very moving having watched it post 9/11

Rating: 8/10 (30 November 2001)

I have to say that I did not get caught in the hype and watch this movie in the theater. It was Memorial day weekend, and I knew what Michael Bay movies can be like, overly patriotic and melodramatic to the point of cheeziness at times. I was a fan of the more historical though sometimes dry adaption known as Tora, Tora, Tora and was afraid of what kind of abuses might be committed against the memory of one the the most tragic events in United States history.
Skip to 9/11/2001 our new date to live in infamy. The Historical event of Pearl Harbor is now sadly joined/surpassed by the Attacks in New York, Washington, and the Anthrax scare. Thousands of innocent Americans lay dead in a tomb that still smokes 80 days later and like our fellow Americans entombed at Pearl Harbor, many will probably never be recovered.

Now the release of Pearl Harbor on DVD and VHS is upon us as well as the 60th anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor. The few veterans who are alive from that day, have lived to see yet another surprise attack on America. Their story as told in books, documentaries, and even Pearl Harbor the Movie can now inspire new generations of Americans who have been connected together as one nation, a sleeping giant yet again awakened.

This movie is very patriotic and I was moved in many parts. The battle scenes are intense. John Voight's portrayal of FDR is stunning. The whole movie including Dewey's raid, that many said was unnecessary, has new meaning, post 9/11, showing America's true spirit of refusing to give up under impossible odds and the possibility of death. This is the spirit of the brave men and women of the Armed Forces past and present, This is the spirit of the Firefighters, Police, and Civilians caught up in 9/11, This is spirit of all Americans. Remember Pearl Harbor, Remember September 11th so that their sacrifices will not have been in vain.