Good War, Bad Love

Rating: Null/10 (27 May 2001)

The attack of Pearl Harbor, as shown in the film, could be a great resource for history classes. Other than that, this movie doesn't have many high points. I loved the trailer (Going to a lot of movies, I must have seen it 7 times), the music from The Thin Red Line fit perfectly. The trailer made it look like it was a grand epic, with a little love story to make romantics happy.
Sadly, this is not the case. The first hour and 15 minutes (or so) of the film focuses mostly on the love story, and what will later become a love triangle. It is predictable, sappy, and overdone, not in an enjoyable way (as it was in You've Got Mail), but in a manner that becomes tiring all too quickly. At times you almost wish the Japanese would hurry up and bomb the place all ready, just so we can leave the pathetic attempt at romance alone.
Then there's the music. If you want a good movie, you must have good music. If you saw the trailer, you know what I mean by good music. Music that stirs the soul, the moves you just by hearing it. This was not the music we had for Pearl Harbor. I will confess now than I've never been a huge Zimmer fan, but I do believe when the time calls for it he can do well. I wasn't expecting much, but even I was disappointed by his score. One point which stands out to me was when Affleck was chasing a bomber after the bombing, while music played in a background which would of fit better in a Saturday morning action cartoon than this movie. The score was uninspired, and the "great theme", which was Zimmer's excuse for rushing the rest of the music, wasn't all that profound.
Another problem the film has is a contradiction between the script and the title. You would suppose the main characters would have us involved quite a bit with the events of Pearl Harbor. Sadly, the filmmakers are more concerned with telling their love story then what happened on the Infamous Day. The main characters get so off track, that another character (Cuba Gooding Jr.) has to be inserted into the story for no other reason than to have a point of view on Battleship Row during the bombing. The main characters are away from the action for the first half of the attack, and when they do enter they are not even involved in the major areas Pearl Harbor is known for. I have heard some comparisons between this film and Titanic. Though they both had love stories, Titanic was just as focused on the sinking of the ship as it was on its fictional tale of love. Pearl Harbor seems to be a love story which is interrupted by a bombing.
I may be a fool, but I somewhat judge a movie by its trailer. This can be misleading, especially with comedies, but usually dramatic films give you a good idea of the story in the trailer. All in all, get Pearl Harbor on DVD, but watch the trailer and the battle scenes only. The rest is a waste of your time. Two stars out of four.