When the attack comes, watch out!

Rating: 7/10 (12 June 2002)

Ok. Let's be honest here. Neither director Michael Bay nor uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer have ever been labeled as subtle. Nor have they ever been known for script. They are known for concept. They are known for action. They are known for special effects. And that, ultimately, is what PEARL HARBOR delivers.
I will agree that the film takes a while to get started, and ultimately we in the audience have to suffer through as many bad lines as bullets fired by Dorie Miller (Cuba Gooding, Jr.). But the film is nowhere near as bad as the critics made it out. It is not the root of all evil. There is far worse dreck out there occupying space on a video store shelf. The fact is that once the movie does get going and the and the Japanese attack, the films visuals simply soar. Some of the sequences are amazing. And this is where the heart of the film lies. Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer have created a visual spectacle at the expense of story and character (neither Ben Affleck nor Josh Hartnett are good enough actors to elevate what little material they have been given here).