The Fighting Seabees

Rating:
Summary: Don't get me wrong...
Review: ...I'm a huge John Wayne fan, but this movie has some serious shortcomings, including some of the acting by the cast and portrayals that, while acceptable at the time, are not so well received today. I won't knock John Wayne's acting, however, because he performed it as only John Wayne could. But some of the other acting was downright daffy, like when the singing Eddie Powers (William Frawley) was shot by the sniper and his singing wound down as though the sniper missed him and hit a nearby phonograph machine. ... The Fighting Seabees wasn't a totally bad movie, and I thought the formation of the SeaBees (if this movie is accurate) was very interesting. But some refinement and a small dose of reality would have made it much better.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful movie!
Review: Being in the USNavy myself, I have met and known many Navy SeaBee's. I greatly enjoyed watching this John Wayne movie. I respect the "Can Do" reputation of these individual's even more now.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful movie!
Review: Being in the USNavy myself, I have met and known many Navy SeaBee's. I greatly enjoyed watching this John Wayne movie. I respect the "Can Do" reputation of these individual's even more now.

Rating:
Summary: Slow, but worth watching
Review: Compared to today's action thrillers, this is sedate. However, there is more to a movie than speed. What it does well is remind us of our heritage. Although Hollywood may not have been accurate in its portrayal of the Seabees, this movie goes a long way in helping us understand their courage and contributions.

Rating:
Summary: Slow, but worth watching
Review: Compared to today's action thrillers, this is sedate. However, there is more to a movie than speed. What it does well is remind us of our heritage. Although Hollywood may not have been accurate in its portrayal of the Seabees, this movie goes a long way in helping us understand their courage and contributions.

Rating:
Summary: Not much action & slow going
Review: I agree that you should definitely rent this before you buy it. This movie doesn't really focus on what the Seabees did or what they went through. The vast majority of this movie focuses of John Wayne's social life (dancing & mostly uninteresting dialogue/parties), instead of Wayne actually preparing these people. There's only two relatively short war scenes (one in the middle & one at the end) & virtually no time spent showing these guys getting ready for war. Even the war scenes aren't anything great--you can tell who's going to get shot because they suddenly become unusually melodramatic & happy so you'll feel sorry for them when they die (but not much character development, so it doesn't work). As far as the quality of the DVD, it has a pretty clear picture & some interesting production notes about the real Seabees. But really, stick with Sands of Iwo Jima for a war film John Wayne fans can be proud of.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I just finished watching this. Fast forwarded through most of it. It did have halfway good battle scenes but the rest was boring. It was no Sands of Iwo Jima. But, it was good to see William 'Fred Murtz of Lucy fame' Frawly in action. Hold out until it comes on AMC.

Rating:
Summary: Fair DVD
Review: I was disappointed with the quality of the DVD. The movie was not restored, it was copied from a fair print. I liked the movie.

Rating:
Summary: It isn't all that great to be a Seabee
Review: I work with a Naval Mobile Construction Battalion that is in Port Hueneme, CA. It really isn't what I had expected. After being stationed here for a few months I was forced to watch this movie. Let me tell you one thing. I don't remember a damn thing. I fell asleep during the movie because it was so damn boring. I have watched this movie twice, more like forced to watch it and fell asleep twice. I recommend watching this movie if you have difficulty sleeping at night. It's a lot better than counting sheep. (1 star for the movie 5 stars for good sleeping material)

Rating:
Summary: It isn't all that great to be a Seabee
Review: I work with a Naval Mobile Construction Battalion that is in Port Hueneme, CA. It really isn't what I had expected. After being stationed here for a few months I was forced to watch this movie. Let me tell you one thing. I don't remember a damn thing. I fell asleep during the movie because it was so damn boring. I have watched this movie twice, more like forced to watch it and fell asleep twice. I recommend watching this movie if you have difficulty sleeping at night. It's a lot better than counting sheep. (1 star for the movie 5 stars for good sleeping material)