Pearl Harbor DVD Gift Set (Feature Film/ Beyond The Movie)

Rating:
Summary: Bay and Bruckheimer learn to stop worrying and love the bomb
Review: You'd figure that a movie like "Pearl Harbor" would take its subject matter seriously and with some reverence, but we're dealing with producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay, who are notorious for making loud, big-budget, empty-headed action flicks. Now, I like a popcorn flick as much as the next guy, but "Pearl Harbor" is as shallow as film making gets. To be sure, the 40 minute attack is as thrilling as a Six Flags ride, but there's no historical depth, originality, or dramatic thrust. The film borrows liberally from superior films like "Titanic" and "Saving Private Ryan," and the performances--from actors Affleck, Hartnett, and Gooding, Jr.--are wooden. Only the lovely Kate Beckinsale radiates some warmth and energy in her performance. As for the script, I was rolling my eyes every fifteen minutes: the screenplay leaves no stone unturned as it recites every war/romance cliche in the book. However, "Pearl Harbor" the DVD is well-presented: the picture is near flawless, and the 5.1 surround remix is the strongest I've heard. It doesn't surpass "Saving Private Ryan," but it comes close. So if you've seen the movie and you know you'll like it, then by all means grab it. Otherwise, you can find better ways to spend three hours of your time.

Rating:
Summary: Pearl Harbor, best war movie I ever seen yet!!
Review: I saw this movie in the theatre, in 2001, AND LOVED IT!
I'm not happy the Japs attacked Pearl Harbor but, this
reinactment was so well done! Even though it was a love
story, it was done very well! This is one of the best
made movies, I'VE EVER SEEN! You dip$#*ts who didn't like
it, are showing your true stupidity! (A MUST SEE!)

Rating:
Summary: Trash
Review: Formulaic garbage that should appeal to the less intellectually gifted 15 year olds.Absolutely laughable.

Rating:
Summary: It's About Love, Not War
Review: Even though this movie's been out for a couple of years now, it's still worthy of a 'Thumbs Up' review.

Although set in the WWII Pearl Harbor location, it's a love story that's also a tear jerker.

Sure, many veterans may pick out inaccurate details which are part of human nature, but as a whole this movie had both my husband and myself wiping the tears away on more than one occasion. It's a love story, folks, in case you didn't notice.

We bought the movie after first renting it. It holds a prominent place on the bookshelves among our other prized DVDs. It contains a bit of history for our grandchildren later. It speaks to the heart and soul of those who lost a loved one in time of war. It reminds us that we're all human and are susceptible to the acts of mankind.

If it was a blockbuster movie due to extensive advertising, I'm glad they advertised it as such or I never would have rented it in the first place.

Rating:
Summary: Movie with an identity crisis
Review: Too much romance to be a war movie. Too much war to be a romance movie. Whatever you want to call this hodgepodge of dramatic cliches, don't dare call it "historical." Like "Titanic," which suffers from a similar affliction, the fact that celluloid was even wasted on this is supremely insulting to the real people who actually lived through the events. The worst aspect of it is that it was obviously intended as a means to purely commercial ends, riding into theaters on the coattails of far more artistically and morally distinguished movies like "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers" and the groundswell of renewed interest in World War II which followed them.

If you want to watch a reasonably accurate dramatization of what actually happened at Pearl Harbor, your money will be better spent on the classic "Tora! Tora! Tora!"

Rating:
Summary: RUN FOR THE HILLS! IT'S A POSITIVE REVIEW!!!
Review: I'll just say this and bring it to the table; Pearl Harbor ain't that bad.

Have you clicked that "No" button yet? Great, I'll continue.

Sure if you're a war buff you'll pick out inaccuracies, perhaps find it a tad offensive (Don't you love it in action films when a character is about to swear before being blown up to kingdom come? "Oh, son of a... *BOOOM*") and that whole love story might turn even the most forgiving viewer off. However, as a film buff, a VERY forgiving film buff, I've got to hand it to Michael Bay; he recreated a beautifully contructed romanticised view of the forties and the whole bombing sequence is impressive and compelling to watch. The big budget certainly shows in the film even if the script sacrificed a little intelligence, but this is a Bruckheimer production with Michael Bay in the helm; all you can ask of them is a hell of a ride and nice set designs. (Good soundtrack too.) Also, I'm not being sarcastic or anything, but even though this film is about a dead serious subject matter and set 60 years in the past, they still managed to figure out how to slip in product placement from Coca-Cola. Now THAT'S clever.

I've always had a feeling this film was critically panned because the critics didn't want another Titantic on their hands. I don't like Titantic because that story dosen't interest me; people get on a boat, boat hits an ice berg, boat sinks, everyone dies, the end. Pearl Harbor on the other hand does interest me, it's a pure escapist fantasy that reflects a certain time in history where America was jolted to join in fighting the "people's war". If you want to watch an anti-war film, watch Platoon. If you like war and want to pretend you're anti-war so you don't sound like a blood lusty nut, watch Saving Private Ryan. If you want to see a big budget homage to classic war films of the forties, give Pearl a whirl.

Rating:
Summary: I Wasn't All That Bright to Begin With...
Review: ... but I feel even dumber after watching this beautiful, but awful pudding of a movie. My ninth grade history teacher actually told us that this movie would be educational, but the only thing I learned after watching this movie is that the guy who starred in THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER has gained a little weight, Ben Affleck is an awful actor, Josh Hartnett will still be an awful actor even after he changes that stupid haircut of his, James King is pretty and that the evil Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor for two reasons: 1, for "oil," which isn't ever explained, and 2, to destroy the romance between the two pilots and the Olive Oyl girl they fight over.

Oh and Cuba Gooding Jr. turns in another magnificent performance in his one recurring role in movies -- yelling like a goon into the camera.

Rating:
Summary: The bomb dropping shot was lifted from "Return of the King"!
Review: Hard to believe but Jackson says in the commentary for ROTK:EE, that they showed off some pre-vis effect shots(including the following piece of building arcing into the orc army) and preview shots to some hollywood industry heads during early LOTR production before "Pearl Harbor" was out and then PH shows off the bomb drop, so now PJ dubs his scene the "pearl harbor" shot.

As for the movie itself. Remember that idiotic scene where the zeros were strafing the hospital and nurses were all running around in the midst of it instead of staying in the hospital? In fact, the Japanese never attacked the hospital or flew close to it. The carriers and battleships were the main targets, secondary were the factories. That's just one instance of many of ridiculous scenes just to serve Ben Affleck with a love story. The common denominator must be pretty low for the public market to keep supporting Michael Bay's drek. the story could have been set in modern day "Sex and the city" type of drek scenario and it wouldn't make a difference. Just that an important historical event has been lampooned into soap. Watch "Tora, Tora, Tora" for something really historical about Pearl Harbor.