveheart, an excellent, Oscar winning movie, had more historical inaccuracies then Pearl Harbor, but everyone accepted it. The problem was the hype. Media is to blame for the tremendous hype of this movie and in turn it raises expectations. I kept my expectations low and I was not disappointed. Not that keeping low expectations was the only way to enjoy this movie though. Pearl Harbor has heart and it goes for the bravado throughout the movie. It begins with the childhood friendship of two main characters, eventually played by Harnett and Affleck when they are shown as young men. Both are pilots in the Army. This is a time when displays of patriotism and courage were more important then your welfare, and men gladly died fighting for their country. The two young men are more then anxious to fight, Afflecks character in particular who has Dyslexia (although back then it was fairly unknown) has to charm his way through the medical exam, being given by Beckinsale. The pilot and young nurse start a romance that is very strong, Affleck and Beckinsale surprisingly have tremendous chemistry together, and the innocent yearning for one another is very apparent. Affleck's character is then offered a chance to fight in England. He accepts and as he goes into dogfights over the war torn battlefields of England, an inevitable tragedy happens. To say anymore might ruin some of the story. What follows is sadness at the loss of a friend, new romance, a surprise scene where we learn that Affleck's character is not dead (although we all saw it coming), then the scene that everyone is waiting for; the attack on Pearl Harbor. The initial setup of the love story is pleasantly appealing, it is humorous, sweet, endearing and never too sappy. It is well paced and does not get boring. In my own opinion, Michael Bay is a very skilled director. He has the makings of another James Cameron but something is still missing from his process. He is a perfectionist as well, but Cameron has him beat hands down when it comes to balancing a love a story with hard core action. Bay still does a very fine job here though. He handles the love story with enough emotion and then throws us into the thick of this tremendous battle scene. Not enough can be said about this scene. Bay pulls out all the stops and makes sure we realize the scope of the power and destruction that was rained on this island base burns into our memory. The camera that follows the bomb from the sky and into the bulkhead of the Arizona, followed by its eventual explosion as it lifts off the surface of the water is spectacular and frightening. The long battle scene never lets up. It keeps going until we feel as exhausted as the soldiers who suffered through it. After this comes reconciliation of sorts. Affleck and Harnett's characters have to get over certain personal issues. The raid on Tokyo follows, with Baldwin playing Jimmy Doolittle (and he plays it well), the hard core army pilot who leads the bombing. The wrap up is emotional, there is not a customary happy ending. It isn't a shock, but it plays well against the backdrop of the war, and the love story that has played out in front of it. The Japanese are not portrayed poorly, they are seen as people in a desperate situation. The Americans at the time had cut off many of their resources. The bombing was a last resort and the Japanese are depicted as hesitant to awake the sleeping American giant, especially the Japanese General who coordinated the attack due to the fact that he was educated in America and knows what they are capable of. The reasons for the attack are stated and justified (at least by standards of war). The statements made by Franklin D Roosevelt are inspiring and well portrayed by Jon Voight, still a great actor and hardly recognizable in the makeup. He brings fire to the role of FDR and makes it known that he is the President at all times. Cuba Gooding Jr. plays the black cook on board one of the ships that was attacked and plays his role for everything it has, seeing as it is such a small role. He plays a real life Navy cook who took up an anti aircraft gun and shot down one of the Japanese planes. Some may say his role was short and not necessary to the movie, but I disagree. He was a man who took up the fight when the country wouldn't let him. Instead of showing bitterness, he displayed his patriotism for a country that scorned him. In that he shows that the fight to save lives became more important at the time then the bigotry of the country he was fighting for. When all that this movie has to say has finally been said and done, we should know that history should not be learned from a movie, and even though Pearl Harbor has only a few inconsistencies in it's historical portrayal, the interest it may spark should lead people to look up the actual events in legitimate historical archives, or to watch The History Channel, to get the real facts. In all, the movie fully deserves four stars. Michael Bay made a tremendous effort here to show what he can handle as far the content of a movie and he succeeded on many levels. I give it four stars only because there is still something missing that keeps this movie from being exceptional. However, it is a very good movie and I would sincerely give it my recommendation.

Rating:
Summary: What movie did the reviewers see?
Review: "Pearl Harbor" is simply beautiful, touching and even action-packed. The cimematography is stunning, the soundtrack is haunting, the story line is all about love and war and what it means to be a human being. I think the critics saw another movie! I have never been so shocked by their reviews in comparison to what I saw on the screen! Far and away the best movie of the summer...only "Memento" offering it any competition. All I can say is that this movie must have suffered from some sort of "Titanic" backlash...and that is truly a disservice to this great movie. "Titanic" is great in its own right, but so is "Pearl Harbor."

I have visited Pearl Harbor several times...and look forward to the next time I am fortunate enough to visit, as I learned new information about that day...and because of the film, have a deeper sense of the loss and devastation that took place. The film is dignified in its sensitive yet powerful re-enactment of one of the most shattering moments in American history. Don't listen to the reviewers...they were wrong on this one.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie! Not So Much War But In A Way It Is
Review: Ok it is a great movie to see! It doesnt have a lot of war scenes but in a way it does. As we all know the pilots and salors fell in love which this shows and when the war comes some both men and women die. This movie shows that along with the heartach. But it is a wonderful movie to see!

Rating:
Summary: "Pearl Harbor" is a great movie!
Review: "Pearl Harbor" is one of my favorite movies. Although it may be a little historically inacurate, it's still very good. It is the story of two pilots (Ben Affleck, Rafe, and Josh Hartnett, Danny) and a nurse (Kate Beckinsale, Evelyn). Rafe and Danny are best friends, who eventually are both romantically involved with Evelyn. Meanwhile, they are stationed in Pearl Harbor (though Rafe is in England for some of the movie). The attack hits and the 3 of them must fight for survival. This movie is sad because of the thousands of deaths. The actors and actresses do a good job, and I especially like Josh Hartnett. Try "Pearl Harbor".

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Summary: THIS MOVIE IS THE BEST!!!!!
Review: i love the movie! it is the best!i am not an action type movie kinda person but this movie is sooooo cool. i went to c it wit a whole bunch of friends and i loved it and so did they. c u guys soon! at the movies. lol. so anyway, watch the movie buy the movie. enough said. lol. buh buh!

Rating:
Summary: i love this movie!!!
Review: I LOVE THIS MOVIE! THIS IS MY MOST FAVORITE MOVIE ALONG WITH The Matrix! I CRIED EVERYTIME I SAW IT! AND I LOVE JOSH HARTNETT AND I'M BUYING THIS RIGHT WHEN IT COMES OUT! I LVE THIS MOVIE! IT IS ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES! A CROSS BETWEEN THE TITANIC AND TOP GUN. VERY GOOD!

Rating:
Summary: a dynamite of a movie
Review: pearl harbor is a masterpiece for its great actors and actresses and how the director so realtisticcly showed us what we thought was the end but was the beggning for us. I rate this movie 5 stars for its great story line it shows adventure drama and what we cant live without romance.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: The special effects were tremendous and Josh Hartnett was great! Other than that, the movie was dismal. The age-old dilemma of boy meets girl, boy goes off to fight, boy is missing in action, best friend comforts girl, best friend/girl fall in love, boy returns, best friend dies is just overdone. My son told me that it would be a huge disappointment, and it was!