A grand epic of a movie

Rating: 9/10 (4 June 2001)

I can't help but to scoff at people that criticize films like this. You don't have to look far to find them either. They all have reputable names like Ebert, Travers, Siegel and some home grown synthetic wannabees like Pevere and Braun ( man she is numb ). These people come off as silly, vacuous, desperate to sell papers, grasping at straws kind of morons that no one really takes heed to or even listens to but are employed and well paid because of the car wreck scenario. You know, you just have to stare as you are driving by....Same thing. I read people like Braun, Pevere and Ebert because I just want to see what assinine comment they are going to make about the film next. There are very few things in this life that are apodictic, but reading a slew of bad, ostentatious reviews ( that are sometimes well written, but ostentatious and wrong nonetheless )by the aformentioned is now becoming one of them. For people like Liz Braun, it is just accepted that she is a little caustic and shows no real knowledge of film but what disappoints me is how people like Ebert, people who I at one time respected are now so deteriorated in their opinion that they can't tell the difference between what is a well made film and what is just flat out entertaining. Pearl Harbor is a marvellous amalgamation of both. It is incredibly well made and it is entertainment at it's finest. By the time this film has finished it's domestic run, it will probably end with close to 200 million and you can add another 200 or 300 million in foreign receipts. The film has to be doing something right. I don't know many people ( not paid critics that seem to have a personal vendetta against Jerry Bruckheimer ) that have not enjoyed this film. I happened to love it.
I think by now everyone knows that this is a film that is based on a historical event and it is surrounded by a love story. And you can probably guess what is going to happen to the main characters about ten minutes into the film. But that doesn't matter. What does matter is the execution. What you have here is a film that takes time to develop a love story and then it surrounds it by the imminency of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This effectively keeps you interested and a little tense about the film. You know the attack is going to be devastating, we have all read the history books, but what you can't be prepared for is how well it is done.
Michael Bay showed his flair for the absurd when he did Armageddon. He also showed that he was a visionary icon when he did the same film. Bad Boys was also very well done, in particular some of the chase scenes involving Will and Martin. But this is a film unlike many others hat I have seen. The battle scenes are realistic and scary. The airplanes coming in what looked to be just feet from the ground was nothing short of brilliant. Michael Bay has some kind of eye for detail and some kind of balls for attempting some of the stunts and shots that he did. The effort that must have went into every shot in this film is tantamount to it's success. The audience that I saw this film with was in awe, just as I was at the battle scenes. You had the feeling that you were there. There was so much going on at one time that it must have taken the efforts of four or five directors to keep everything in synch.
I don't really have much more to say about the film except to say that it epitomizes what the summer film is all about. It is big, brash, grandiose and loud. What more do you want? When you have nothing but captious critics committing deserate acts of temerity when they critisize films like this, it sometimes makes you want to see these films even more. You should see this film. It is a fantastic piece of work and one that will entertain you and enlighten you over three hours. Judge for yourself. Don't be led astray by someone that sees 3 films a day and has developed a sense of mendacious storytelling and has become a cynic. This is a great film!
9 out of 10- Highly, highly recommended.