Pearl Harbor (film)
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| Director(s) | Michael Bay |
|---|---|
| Distributor | Walt Disney Video |
| To call Pearl Harbor a throwback to old-time war movies is something of an understatement. Director Michael Bay’s epic take on the bombing that brought the United States into World War II hijacks every war movie situation and cliché (some affectionate, some stale) you’ve ever seen and gives them a shiny, glossy spin until the whole movie practically gleams. Planes glisten, water sparkles, trees beckon—and Bay’s re-creation of the bombing itself, a 30-minute sequence that’s tightly choreographed and amazingly photographed, sets the action movie bar up quite… | |
Reviews
Amazon.com
To call Pearl Harbor a throwback to old-time war movies is something of an understatement. Director Michael Bay’s epic take on the bombing that brought the United States into World War II hijacks every war movie situation and cliché (some affectionate, some stale) you’ve ever seen and gives them a shiny, glossy spin until the whole movie practically gleams. Planes glisten, water sparkles, trees beckon—and Bay’s re-creation of the bombing itself, a 30-minute sequence that’s tightly choreographed and amazingly photographed, sets the action movie bar up quite a few notches. And in updating the classic war film, Bay and screenwriter Randall Wallace (Braveheart) use that old plot standby, the love triangle—this time, it’s between two pilots (Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett) and a nurse (Kate Beckinsale) who find themselves stationed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, during what they thought would be a nice, sunny tour of duty. Then, of course, history intervened.
For the first 90 minutes of the movie, Affleck and Beckinsale find a nice, appealing chemistry that plays on his strengths as a movie star and hers as a serious actress—he gives her glamour, she gives him smarts. Their truncated romance—the beginning of which is told in flashback so we can get right to the point where he has to leave her to go to England—works, thanks to their charm. They’re no Kate and Leo from Titanic (a strategy the film strives hard toward), but they’re pretty darn adorable in their own right. Hartnett, as the not entirely unwelcome third wheel, squints bravely but makes only a slight dent in the film. Everyone else in Pearl Harbor—from Cuba Gooding Jr.’s brave navy seaman to Jon Voight’s able impersonation of FDR—is pretty much a glorified walk-on, taking a backseat to the pyrotechnics and action sequences that keep the three-hour film in fairly constant motion. But when that action does take hold, Pearl Harbor is quite a thrilling ride. —Mark Englehart
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Sometimes bigger is actually better. Nearly matching the size of director Michael Bay’s ego, this massive four-disc set is a veritable Pearl Harbor archive, and ironically, Bay’s film remains the least interesting component. It’s a purely conventional Hollywood take on the tragedy, using a clichéd love triangle between two ace pilots (Josh Hartnett, Ben Affleck) and a Pearl Harbor nurse (Kate Beckinsale) as an “intimate” means of spectacularly re-creating the attack that thrust America into World War II. The director’s cut adds little to the previous DVD release, apart from authentic R-rated carnage during the Japanese raid, and minor expansion of the Hartnett-Beckinsale romance. Commentaries range from superfluous (Bay and film historian Jeanine Basinger) to highly entertaining (Ben Affleck and costars) and technically informative (primary production team), and a spirited examination of visual effects (with Bay and ILM supervisor Eric Brevig) is guaranteed to fascinate anyone interested in physical effects and CGI. A broad “making of” documentary is noteworthy for one-time viewing, while abundant historical records make this a valuable compilation of definitive materials.
The History Channel’s “One Hour over Tokyo” and “Unsung Heroes of Pearl Harbor” provide depth that Bay’s movie lacks, and Charles Kiselyak’s interactive timeline is arguably the finest feature included, providing an in-depth historical perspective on U.S.-Japan relations. Even a brief reenactment of a Pearl Harbor nurse’s journal is moving in a way that Bay’s film can only try to be, while the “Interactive Attack Sequence” provides a multifaceted exploration of the entire production process (a highly educational feature for aspiring filmmakers). All in all, these four discs offer an admirable balance between Bay’s technically impressive but ill-conceived epic and a thorough, fitting tribute to those who endured hell on that fateful Sunday in 1941. —Jeff Shannon
Barnes and Noble
As oversized and sleek as a vintage Cadillac, this sprawling World War II epic directed by action-specialist Michael Bay is an old-fashioned melodrama retrofitted with all the high-tech special effects money can buy—think Saving Private Ryan crossed with Titanic. Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer always dish out disaster and mayhem with style, but in Pearl Harbor they also add a healthy helping of romance. The story, which unfolds in Hawaii as Japan prepares for its fateful attack on the American fleet, follows two young farm boys turned ace fighter pilots (Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett), who find their lifelong friendship challenged when they both fall in love with the same beautiful young nurse (Kate Beckinsale). The characters—unfailingly earnest, sentimental, patriotic, and heroic—are a deliberate throwback to an earlier, less complicated era of American moviemaking. “We may lose this battle, but we’re gonna win this war,” says Alec Baldwin, portraying the famed airman Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle with definitive bombast. “You know why?” he asks, pointing to Affleck and Hartnett. “Because of them.” Pearl Harbor is that kind of picture; and one with plenty of retro Hollywood glamour on display, too. The three stars—Beckinsale, with her ruby-red lips and Veronica Lake hairdo; the young men, all broad shoulders and rippling muscles—never look anything less than gorgeous, whether dodging bombs or posing in period bathing suits against surging surf. The high point of the film, of course, is the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and here Bay truly excels. State-of-the-art cinematography and effects make for a thrilling and harrowing extended sequence that plays like a mini disaster movie. It brings the horror of America’s first “Day of Infamy” vividly to life. Viewed in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States, Pearl Harbor, for all its gloss, resonates and moves in ways that Bay and Bruckheimer probably never could have imagined when they made it. In addition to its DVD and VHS releases, the film is also available in a deluxe DVD or VHS Gift Sets including a National Geographic special on the movie and other memorabilia. Kryssa Schemmerling
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Pearl Harbor: Original Soundtrack
According to a Hollywood tradition that stretches all the way back to From Here to Eternity, there’s never been anything quite so romantic as the idyllic days and hours before torpedo and dive bombers from the Japanese Imperial Navy blew the bejesus out of the unsuspecting U.S. fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor. Far be it for producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay to, er, rock the boat. Just as Bruckheimer and Bay did with Armageddon (where romance blossomed in the idyllic days and hours before a Texas-sized asteroid threatened to blow the…
