Pearl Harbor

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"Ma, you know who else lived through World War II besides grandpa? I did", I screamed at her from outside the house, while still getting down from the cab that I took from the cinema. What a great movie it was. The images of the gusty air-force combats and the invasions are still in my head, the sounds of the thunderous cannons still roar in my ears, and the gentlemanliness of the army men, with their uniforms and planes, still leave me grasping for more, as did the jam-packed theater. 

Why did it have to get over? Why couldn't it last just a tiny bit longer? The sky high aerobatics, the machine guns, the fighter jets, the discipline, the pretty army women, the well ironed suits, the line of command, and the bigger than life climax, I adored it all. The chemistry between the leads is something to look forward too. The unconventional romantic relationship and the intimate scenes between the lovers spice up the movie and give a new twist to the plot.

If you want to feel the thrill and the emotion of being at war and love at the same time, of being away from home, of being behind enemy lines, and of leading your country to victory, go and watch Michael Bay's extraordinary take on the events leading up to and involving thereof one of the most disastrous catastrophes of the era.

Michael Bay never misses a chance to leave his viewers awestruck with his action packed works, with strands of deadly love. And he did it again with Pearl Harbor.  The movie, though titled Pearl Harbor, is much more than that just the bombings. The war is twofold: between countries and between hearts. Army Air Corps, Affleck and Hartnett, thick as thieves, become the target of a deadly love triangle, with the potential of encompassing their friendship, falling in love with the ever-pretty Evelyn, which results in a love-hate relationship being fired up between the two captains. But Bay has something new to offer rather than the clichéd. Their friendship is tested when they are sent off to war together, resulting in their hatred for each other ultimately turning, or rather returning, into a brotherly bond. The climax is sort of depressing, but that is overcome by the patriotism of winning the war.

The motion picture is certainly not for the faint hearted. It is a mixed bag of emotions, and it is one that has many holes in it. The movie takes its audience through a variety of different emotions, starting at a high with love and patriotism, progressing to hatred and anger, and then ending into sorrow and dismal. The movie throughout, holds its viewers onto their seats and unleashes a surprise, a twist, every few frames, bounding them to think on what may follow next.

The film opens in 1923 and shows farm boys Rafe and Danny as close friends in Tennessee, who share a passion for flying... They join the United States Army Air Corps in 1941 and both show an ability at being daring pilots while training under the command of Jimmy Doolittle, in Long Island...

Their life is changed when they encounter a beautiful dedicated nurse called Evelyn Johnson...

Rafe falls for Evelyn and volunteers for service in the Battle of Britain… He continues his love affair by letters with Evelyn who ends up with Danny in Hawaii - Pearl Harbor, where the US Pacific fleet is gathered at rest...

News comes back that he was shot down over the English Channel, and assumed dead… Keenly distressed, Evelyn eventually finds relief in the arms of Danny... They go too far, too soon, leading to exactly what you would expect...

By the time that Rafe reappears, Evelyn is in love with Danny…

Kate Beckinsale brings warmth and intelligent sweetness to her character... She is quietly at a loss, holding back her tears, when she finds out she must choose between the two charming fighters she loves...

The film honors those who underwent Pearl Harbor…The great shots plunge viewers into mass destruction, chaos and incompetence... We see hundreds of Japanese planes approaching towards their unsuspecting targets… Sailors sauntering along the decks of their moored vessels when the torpedo planes, armed with special shallow-running devices, headed for the battleships, their prime targets…

Bay's cameras move sometimes fast, and sometimes in slow motion to show the savage blow… Scenes, out of focus, evoke the sense of disorientation and fear, also of bravery in the midst of confusion in the island's base hospital...

'Pearl Harbor' is a fight between love and glory against a backdrop of America's entry into World War II... The film has some moments of excitement and grandeur…

Schwartzman gets some extremely nice-looking scenes of the Hawaiian twilight... His shots of Kate—sitting atop a rock, reading Rafe's love-letters, totally unaware to the striking Hawaiian surf that threatens to pull her out to sea—are incredibly beautiful

For the past two decades now, Michael Bay has been known littering his films with countless explosions, and with this heavy special effects, garners wide success at the box office. Here, Michael Bay steps into the war genre with this intense, dramatic retelling of the fateful event that pulled America into World War II in the 1941. Set near the dawn of World War II, Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett play Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker, two Airforce soldiers who have been best friends since childhood. As they grow up, they are caught in a love triangle when they both fall in love with beautiful nurse named Evelyn (played by Kate Beckinsale). Things get pretty complicated when Danny and Evelyn are transferred to Pearl Harbor where Rafe returns from fighting overseas in Great Britain to find the two are in a relationship. Next morning, December 7, Danny and Rafe wake up to find hundreds of Japanese fighter pilots dropping bombs on Pearl Harbor. The two friends arm themselves with the F-51s in attempt to fight off against the Japanese fleet. With the U.S naval base devastated and thousands of innocent lives lost, the U.S declares war against war. From there on, Dafe and Rafe and their army lead by Lieutenant Colonol James Dolittle (played by Alec Baldwin) prepare for a fight against Japan to overcome their country's catastrophic defeat. This film also features Cuba Gooding Jr. who plays Captain Dorie Miller, the first African- American in history to be awarded the U.S Navy Cross.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor was one of the most shocking moments in the history of America, and it makes interesting subject matter to be told on on screen. Although this movie does manage to paint the horrors that took place during that fateful day, this film does suffer from some flaws that director Michael Bay is often known. Now with a war movie being directed by Bay, audience should go into this movie expecting abundance of explosions and this film plenty of these during the 40-minute action sequences that takes place during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The entire scene is very well done and the special effects are great. The scene really captures the grim details of what the civilians of Pearl Harbor suffered through as we watch countless of people killed from gunfire and drowning, as well as others who suffer some gruesome injuries. This entire scene is quite difficult to watch and it really pulls at your heart strings. Now here is where the film falters. Along with the whole Japanese attack and its aftermath, audiences are treated with a romantic subplot involving Josh Hartnett, Ben Affleck, and Kate Beckinsale that takes up a good portion of the film. What we get from this is poor acting and cheesy dialogue between Affleck and Beckinsale, including a line "I love you so much it hurts", a line that is highly laughable and far too corny, especially when dealing with a war flick. The whole love story is not terrible, but definitely takes more than what is needed of the film. With the whole story, the film ends up running 183 minutes.

Pearl Harbor is certainly not one of the best war movies in Hollywood and definitely not the best of what Michael Bay has to offer. I feel that this could have done better if it was handled someone like Steven Spielberg who has been masterful with the World War II genre (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List). Overall, this is film is not terrible. Despite some of its flaws, it still works and is entertaining to watch.

(Please excuse my French, it's probably wrong) Roll up, roll up! See the cinematic spectacle of 2001! See the horrible deaths of 2500 or so people commemorated by a film about two guys who fly fast planes really fast. See them go ZOOOOOOOOM, see them go WHIIIIZZZZ! See them reprise the 'flypast and debriefing' scenes from Top Gun. Watch the beautiful love story unfold. See the true love two people have for one another tested and broken when Kate Beckinsale comes between them. See a fine young actor reduced to playing Token Black Guy. Watch as he fights to prove he's more than a Token Black Guy, even though he's given so little to do that he ends up as nothing more than a Token Black Guy (even though, unlike the two guys in the planes, Token Black Guy actually existed). Watch the awful bombing of a military target. Watch the heroic bombing of a city. Watch Jon Voigt recreate Peter Sellars' unforgettable character Dr. Strangelove. Watch the whole reality of war, and the lives and deaths therein trivialised to make a Big Dumb Action Movie that thinks it's some kind of ghastly tribute to the American dead of December the 7th. Or better still... don't! On the other hand, if you want an unrealistic film with ponderously paced romance, fighter planes zooming all over the place and nice explosions, check this out. It's a lot of fun. Just don't take it seriously - you'll only encourage them!

Pearl Harbor is a terrific movie with a well developed storyline and a fantastic cast.I really don't understand why this movie gets so much hate,it's a good story and despite the historical inaccuracies,I think it stays true to the events in the way that the characters behave and the drama that develops throughout.Many people complained about the love story,saying that it was unnecessary,but I completely disagree,the development of these three characters and the love and rivalry that occurs makes their story a lot more personal, it is definitely what kept me watching for the whole three hours,it was sweet,romantic and tragic,and I don't think the tragedy at the end would have been any bit as upsetting without this conflict that was shown previously.Ben Affleck,Kate Beckinsale and Josh Hartnett all deliver great performances,they really became these characters and were living in the moment for each scene,there was great chemistry between all three,and despite some of their lines being very cheesy,they certainly didn't deserve Razzie nominations.Where the movie does fall flat is the fact that it tried to be the Titantic of war movies,I get that it was a huge movie at the time and Michael Bay was trying to make his own version of it,but trying to be like another film is never a good mind set for filmmaking and that is certainly a significant part of why many people criticized this movie.It may have a few flaws,but I still had a great time watching Pearl Harbor and certainly didn't consider it a waste of three hours,and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good drama or war film.

Follows the lives of two best friends as they enter the war as pilots and both start to fall for the same woman.

Best Performance: Kate Beckinsale