Rating: 
Summary: Is this about Pearl Harbor?
Review: I wouldn't recommend this to anyone only interested in seeing a movie about Pearl Harbor. It it a sappy story wrapped around a real event. You must suspend all sense of reality to take in this movie
Rating:
Summary: NOTHING
Review: This is nothing, just another Bruckenheimer commercial attempt to blockbuster, copying avery cliche imaginable. It has the greates actual wooden actor, Ben Affleck. It has a stupid and unconvincing love triangle the leads nowhere. Well, I'm out of words, how can millions and millions of dollars be spent in such a waste of time, such a heartless movie, where the soundtrack tries hard to put "emotion" where there's none!!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie
Review: If you are an open minded individual forget all the critics and narrow minded reviews. Most of the critics need to brush up on their American history in the first place. Watch the movie, then watch the "Unsung Heros" which a bonus feature on the second disk. I think most people will be pleasantly surprised at how much research and thought actually went into the movie. Yes there is a love story but don't most movies add a little fluff to the facts? That's what keeps you interested. You will feel like you know the characters by the end of the movie and I think that was the point.
Rating:
Summary: A Total Bomb!
Review: I saw this lame movie last night and was blown away by how weak it was. The lines were so trite that I actually felt embarrassed for everyone who was involved in this film. It was so "Hollywood". There was never a moment in the movie when I was not acutely aware of the fact that it was an over-inflated production. In other words, I never lost myself in the story. Also, I thought the attack scenes were awful. I mean, jeeze, whenever a plane was fired upon, the cockpit always exploded. The cockpit!? That would not happen. The fuel tanks are in the wings, not the cockpit. How stupid!!!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Good romance, GREAT action...
Review: I went into the theater to see this film fully aware that the majority of the film focused on romance, not the Pearl Harbor attack. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find a LOT more action than I expected. The sequence where Rafe is fighting in England as part of the Eagle Squadron is a very well done depiction of the desperate struggles of the RAF against the Luftwaffe. This sequence is an overlooked high spot in the film. I was also very happy with the sequence regarding the training for the Doolittle Raid and the raid itself. As for the romantic triangle between Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, and Kate Beckinsdale, well, it was pretty predictable, but it did do a great job of making us care about them and their friends. Ironically, the character I enjoyed the most, Cuba Gooding Jr., was almost totally ignored. I thought the film missed an opportunity by not spending more time on him and his friend who was killed aboard USS Arizona. Having said all this, I did have a few problems with the depiction of the actual attack itself. Mostly, though, they are things that I wish they would have shown but didn't, since I am a WW2 buff and am very familiar with the actual events. I have to wonder, though, why they showed such excellent imagery of the USS Oklahoma capsizing and the explosion of USS Arizona, but left in all the modern warships that are seen throughout the attack. There were also a lot of bits, especially the toppling mainmast of a battleship, that were not historically accurate, but seemed thrown in just to provide a few more explosions. I also think the film missed an opportunity by not showing the attempt by USS Nevada to escape the harbor, and her subsequent attacking and beaching. That would have been a great action sequence and a stirring moment, much as the actual event was. Perhaps the movie's strongest scenes were the ones dealing with the responses of medical personnel to the flood of injured victims and the attempts to save trapped and drowning sailors. Using Coke bottles to collect donated blood, use of lipstick to identify those who could and could not be saved, the general chaos, the helplesness of rescuers as their comrades drown before their very eyes - very powerful stuff. I thought this movie was a great action/romance, if not strictly true to history. But, for those of us who insist on historical fidelity, there is always Tora, Tora, Tora!
Rating:
Summary: Forget what the critics say...
Review: Forget what the critics say and enjoy "Pearl Harbor" for what it is ... a stirring cinematic epic that hearkens back to the old wartime love stories of the 40s and 50s. Sure, it has its moments of "cheese" but all in all, you can't get better entertainment. And the attack sequence at the heart of the film is some of the most gripping film-making I've seen in a very long time. Affleck, Harnett, and Beckinsale have their effective moments. Alec Baldwin growls it up as Doolittle. Jon Voight makes a remarkable FDR. And the visuals are absolutely stunning. It's entertainment. Now tell me, in comparison, why was such an offensively bad film as "Titanic" heralded as a masterpiece when "Pearl Harbor" is blasted by critics? I think its purely Hollywood politics.
Rating:
Summary: Romantic, Thrilling, Dramatic, Action-packed
Review: Pearl Harbor contains the perfect ingredients for a classic of epic proportions. Many critics proclaimed that the film focused heavily more on romance which made its beginning tedious, but its very few opionated negatives cannot touch the foundation of this films magnificent values. Some segements may not historically accurate, but no one can ever portray a perfect image, thus Pearl Harbor accomplishes its goal of rendering the horrific event of defeat that took place in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7th, 1941. The actors pull off excellent performances that compliment the near flawless visual effects. The cast includes: Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett as two young, daring pilots, Kate Hartnett, a commited, beautiful nurse, and Jon Voight, as President Rossevelt. Along with special effects, romance, and suspense, Pearl Harbor has vital morals that fit in perfectly to the plot. Jon Voight delievers a strong, outstanding performance as President Rossevelt. This movie is definetly for you if you enjoy romance, action, drama, and real-life based events. The DVD is top-notch with numerous special features that appeal with much interest.
Rating:
Summary: Pathetic Excuse For A War Film
Review: Where to begin?
OK.
Why in Heaven's name would the producers go through all the effort to digitally recreate "Battleship Row" and waves upon waves of attacking Japanese aircraft, only to show a US NAVY NIMITZ Class nuclear carrier in another scene, and try to palm it off as a Japanese carrier? And the footage of the TICONDEROGA Class Guided Missile Cruisers (First commissioned in 1980), interspersed with the WWII battleships getting blown up, was another anachronistically lovely touch as well.
Add to this a sophomoric love triangle to titillate the pre-pubescent girls (and some of their mothers) in the audience, and pitch it all as a tribute to the fighting men of WWII, and you have the recipe for a totally overhyped, "film that will live in infamy".
The most enjoyable part of the tape, for me, was the "History Channel" program that followed the movie, and showed actual footage from 1941, and told the story of some of the unsung heroes of that day. It's a shame that the producers couldn't spare a few minutes from their three hour long tribute to "Love Story", so rudely interrupted by a few obligatory battle scenes, to do justice to these brave men's story.
Do yourself a favor and get the Widescreen version of "Tora, Tora, Tora" instead. No digital "magic", but an infinitely better telling of the story of the "date that will live in infamy". Sorry girls, no Ben Affleck either. By the way, the passenger car outside Ben Affleck's train window, "Silver Horizon" was built for the "California Zephyr" in 1948, 7 years after Pearl Harbor. But that's being real picky, I know.
Rating:
Summary: That Day Remembered
Review: Depicting history on the silver screen is no easy task; critics and historical purists wait in eager anticipation to pounce on a shading that's not quite right or a spent bullet casing that rolls left instead of right in the heat of a battle. To even consider doing a dramatization of the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor, in this era of endless information and minutiae, is a bold act in itself, and the filmmakers deserve a nod of credit right out of the chute just for attempting it. And, happily, they deserve still more credit, as "Pearl Harbor," directed by Michael Bay, goes on to successfully capture the pain, pathos, angst, frustration and fear born of that day that "Will live in infamy." Told through the lives of two lifelong friends, Captain Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck) and Captain Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett), this is a movie of epic proportions presented on a personal level, which enables the audience to connect with the story on an emotional level and not just as an observer of a reenacted historical event. And when Nurse Lieutenant Evelyn Stewart (Kate Beckinsale) enters the story, it becomes even more involving, and as it builds in intimacy-- juxtaposed against these monumental events as they unfold-- it creates that empathy that really puts the viewer in the picture and gives that sense of total involvement. This is nothing new to storytelling, of course; writers and movie makers have long understood that when dealing with events that are complex and larger than life, they have to be concentrated and presented from a personal perspective to effect a truly appreciable impact, and as James Cameron proved with "Titanic," there's no better way to do it than with a love story. Without that intimacy between the characters, which is what provides the audience with a frame of reference and a specific element with which the viewer can identify, the impact of all that eventually happens would be significantly diminished. Like Cameron (and many others before him), Bay recognizes this, and the approach he takes is therefore very effective. By the time the attack comes, you know and care about the people involved, and it gives the tragedy of that day a personal, rather than just a national or historic perspective. And though all that follows is visually stunning, it's that personal focus-- that singular involvement that's been so carefully crafted-- that predominates the moment and makes all the difference as far as what you're feeling and experiencing as you watch these horrific and horrendous events play out. Bay is also successful in evoking a true sense of time and place with this film, and he does it not only with authentic settings and visuals, but by giving the film itself a sense of cinematic sensibility that makes it more reminiscent of films like "Bombardier," "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" and "The Bridges At Toko-Ri," than the more recent "Saving Private Ryan" (though it does have "Ryan's" same level of realism). It's easy, in fact, to envision this film had it been made fifty or so years ago, with a cast that would've included Dana Andrews, Van Johnson and Gene Tierney as the principals, with Randolph Scott, Pat O'Brien and Eddie Albert in supporting roles. Heading up this cast, Affleck and Hartnett give strong, engaging performances, as does Kate Beckinsale, who successfully manages to take her character to a level beyond that of simply being the romantic interest of the story. She makes Evelyn believable by responding honestly to the complexities of her character's situation, which in turn adds to the overall credibility of the fictionalized part of the story. If there's an element in the story at all, in fact, that could be deemed questionable, it may be Rafe's reaction (some may argue, "over-reaction") to his personal situation; it is not, however, a reflection on Affleck's ability as an actor-- he gives a satisfying, credible performance-- but merely a subjective evaluation of his character's motivation. Giving memorable performances in supporting roles are Ewen Bremner as Lieutenant Red Winkle, and James King as Nurse Betty. Also Notable, are Alec Baldwin as Lieutenant colonel Jimmy Doolittle, Cuba Gooding Jr. as Petty Officer Dorie Miller, a Navy cook who rises to the occasion during the attack (though Gooding does bring a bit of melodrama to his portrayal), and especially Jon Voight, who is excellent in the role of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Tom Sizemore, however, as Sergeant Earl Sistern, falls into stereotype, and with the brim of his hat turned up comes across like an actor playing William Bendix playing a role in a war movie more than anything else. In his defense, though, he does seem to do the best he can with the material he is given, and it is a fairly small part with little time for development. The additional supporting cast includes William Lee Scott (Lieutenant Billy Thompson), Jennifer Garner (Nurse Sandra), Mako (Admiral Yamamoto), Colm Feore (Admiral Kimmel), Leland Orser (Major Jackson), Scott Wilson (General Marshall), Peter Firth (Bennion) and Sara Rue (Nurse Martha). One more qualified than I will have to comment on the historical "accuracy" of the film, but without question, "Pearl Harbor" succeeds in conveying the magnitude, scope and significance of the attack, and does it in a way that is emotionally involving and memorable. It depicts a moment in history that-- regardless of how dark and horrible-- must never be forgotten; and, even as Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan" did much to preserve their respective moments in history, so will this film help to insure that December 7, 1941, will forever be remembered.
Rating:
Summary: Overwrought, underthought and an offense to American history
Review: What I am about to say will sound drastic, but I am not hyperbolizing when I assure you that "Pearl Harbor" may look pretty but is one of the worst films ever made. It is historically impoverished, offensively imbalanced, and egregiously derivative, borrowing spent and hackneyed motifs from one war film after another. This DVD presentation merely highlights the film's inadequacies, and I can't possibly warn you away from it vigorously enough. First of all, history seems to have run a distant second to unbelievable drama in the making of this film, despite Bay's pretensions to the contrary. I have no problem with Bay when he makes shoot-'em-ups like 'The Rock' that take an incredible fictional scenario and turn it into a couple of hours of diversion. But here he's flagrantly tampering with the history of our nation, and he's done it a grave disservice. The best example of this problem in the film is the portrayal--or rather the lack thereof--of the Japanese preparations for the attack. Bay is far more interested in spinning out the implications of the rivalry between Hartnett and Affleck than in actually looking at how and why Pearl Harbor happened. This is especially frustrating when films like 'Tora! Tora! Tora!' have done this so much better. This preoccupation with romance to the detriment of history is symptomatic on a much larger scale of movie-making that cares less about reality than it does about blowing stuff up and bedding the love interest (and thus perhaps it is also analogous to the way we Americans tend to take our place in the world in general, oblivious to what's really going on until it hits us over the head in a very shocking and tragic way). The Japanese are nowhere in this film, regardless of the little featurette Bay includes in this DVD purporting to offer 'the Japanese perspective.' We get a few nuggets of wisdom from Admiral Yamamoto, but can we really care in the filmic world Bay has created, where the Japanese are never really given any identity? One minute they're using subtitles, the next they're writing letters with English voice-overs. It's obvious that the film doesn't care about them, and thus we don't either. Again, other films have done this balance far better. Finally, there's the annoying feeling that we've seen all of this before. The bullets through the water? Spielberg's "Private Ryan." The undisciplined trainees in flight school at the outset? 'Top Gun,' anyone? The final bombing run (yeah, right)? Remember 'Memphis Belle'? Bay not only gives us stuff we've seen before, but he doesn't even do it as well or as coherently. And Randall Wallace, who turned out a wonderful screenplay for 'Braveheart,' can't make anything come together here. It's just a shame. But it's not the worst shame. Beckinsale's final voice-over, as the camera pans the wreck of the USS Arizona, reminds us that 1,177 men--American soldiers--call the hull of that boat their final resting place. 1,177 men. And Michael Bay's film, with all of its convenient inaccuracies and forcibly misplaced triumphalism, is an affront to the memory of every single one of them. And to those who cry, "Lighten up! It's entertainment!", I have this to say: How many years will have to elapse before you will sit back, relax, and want to watch a lightened-up, entertaining movie about September 11th, 2001? That's what I thought. Historical tragedy that entertains is simply an offensive concept. We deserve better, and so do the men and women who died at Pearl Harbor.
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