PEARL HARBOR

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: sexual content, language, thematic elements

Rated:

The director has attempted yet another film like Titanic -- a movie that appeals to both genders with romance and adrenaline pumping action reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan -- without the gore. Danny (Josh Hartnett) and Rafe (Ben Affleck) have been best friends since their childhood and those long summer days inside an old rusted-out plane in the barn, envisioning heroism above the clouds. Many years have passed and the boys are now two of the most highly experienced fighters in the Air corps, known for their deviltry games of "chicken in the skies."

Due to their experience and insights into flying, the boys are sent to the peaceful military base in Hawaii, Pearl Harbor. There Rafe meets and romances the beautiful and intelligent nurse Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale), while preparing for overseas combat in the British air strikes against the invading Nazis. Leaving Evelyn with a promise that he will come back, Rafe ships off to England and a few months later news comes that his plane has been shot down. Danny attempts to console Evelyn and the two begin a love affair... only to have the proverbial prodigal son return. 

Now she must choose between two men who both have her heart... little knowing that in only a few days the Japanese will execute one of the most horrific and deadly strikes on American soil in the history of the world. Pearl Harbor will become a ticking time bomb with forty minutes of brilliantly-captured and digitalized air and water strikes that prove the long-awaited eye candy for the males that have been sitting in the audience, agonizing over the love story. Unfortunately, with this attack comes the tears. Though the film gives us many a shot of spurting blood, burned bodies, drowning soldiers, and military explosions, the director shies away from explicit gore. Still the violence is lengthy and unsettling, and the language unfortunate, with a dozen abuses of God's name coupled with profanity, many minor profanities, other abuses of deity (including "Jesus Christ!"), and a few anatomical references.

Even overlooking these glaring flaws, there is a moderate to heavy amount of sexual content. We only actually see one encounter under the fluttering canopy of a plane hanger, but the innuendo, dialogue, and visions of nurses and soldiers strolling nonchalantly in and out of hotels burn a vivid impression of a sexually carefree society. It was inevitable that this film would be compared to another major disaster epic and it likewise shares many of its l flaws. But while there is something horrifically enthralling about watching a luxury liner plunge to her death, there is a disconcerting element in watching thousands of soldiers being slaughtered in a massacre from the skies. Equally uncomfortable is the predictability of the plot, the vulgarity of the too-long war sequences, and the thought of watching for entertainment an event that killed thousands of people, including some who still lie entombed in a battleship beneath the waves. For many older people, Pearl Harbor is a graphic and horrifying reminder of what they lived through. It would be like waiting fifty years and filming the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Historically the film is correct except for the Japanese, who are portrayed more lightly in this film (probably in conjuncture with not desiring to make waves in Japan) than they were in real life. Real-life survivors have some harrowing stories to tell about the heinous acts of the Japanese fighter pilots and their keen pleasure in what they were doing. It's a film that tries to win both sides and yet never quite achieves its desire. In attempting to create a romance they've soured the soup with violence; in attempting to make a war story, they've shot themselves in the foot by having to wait so long for action. Swim carefully in this Harbor.

Viewer Comments: 

by Dallas Shipp

"December Seventh, 1941. A date which will live in infamy!" Ten words that are ingrained in history to commemorate the lives of thousands of men. Ten words that became a battle cry for the Americans who fought in the greatest war man has ever known. Ten words conveniently attached to a movie trailer. Ten words that incited an enormous amount of movie hype for one of the biggest films of 2001, Pearl Harbor. Not only did Pearl Harbor have some of history's most daring and action-packed plots attached to it, it also had a $145 million dollar budget. The most money budgeted for any film to date. The result? Two hours of some  of the most incredible footage and action to ever leave Hollywood! 

Frankly, Pearl Harbor's plot would have been much better off left on the drawing board. I was very surprised Randall Wallace (Braveheart) would turn out such a lame script! The plot groans to produce some romantic sparks, but nothing in the mix works. The film has some strong emotional waves to it, but the plot itself should have been torpedoed before it ever left port. The first hour of the film is relatively quiet, but when you see the Japanese torpedo bombers peak through the clouds, you quickly forget about the film's sorry plot. The last two hours of the film are an awesome roller-coaster ride of action and patriotism. The griping power of sorrow and the thirst for satisfaction drives the film firmly from there. I cannot stress how overwhelming and Oscar worthy the visual effects were in this film. They were some of the best I have ever seen. 

Next to the plot, one of the main things that upset me about the film was that the supporting cast all had such small roles. Jon Voight (Franklin D. Roosevelt), Dan Aykroyd (Captain Thurman, Navy Intelligence), Cuba Gooding Jr., (Dorie Miller, Navy Cook), and Alec Baldwin (General Jimmy Doolittle) are all seasoned actors, and had exceptional performances. All were genuine historic characters, and played their parts to the fullest. I wish we could have seen more of them. 

Pearl Harbor would be best viewed if the plot were left out, and only the action and history aspects viewed. A sad verdict for any motion picture. Producer Jerry Bruckhiemer and Director Michel Bay have now proven that it doesn't take a plot to make a film, all you need is a spectacular backdrop. (Something they are rather infamous for, actually.) The film is a want-to-be historical epic that had a chance at being the best, but blew it. Half the film was worthless, yet the other out of this world. Due to the violence and objectionable content, I recommend this film only to mature teens and adults.

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