Just because it worked once didn't mean it would again!

Rating: Null/10 (1 June 2001)

The major problem with Pearl Harbor is that Bruckheimer and Bay used the same formula as Titanic. Big mistake! First of all, Titanic was a disaster flick interwoven with a love story. A big ship sinking would basically appeal to the general movie-going public. Throw in a romance for extra measure-BOOM! You got a hit!
With Pearl Harbor, Bruckheimer and Bay made a movie about love and centered it around war. Then they went after two different audiences: teenagers particularly girls-thus the weak and tired love triangle, and adults-mainly veterans and survivors of Pearl Harbor.
It didn't work because they focused too much on the love story where you only see 35 minutes of Pearl Harbor getting bombed. This movie shouldn't have been 3 hours and 20 minutes long. You spend 2 hours just waiting to see the bombing, which was supposed to be the selling point, judging from the trailer and the title.
Now what they should have done was make Pearl Harbor about Pearl Harbor. The movie should have focused on the events that led up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the actual bombing itself, and the results from it. Love could've played a small supporting role.
Because of this, the small (and I do mean small) focus on Dorrie Miller (adequately played by Cuba Gooding, Jr.) just seemed totally irrelevant. As an African-American man, I applaud Bruckheimer and Bay for at least acknowledging that the brothas were actually there, which Saving Private Ryan conveniently forgot to do! But the plot contrivance with the love story and the bombing just made Cuba seem out of place. By the end of the movie, you're wondering why they even bothered putting the brotha in there.
And the love story itself... totally lacked realism and compassion. I would even go so far as to say that Kate Beckinsale's Evelyn was reduced to a common whore, having gotten herself in between two best friends.
Overall, Pearl Harbor was a disappointment!
What works for one movie won't work for another!
Peace!