Better than I expected

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 2001)

I put off seeing this movie because our actions towards Japan and Japanese-Americans were some of our lowest moments in history. Fortunately, this movie decided not to come anywhere near those events.
This movie had to be made, just like Titanic had to be made. And just like Titanic, the Hollywood producers wouldn't have allowed them to be made due to their insane budgets unless the movie appealed to a large audience, and the best way to do that is to include a love story.
Yes, the love stories were rushed and perhaps unnecessary, but that doesn't destroy the movie. I was surprised because I was on the brink of crying a few times.
The action sequences were the best. This was a very toned down Michael Bay movie, if you can believe that, because although there were a lot of effects, they didn't seem so unrealistic or overdone. It was just right.
I believe this may be the best war movie I've ever seen because it captured the emotions of the event so well, sort of the way Titanic captured the emotions, but not nearly as good...although perhaps better than the other war movies I've seen, and I've seen them all. It just killed me to see those Japanese planes keep bombing and bombing Pearl Harbor, and the U.S. military not being able to do anything about it. I kept wishing for the attacks to stop.
The one thing I wished they did a better job of was showing us more of who these Japanese pilots were. I give this film a 10 because I went in expecting a 5 and was simply blown away (excuse the pun). I think if Michael Bay keeps the effects toned down, do some lower budget films, and keep the camera a little more steady, people may start to take him more seriously and maybe appreciate the talent he has.